Are we, with enormous burdens of debt, to hang up every
useful public work because of the expense, and spend our lives in paying
State debts while the body for whom we work is unable, on account of the
expense, to do anything for us in return? If the State is to continue
its functions we shall have to commandeer people for its service in
times of peace as is done in times of war. There is hardly an argument
which could be used to defend military conscription which could not be
equaled with as powerful an argument for civil conscription. I am not
at all sure that if the State in Ireland decided to utilize two years of
every young man's life for State purposes that we could not disband most
of our expensive constabulary and make certain squads of our civil
recruits responsible for the keeping of public law and order, leaving
only the officers as permanent professionals, for of course there must
be expert control of the conscripts. The postal service might also be
carried on largely by conscripted civilians.
This may appear a fantastic programme, but I would like to see it argued
out.
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