Woodrow Wilson to Guy T. Helvering

Title

Woodrow Wilson to Guy T. Helvering

Creator

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924

Identifier

WWP21241

Date

1917 April 19

Description

Woodrow Wilson responds to Guy T. Helvering’s letter of April 19th regarding the draft.

Source

Library of Congress, Woodrow Wilson Papers, 1786-1957

Language

English

Text

My dear Mr. Helvering:

I welcome the inquiry of your letter of April nineteenth because I have realized the truth of what you say from my own observation, namely, that what is meant to be understood by the selective draft is not generally understood throughout the country.
The process of the draft is, I think, very clearly set forth in the bill drafted by the War Department and which I so earnestly hope the Congress will adopt, but it is worth while to state the idea which underlies the bill a little more fully.I took occasion the other day in an address to the people of the country to point out the many forms of patriotic service that were open to them and to emphasize the fact that the military part of the service was by no means the only part, and perhaps, all things considered, not the most vital part. Our object is a mobilization of all the productive and active forces of the nation and their development to the highest point of cooperation and efficiency, and the idea of the selective draft is that those should be chosen for service in the Army who can be most readily spared from the prosecution of the other activities which the country must engage in and to which it must devote a great deal of its best energy and capacity.
The volunteer system does not do this. When men choose themselves, they sometimes choose without due regard to their other responsibilities. Men may come from the farms or from the mines or from the factories or centers of business who ought not to come but ought to stand back of the armies in the field and see that they get everything that they need and that the people of the country are sustained in the meantime.
The principle of the selective draft, in short, has at its heart this idea, that there is a universal obligation to serve and that a public authority should choose those upon whom the obligation of military service shall rest, and also in a sense choose those who shall do the rest of the nation's work. The bill if adopted will do more, I believe, than any other single instrumentality to create the impression of universal service in the Army and out of it, and if properly administered will be a great source of stimulation.
Those who feel that we are turning away altogether from the voluntary principle seem to forget that some 600,000 men will be needed to fill the ranks of the Regular Army and the National Guard and that a very great field of individual enthusiasm lies there wide open.

Cordially and sincerely yours,
Woodrow Wilson


Hon. Guy T. Helvering,
House of Representatives.

Original Format

Letter

To

Guy T. Helvering

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/WWI0082.pdf

Collection

Citation

Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924, “Woodrow Wilson to Guy T. Helvering,” 1917 April 19, WWP21241, World War I Letters, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.