The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-08
new navy Law
MAY Be REPEALED
COMMANDER HARLOW CITES GER
TAIN REASONS WHY 1T INTER
FEREs WITH ENLIST
MENTS.


WHEELING, Jan. s.-commanier
Harlow. In charge OF the travelling Uni
ted States navy squadron. which is
making a two days stop in this city.
with quarters in the Federal building,
corner Sixteenth and Market streets,
talked Interestingly on the possibili.
ties of repeating the new navy law,
which, as is quite apparent. i~nterferes
with enlistments. The particular fea-
ture TO which Commander Harlow re-
ferred was that applicants are re.
quired to give the certificate of birth
when they apply to the recruiting Of
fee. Many. 1t is claimed, find 1t ut
terly impossible to give this informa-
ton, while at the same time they
may be just as desirable and eligible
to enlistment as-any men in the SER
vice.
The intent Of the law, in part, was
to prevent boys from running away
from home. the design being that II
they were compelled to get the ac-
knowledgement of their parents, am
pie time would be given the latter to
i%ntercede and prevent further action.
Commander Harlow believes that It
would be a great Improvement, and a
valuable one to the navy department.
II the law were repealed. or at least
modified. He figures that the rather
stringent regulations embodied in the
law has cut down the number of en-
listments at least 30 per cent, in fact,
there are statistics bearing out these
figures.
The officials in charge of the recruit.
ing work regard Wheeling as a good
place for enlistments, and four were
accepted for the navy department yes
terday. while there were a great many
applicants. Those accepted were Jas.
Edgar Mayhem. Cadtz. Ohio; Miley
Otto Schwartz. Staunton, Va; George
Garfield Loos, Wheeling. and Lawrence
Mark Patten, of Newark. Ohio. Chas.
Ford Myers. of Greggsville. happens
to be one of the applicants who is re-
1uired to give a birth certificate, the
other proving satisfactory their places
of birth and also meeting with other
requirements. Thomas Bernard Fitz-
patrick and Charles Wilbert Newman,
both of Wheeling, met with all re.
rquirements, but inasmuch as they are
slightly affiliated with %vericocele they
were sen to the Penn hospital, Pitts
burg. for treatment, after which they
will be accepted.
The navy office, on the second floor
OF the Federal building. will, open az
. o'clock this morning and close at G
this evening, when the recruiting par
ty will leave the city. Captain Har.
low has SER twenty.seven years in
the service Of the United States navy,
and, although quite well along in
years, he has the rudy blush CT youth
on his. countenance, and has the bear
ing of n thorough seaman, courteous in
manner and flrent in speech. which is
quite typical Of the "old lines in the
service. He was a shiDnate OF Lieut..
Chandler Campbell, son Of Col. Alex.
R. Campbell. OF this city. while on the
battleship Wabash. A rather pleas
ant reminder of his association with
the Wheeling boy was The appearance
Of a pet dog, now in possession OF the
Campbell family. at the recruiting of.
flee yesterday, Commander Harlow
having helped crate the animal for
shipment from New York to Wheel
ing.