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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday. November 19, 1968
Volunteer vs. draft
An all-volunteer army, the much talked-about panacea for draft-age men, appears headed for a confrontation in Congress
Sen. Mark Hatfield of Oregon says he will initiate a bill calling for immediate change-over to a volunteer army. If he does, it will be the first step to implement one of Richard Nixon's campaign promises.
Although Nixon recommended a volunteer army during his campaign, he now differs with Hatfield on the matter of timing. The President-elect wants Vietnam securely out of the problem bag before a move is made toward a volunteer army. But in a divided nation, time spent could be damaging.
Nixon would be wise to give immediate support to a proposal aimed at creating a volunteer army. Such support would do much to soothe dissident youth and cast a hopeful light on the Nixon administration.
But with or without the support of Nixon, the proposal to change-over to a volunteer army will likely run into insurmountable opposition in the armed service committees of Congress.
Criticism of a peacetime draft is not new. Voices ranging from Daniel Webster to Gen. Douglas MacArthur have been raised against the draft. But now, with guerilla wars and major skirmishes occurring around the globe and the potential, even the promise, of more to come, the draft has become a firmly entrenched institution in our society. Rooting it out will be difficult.
No one can reasonably argue that a draft is consistent with ideals of democracy to which this country supposedly adheres. To a country which claims to be the bulwark of freedom, the draft remains a disgraceful autocratic institution.
The surest grounds on which to rest an
argument in support of conscription is to question the feasibility of maintaining an adequate force at a minimal cost via the volunteer system. Although all the evidence is not in, there is substantial reason to believe a volunteer army would not only be practical, but preferable.
Brigadier Gen. Lyman D. Smith, head of the army's enlisted personnel directorate, has stated that the army does not need a system where 95 per cent of the draftees quit, rather a system where those trained will stay in the military for an average of ten years.
Smith has said the money saved by training 50,000 to 75,000 new men each year, instead of the present 200,000 or 250,000 would more than compensate for the cost of qualifying the 10-year veteran for a place in the civilian economy.
Dr. Walter Y. Oi, professor of economics at the University of Washington, has estimated that a pay raise of 68 per cent would attract enough men to compensate for those now drafted and for those who enlist under pressure from the draft.
Sen. Stuart Symington of Missouri has said, "A force made up of volunteer professional military personnel is more effective and less costly than one dependent upon involuntary draftees."
More evidence can be assembled on behalf of a volunteer army, but the evidence along with Sen Hatfield's bill will probably go for naught. It certainly will if Nixon feels it is too early to move for change.
If Congress and the executive reject the proposal, Washington will have destroyed what possibly is the only hope many youth have in the Nixon administration.
Richard Lundquist Assistant Editorial Editor
Letter to the Editor
Election coverage, sympathy
To the Editor:
The national elections are now over and it will be another four years before we are exposed to another "fighting campaign" between the presidential candidates and their running mates. This election has proved to be one of the closest in our country's history. When the campaigning began, it appeared to be a runaway victory for Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. The only question that seemed to remain was whether Hubert
Humphrey could come in second place ahead of George Wallace. As the election neared, the race began to suddenly narrow and the whole campaign took on the overtones of a fight to the finish.
The press, in my opinion, did a very good job of keeping the public informed as to what was happening along the campaign trail. Reports on what each candidate was doing in his campaign were given nearly daily in the University Daily Kansan. This,
along with editorials and other articles dealing with the candidates and the issues was appreciated by many of the newspaper's readers.
I, for one, would like to take this opportunity to thank the UDK staff for keeping its readers well-informed during the campaign.
Sincerely,
Marilyn Vrbenec
Kansas City junior
'Yes sir, general. We shook them commies up so much they decided to get down to business!'
The Hill With It by john hill
"Mayflower Power"
or
"Never Cut Your Tuesday-Turkey Classes." A short play in one weak act by Tennessee Hill
Characters:
Captain John Smith—obviously traveling under an assumed name, he is the one the pilgrams laughingly refer to as their leader.
Excited Young Pilgram-young, excited. A pilgram.
Mrs. Capt. John Smith—nag, nag, nag. Jeez, what a nag.
Thousands of Screaming Extras—somewhat noisy.
Scene: (Our story opens in a log cabin. Mrs. Capt. John Smith and the pilgram women are setting the first Thanksgiving dinner on a long wooden table. Radio is blaring Plymouth rock. Capt. John Smith is on his hands and knees behind the sofa looking for his wife's Mayflower compact, as an excited, young pilgram bursts in the cabin door.)
Excited, Young Pilgram: (bursting in the cabin door) Capt. Smith! Capt. Smith! I've got some bad news! The Indians just got back from a scalping raid near the football stadium and demand to eat Thanksgiving dinner with us. I have a list of their demands.
Capt, John Smith: (from behind sofa) What do they demand?
Ericited. Young Biggrey. Turkey. dressing. teamed sake.
Excited, Young Pilgram: Turkey, dressing, corn, tossed sal-
Capt. Smith: (from behind sofa) No, you idiot. What do you mean they demand to eat with us?
Excited, Young Pilgram: They say they have a right to eat with us as equals. They even want us to carry the table outside since that's where they're used to. And they want a turkey for the main course, with a bowl of oranges to give thanks for.
Capt. Smith: (from behind sofa) That's ridiculous! Whoever heard of eating outdoors in Massachusetts in the middle of November, what with the snow drifts as high as—
Excited, Young Pilgram: (exasperated since he's not making much progress) They say it will look good in the history books if we all eat outside together. We had better do it, sir.
Capt. Smith: (from, of all places, behind sofa) Why?
Mrs. Capt. John Smith: (naggingly, in a Flip-Wilson falsetto voice) John! The pizza we ordered arrived now you get out here and carve.
Capt. Smith: (from behind sofa) Forget the pizza, dear, I think we're having turkey. Jeez, what a nag. What happens if we don't let them eat with us?
Excited, Young Pilgram: Well, they could move their wigwams closer to our settlement, and you know what that would do to the property values. Or they could threaten to marry our sisters or daughters.
Capt. Smith: (partly to himself) They could marry my wife . . .
Mrs. Cant, John Smith: What?
Capt. John Smith: (from behind sofa) Nothing, dear. What makes them think they have the right to join us?
Capt. John Smith: (from behind, interestingly enough, the sofa) But that's different. They have natural rhythm. Besides that, we were in a hurry and they just shuffled around—
Excited, Young Pilgram: Remember when they helped us plant the corn and chop firewood?
Excited, Young Pilgram: Doesn't matter. We're going to have to make a decision. sir.
Capt. John Sofa: (from behind smith) Well, this is what we'll do. This year, and this year only, we'll invite them. That way all this will never happen again. That will satisfy them.
Pocahantus: (from behind sofa) Wanna bet on that, Kemo Sa
Pocahantus. (from behind sorry) Wanna be on that, Remogabe? Mrs. Capt. John Smith: (screaming, as she chases Smith and Pocahantus around room, with large carving knife) John! How could you! You've ruined out marriage, wrecked our settlement, and changed the entire course of American history!
Capt. John Smith: (to himself, as he quickly exits stage left) Jeez
... what a nag.
(fast curtain)
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