OCR Text |
Show FEDERAL AIY TO BE DRAFTED IIIliGTOI Pull-proof Plan Evolved to Eliminate Charge of Favoritism Fa-voritism When Names Are Drawn, AGENTS TO WATCH THE EXEMPTIONS Little or No Chance for Local Lo-cal Officials to Allow a Husky Young Man to Evade Service. By CHABLES MICHELSON. By International News Service. WASHINGTON, June 21 To get away from local pull and to eliminate the chance of favoritism and fraud the new army will be drafted in Washington Washing-ton under the direction of high federal fed-eral officials and general army officers. Kver since the registration conducted conduct-ed in the ward polling places, there have been murmurs of doubt and a fear lest the actual selection of the men who are to be mustered into the first army might be tainted by political manipulation. There were some incidents inci-dents of the registration that showed that the ward boss was not inactive and certain aldermen were charged with having made use of their powers to list exemptions for young men of more influence than courage and more money than patriotism. In sonic sections men were given cards of registration whose names did not appear on the lists, so that they were able to show the officers an apparent ap-parent compliance with the law and to save themselves from the conse- qttenee-ot their failure to register. "New Plan Evolved. The government, means to get all theso clever evaders, but it will take time. Meanwhile a plan has been evolved that will do away with any possibility of crookedness in the great lottery which is to determine what Americans will have the first chance at the battle front. Instead of leaving it to the local boards to conduct the draft, all the ics arc to be listed jn Washington. Tlvcry name will be represented by a number in an infinity of series, and there will be no personal element in the selection because nobody at the drawing can know the personality behind be-hind a number. When the president's proclamation vns issued, it was cynically remarked that there would be a lot of rich vliorif f fnrnnors nnlicn -iudirnq nnH other magnates after the draft, as it was assumed that the boards that conducted con-ducted the registration would likewise do the drawing. Now all the careful work undertaken by the shifty and influential in-fluential to have their names left out when the jury wheels wore filled comes to naught. Unpleasant Surprise. This publication will be an unpleasant unpleas-ant surprise for the folk who are accustomed ac-customed to get little favors like being exempted from jury service and getting get-ting out of little difficulties with the police, from the neighborhood boss. , The government intends that the selective se-lective draft shall bo impartial and expects to avoid any suggestion of prandaU The local tribunals will determine the exemptions, with provision for appeal to a federal tribunal in each district. This appeal was intended in the first njnst;ince for the benefit of the men p ' Iniming exemption who might have the verdict go against them, but the government has also the right of appeal ap-peal from tho local bodv's decision that this man is unfit or is not liable for service. Tn short, every precaution is to be taken to prevent any man competent to serve from dodging his liability. Every Name to Go In. Every name will go into the wheels or lottery boxes here in Washington, regardless of exemption claims. Every name will be drawn out, and the order of drawing; will determine which are to go lirst and which are to be in reserve. re-serve. The exempt will be dropped ut and the deficiency made good by the next number on tho list. In this way tho man who is far down on the list will know that he is not likely to bo needed for a long time and may co about his business. The responsibility of being on hand when he is called will rest on him. If his estimate of when he will be wanted is erroneous he will li ml himself classified as a deserter and he will be subjected to paius and penal t ies accordingly. The lists will be made in triplicate one for the Washington drawing, one for the state authorities and one for the local boards. Those lists are in safe deposit vaults and will be kept there until the drawing. Watcher Will Be Present. ' ' But, ' ' asked a suspicious person who has had some experience with the persistence and ingenuity of the local pull, "how can tho government know if the local exemption tribunal, which is to consist of the sheriff, the county clerk and the county physician in most jdar'os ami of other local o flic i a Is j where there are too many for these "T. three, is showing favoritism? The ree- (Continued on Page Two.) FEDERAL ARMY TO BE DRAFTED AT CAPITAL' (Continued from Page One.) ord will only indicate that .John Smith has a flat foot, for instancy." Your Uncle Sam is not without sophistication. so-phistication. At every hearing he will be represented. His representative will not he a member of the tribunal, but he will be present, and if an obliging oblig-ing sheriff Ogives a husky henchman a certificate as a hopeless paralytic the government representative will not close the incident, and the, federal board of review will be given a chance to give the young man another looking-over. looking-over. "When a number is drawn in Washington Wash-ington it will go to the territory to which it appertains and only then will the number and the man be identified. There are certain details that have not been worked out. It has not been determined just what exalted personages person-ages are to supervise the great lottery at the national capital, or just where the drawings will take place, but the main system has been determined on and only awaits the president's approval ap-proval for general announcement. The plan is vouched for as the most i pullproof enterprise in which the government gov-ernment has engaged. |