Show NEWS cl BEHIN TOE N By AUL LON Z nel Released by Western Newspaper Union UNIVERSAL MILITARY TRAINING MYSTERY WASHINGTON No secret meetings meet ings with the military were held by bj the Woodrum house committee which urged what it called a broad policy of at universal military militar train train- ing No special Information concen concerning ng difficulties ahead of this nation was privately passed to the committee by the war d department which has been promoting the youth draft Specifically Specifically no inside scare over Russia inspired the committee Consequently considerable perplexity perplexity per per- has developed as to how and why it went contrary to the weight of evidence in its own hearings It seemed to vote 16 to 0 In favor of a program which none of its hearing witnesses endorsed endorsed endorsed en en- except the army navy state departments and the U. U S. S chamber of commerce against the popular opposition of national nation nation- al educational groups both major major major ma ma- jor national labor organizations two of the tree three national farm organizations as well as the usual peace societies and women's women's wom worn I ens en's groups To make the mystery more pos pas 1 sIble one member of the committee says he has received only two lette letters letters let let- te s from his district in favor of the youth draft while he be has a bushel of mail m n against it M I When congressmen go 16 to 0 the I remaining six members abstained or I wanted to delay action but did not I vote against the report directly in I favor of something opposed by their constituents and the most powerful lobbies in Washington Washington labor labor farmer farm farm- er education women a miracle is wrought Woodrum's Plan Flan This one seems to come within the realm of magic political magic political magic It should have been entitled How to toBe toBe toBe Be a Politician in One Easy Les Les- son Caught between the army and the lobbies the committee favored both opposite courses in moderation moderation modera modera- tion of at course Committee Chairman Woodrum tossed all the hot potato evidence he had amassed into the air then caught and came forward with some conglomeration which steamed in inthe inthe inthe the headlines Actually it is cold potato salad His pride in it did not leap even evento evento evento to ordinary bounds as he did not even have it printed in the congressional congressional congressional record which prints all congressional congressional con con- gressional thoughts for the asking Upon close inspection you ou will find the report did not endorse the war department program but was worded to sound as if it did by approving approving ap ap- ap proving the principle and the broad policy yet undefined Among members of the Woodrum committee is Rep James W. W Wadsworth Wadsworth Wads Wads- worth of New York who is supposed to have seen to the wording He wants to draft all youths of 18 or thereabouts for a year in the army Talking around with the committeemen committeemen com- com you will find man many favor a a. a Democratic substitute I such as advocated by the Veterans Veterans Veterans Veter Veter- ans of Foreign Wars for Cor training boys in fn schools without interrupting interrupting interrupting inter inter- their education expanding expanding expanding expand expand- ing the national guard and reserves reserves reserves re re- serves systems and summer camps The report did not oppose oppose oppose op op- op- op pose this excepting it seemed to want the youths drafted for it The Veterans of Foreign Wars program program pro pro- gram following the lines outlined in inthis inthis inthis this column since last September now rates the best chance of at adoption adoption tion by congress in the end with end with without out a draft draft but but only after more magic and semantics Next will come a report from the house military military mili mili- tary affairs committee and this may recommend drafting as the military totalitarians totalitarian are in the majority there also Home Compulsion But on the floor of the senate and house today a majority for a youth draft would be hard to find Compulsion Compulsion Compulsion Com Com- for home and school training without a national draft Is the obvious obvious obvious ob ob- ob- ob compromise The army has never come forward forward forward for for- ward with a specific outline of what It intended to do with the young men if it gets control of them for a year no one mentions the young women any more and I assume they have been dropped from the army training program But retired officers who are going around the country whipping up sentiment in American Leg Legion on posts advocate something like this Nine weeks' weeks basic training bunk bunk- making setting setting up exercises etc 9 weeks of specialists training In categories in the army Eisenhower really proved there I must be a citizens' citizens training system and urged that the training pro pro- more ordination co-ordination between the land sea and air air forces But like Marshall he did not even consider enlarging the national guard youth camps for lor summer only creation of ot a larger and better officer reserve system quadrupling West Point and Annapolis lis injection of military courses in high ligh schools and colleges as compulsory compulsory com com- subjects subjects subjects-or or any of the other many excellent alternatives to the youth draft system founded by Prussians and adopted by Nazis |