CONSCRIPTION IN AMERICA.

Waikato Times, Volume 88, Issue 13488, 19 May 1917, Page 2 (Supplement)

CONSCRIPTION IN AMERICA.

(Daily Express Correspondent.) ...... New York. Within the past Few months events have been moving with great rapiditv in America towards producing a revolutionary change in America's timehonored distrust of standing armies. In place of the old spirit of pride in the fact that America's military requirements could adequately be "met bv a mere handful of regular soldiers,* the I nited States is beginning to feel that its future existence demands as adequate such a state of preparedness for war as is required bv the principal European Powers. The present volunteer system, which ha,s served America's purposes for mamyears as an auxiliary force for emergency use in times of'civil disorder, has gone to pieces in the test applied by the Mexican crisis. The volunteers, who were suddenly called from their occupations to spend many months on the Mexican border doing police work, are now returning home thoroughly disgusted with the sacrifices demanded of them. They believe they have been the victims of a serious injustice. Their voluntary enrolment as National Guardsmen was made with the idea in mind of serving on occasional duty within their own States. To be compelled to abandon all their business connections for six months and go into camp along the Rio Grande to prevent Mexican bandit raids on American territory has taught the National Guard that their amateur soldiering has been a gift to an ungrateful nation, which refuses to pay for a proper protection of its rights. There will be few re-enlistments among National Guardsmen who have served on the Mexican border. No enthusiasm for voluntary militia service exists anywhere in the country, and practically every military authority i» predicting that the system of State militips has fallen down and will never be taken seriously again as a proper defensive force.

An alternative to future dependence on the volunteers is to increase the size of the regular army. But, to do this, the pay of the soldiers will have to he raised much above the £3 per month which is now offered them. The regular army is not at present recruited up to its regal strength of 100,000. The necessary recruits are unobtainable, because civil employments offer so much better inducements than professional soldiering. To make the army pay attractive and to increase the regular force to an adequate size would mean an enormous annual increase in the expenses of the Government.

Not only » conscription becoming increasingly favored as a means 01 national defence, but it is also being urged because of its disciplinary effect on the people at large. It would be a mistake to believe that Americans havener taken to heart the manv weaknesses, which the war has revealed" as existing in the character of the nation. Americans realise as thoroughly a* Euro-pe-ins that they have shown a lack of spirit and of disciplined effort in the present world crisis. They want Ur remedy this evil in the body politic; and they are listening with * growing approval to arguments that a policy of conscription will provide the proper corrective.

Conscription will give to the nation its needed discipline for greater industrial and mental effort, besides providing adequate defence arid recovering for the Timed States it's lost ore>tige in international affairs. So runs the insistent argument, At. present it is most lordly heard before the Militarv Affairs Committee of the Cnited StatesSenate. The committee is conducting an inquiry into the military needs of America, and is summoning various experts to testify at public hearings. A of evidence is thus snread broadcast concerning the oefeueelessness of the Tinted States, and the woeful consequences that in all probabilitv will follow if the present method of trusting to an indeterminate period of a lucky peice. continues to be followed.

Wnnt form eompulsorv service will tak? n the United' States adopts conscription has not yet been worked out in detail General Scott, chief of the General Staff, -testifving before the Senate s committee, declared that as a result ol the lessons of the present war I.QW.UUU in instant readiness for war i W £S^T IT ii fore ? of an additional 1,500,000 to be ready to take the field