SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 206, 20 May 1918, Page 6

SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE

Sir,-A meeting of the above league v/as held on Tue/day last. I am not i;oing to criticise these people, whoever they n'ny be, for holding meetings to better their position. That is not my business. Xno war is not yet won, and it is up to even' Britisher worthy of the name to put his shoulder to the wheel pnd help. As a married man with five children, one of whom is at present at the front, 1 wish to take exception to the following remark made by the chairman: "That no self-respecting man would be prepared to go into camp under the. old conditions." This seems to me to be a shir on the thousands of married men who have volunteered and gone to the war, and as one of those who went with _an early reinforcement I wi6li to ti'll Air. Armstrong that the married volunteers have just as much self-respect as bo or any other member of hisleau-uo. Personally I enn assure him that I have too much self-respect to see my name figuring in ! any ballot which has for its purpose the laudable object of compelling colonials I to fight for the Empire's cause, j AVhen the early drafts went there was I no allotment for children, but -.ivy son and I, going together, wo were aolc to leave Ss. per day, and on my return I found my family had received lair consideration from "the Government, and 1 have every confidence they will continue to do so now that I am going into cimp again in a few days. The Second Division League tako all the credit for having secured the allowances we are petting for our families, but I feel sure that if they had jumped into the collar and come along the various boards vuuld have treated us'just as woll as they are doing at present. Of course, a soldier cannot be paid too much for the risk he takes, but it makes us feel ;i bit sick when we see so many able-bodied non more willing: to stay at home and tulle than do their duty. I did not feel very proud tho other day when I saw so liiimy boys of !8 or 20 years inarching on to a transport. In fact, somctimea 1 l'eel that (ho way soino behave wo do not lirscrvo to win the war. If the cause of .this league, is such a just one, it is a very strange thing that returned soldiers do not form committees and help it along. No, Sir! li' they want to make their I jiosition seem honest the only course open to them is to volunteer in a 'body. They will then find that the Government will treat them all right. Tho only people in mv mind whom tlio Government treat badly are tie conscientious objectors. They plead that they arc not in favour of taking He, and are lot allowed to carry arms. TV ell, between the rival lines in Franco a num. ber of our men go out every right to put up barbed wire. They arc not allowed to carry arms, and they placo the wire in position to protect tne lives of Iheir comrades. The only lives that would bo taken would be their own, and what a death for a man to die—protecting his fellows from harm! Tho Government should certainly meet these men who arc so careful of their conscience, and allow them lo volunteer for this special duty.—l am, elc, T. J. STANLEY, May 1". Returned Soldier.