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American Friends Service Committee — Part 27

29 pages · May 24, 2026 · Broad topic: Politics & Activism · Topic: American Friends Service Committee · 29 pages OCR'd
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12. ISN'T CONSCRIPTION NECESSARY FOR NATIONAL SECUKITY? The assumption that national security can be found ip national armed force is totally falze. National armed force gives not sccurily, but a gamliter’s hope of victory. Security requires more; it requires the prevention of war, War cannot be prevented by armed foree, because each stcp & nation lakes to increase its own security thereby decreases the security of its neighbors. Security itself L policy 5 willing to fight tor itthan for any other singlé objective. So a systent in which cach step to increase one’s security threatens that of his neighbor is a system which makes security impossible and war inevitable. Security cannot be attained through national military power; it can be attained only in world order. Conscription as a permanent policy is hostile to world order. World order requires world organization with provision for peaceful setiiement of disputes, provision for effective cooperation on common problems and for orderly change of conditions which have become unsatis- factory; it requires. as Secretary Cordell Hull put it (March 21, 1944) “adjustment of armaments in such a way that the rule of law cannot be successfully chal- lenged.” Conscription may be so regulated, as in the case of a small country Jike Switzerland, that the country does not thereby become a threat to the rest of the world. But cneral policy does not give security; st security because it tends to em- Conscription as a its tendency is agai phasize reli ance on armed power instead of emphasizing 5 +. One of the main tasks of such a world organization would be to reduce and limit national armaments. Uniess 1127 it succeeds in doing so, an international police wo have little chance of being effective. No imaginable in national police could restrain Kussia now, or even United States. With reduction and limitation of art ments, the number of men in armed forees would be duced so much that there should be little difficulty obtaining sufficient volunteers if the world should dec to maintain for a time an international police compo of military units. In any casc, there is a certain re’ tance about conscripting men to serve outside iheir co try under another authority than the government of #) own country. It is important not to over-estimate value of coercion in maintaining order in any connmun including the community of nations. 14, WOULDN'T CONSCRIPTION ENHAN OUR SPIRITUAL STRENCT OUR SPMITUAL STRENGTIT AS NATION? Patriotism is a virtue; a ecnse of duty to sevve community should be developed in every citizen. } can a young man get such an altitude better the: in experience of giving a year of service, with others of own age from all kinds and conditions of men? It sometiines happens that virtue practiced ur compulsion ceases to be virtue, When an irate alun told Dr. Jowett, of Balliol College, that compulsory tendance at chapel must be continued because the ch Tay between compulsory religion and no relicion, mind to apprehend.” It may be asked whether’ ¢ pulsory patriolism is not in danger of breaking d into wnipatriotism. to be illusory. A conscription sysiem with cont liability for reserve service gives government exee- power over individuals, Twice, for example, Fr ernments disposed of railroad strikes by mobilizi strikers. A sense of sus} than a sense of national unity. is more likely to des (13?
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