OCR Text |
Show WARNING 10 THE UNITED STATES Conscription Necessary, Saya Bernard Shaw, the Eng-, Eng-, lish Writer. Washington, Feb. 1. "Do not shriek at conscription. Organize it!" This is the cryptic admonition of G. Bernard Shaw to the American poo- pie as contained In a lottor made public pub-lic today by the anti-preparedness committee. Mr. Shaw sounds a warning to the American people to profit by England's Eng-land's example and prepare for war now, while thoro is yet time. Mr. Shaw's letter follows: "May I suggest that the proper business busi-ness of an antl-milltarlsm committeo Is not to denounce conscription, which the firing of a single shot may make Irresistible at any moment, but to prepare for it by discussing and defining de-fining the conditions on which citizens citi-zens can accopt military service in case of need without abandoning themselves to the hopeless slavery of the soldier. This is the renl preparedness prepared-ness which the American nation needs. The English nation did nothing noth-ing but preach against conscription and declare that free Englishmen would never submit to it. The result is, now that it has come, it comes In the form of compulsory soldiering of the Prussian typo, with abandonment of every civil right; helpless submission submis-sion to cruel and degrading punishments punish-ments without trial by jury for the smallest assertion of self-respect against, not discipline, but insolence and class, domination; compulsory inoculation in-oculation with all sorts of pol'sons where there are strong commercial Interests; employment in occupations which have no relation to national defense, de-fense, and are either menial or merely mere-ly theatrical, and barrack life, a thing indescribable oven by its advocates. Take warning by our fate and do not shriek at conscription, but organize It. If you leave it to the militarists to do so, heaven help you." |