Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 215, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 September 1916 — Principles of Democracy Fostered by System of Universal Military Service [ARTICLE]

Principles of Democracy Fostered by System of Universal Military Service

By PROFESSOR MUNROE SMITH

of Columbia University l

In the great modern European states universal military service, which reappeared inrevolutionary France, has been generally adopted because of its demonstrated economy and efficiency. The establishment of universal military service in European monarchies has not been followed by an increase of royal power; the tendency has been toward more democratic government. In all these states, not excepting Russia, the people have today some voice in determining the laws and policies of the country; and it looks as if, broadly speaking, the imposition of the duty of military service upon every able-bodied male citizen had forced the monarchic and aristocratic elements to concede to the people some measure of political rights. They really had to admit that the men who are to fight for a country ought to have something to say about its government. It would, of course, be absurd to say that universal military service necessarily makes a country democratic. It will not have this result if the people are monarchically minded. But if the people of a country are democratically minded, universal military service seems to make for constitutional government in monarchies and for the maintenance of popular government in republics. If we pass from history to theory, it is difficult to see why universal military service is not essentially the democratic system. This can hardly be questioned by anyone who admits that democracy means equality of duties as well as equality of rights. Those, indeed, who identify democracy with liberty and equality—those to whom democracy means the minimum of governmental constraint —may consistently assert that a volunteer army is essentially democratic. This idea of democracy, how’ever, is. a false one; and a democracy organized in accordance with this idea can be held permanently only by those who discharge corresponding duties and the natural tendency of laissez faire, in the political as in the economic system, is toward oligarchy.