Speech #650011227

It is much easier to .brini. before the people of the country districts the requirements of the Governnent and to develop sentiment In those sections which xVill bring about a volunteer movement. Almost invariably in the past the recruiting officers have come across this situation. Perhaps it is due. to some degree. to the.fact that a .much larger percentigeof the population of cities are recent immigrants. 6hile people living in the country are naturally agriculturists. are more likely to become property.holders. and thereby nore readily recognize and accept the dtuties of citizenship This being true. it naturally follows that if we depend on the vohmlteer system there is going to be an.unequal coitributiiu from the residents of the country. a most unfair :l nnreasoiaihle result in itself and extremely.harmful under prlsent cornitions. T i when one of our greatest requlrements will be a sufficient food supply. In the United States there are unusual reasons for the establishment of a universal training s .stem which do not eistin many other countries or in many other democracies. During thelast 25 yearswe have received a vast number of immigrants. largely made up of men Who have hd no lesson and. to some degree. no instruction in loyalty to our American institutions. and many of them have come here not to assume but escape national duty. They have lived under a system of government where compulsion ineafit service to a sovereign and they are unable to appreciate the difference between service of that kind and compulsion to serve :a commonwealththat the latter simply represents the deliberate voluntary choice of the people of whom they are one. Therefore. from the standpoint of the desirability of the assimilation of these citizens. it is well that they should appreciate thei r obligation to the country they have chosen as their home.