Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-18
MANY PLEAD FOR
TROOPS RELEASE
Entire StenOgraphic Force in Adiu-
tant Generals Office at Capital
Busy Answering Letters.
WRONG COURSE is FOLLOWED
All Bona Eide Requests Receive Imme-
date Proper Method to
Be Pursued Explained.

| duJuIdHL general , OUlCe answering
/ letters from every section of the state
| in reference to the release Of Illinois
national guardsmen on the border.
A veritable flood of letters comes
! from the mothers and wives of SOL
diers who tell pitiful tales of destitu-
ton and ask that their boys" be re-
/ leased. None of the writer's display
/ the slightest knowledge of the proper
method of obtaining release for the
men upon whom they are dependent
Many of the letters, perhaps a ma
/ jority of them, are addressed to 1.-The
/ governor" and are turned over by the
executive department to the adjutant
generals Office
An old mother, aged 70, invaIided
and unable to write or read, had some
one write that she is left "alone and
on the mercy of charity" Three of
my sons are dead, and he (the soldier
is left as my only dependence to com
fort and cheer me, to read, write and
wait on me, as he is my ALL" says the
| letter.
A wife. whose husband is on the
! border, writes that she has three chill
dren, baby two weeks old, born since
the departure of the husband, and
that since the troops left she has bur
led a 4-year-old child. She says she
is at the mercy of the Red Cross and
without a penny.
A mother, whose son evidently left
home without her consent, asks the
governor to find him, as he is her only
support, she says. She does not know
what company or regiment he is in,
and believes he might have enlisted
under an assumed name. Unwilling
to tell the mother that nothing is
I'm IF har Il
has put clerks to work searching
through the 10000 names of men on
the border in an effort to find the name
of this woman's son that she may Sc
cure his release.
Another sad plea comes from a wife
who writes that she has been bed
ridden since her husband departed
with his company and that she has
not a soul to aid her.
An old grandmother" writes that
che is entirely dependent on her
Icy" and wants him back.
All Of these letters are answered
fully and with the greatest dispatch
by the adjutant generals office. The
humblest plea and the most absurd
all are given attention.
Most of the replies sent by the Of
fee consist Of directions for obtain
ing the release of the soIdier. These
directions in general are as follows:
The dependent person should obtain
from two reputable citizens of the
home town affidavits that a real de-
tendency exists. These affidavits
should be mailed to the commander
Of the company of which the soldier is
a member The soldier will then make
written application for his release
The application with the affidavits at
tached then will be sent to the COM
mander Of the southern department of
the United States army, in the case OF
enlisted men, and in the case of com
missiOned officers to the adjutant gen
eraI of the regular army at Washing
ton.
Seldom does a bona fide request for
release fail TO receive favorable ac-
ton. the adjutant generals office
states.
Names Certified to Clerks.
There is now in the hands of every
county clerk in the state-102 in all
a certification of the names of state,
senatorial, congressional, and board
of equalization candidates which will
appear on the primary ballot in each
county.
The names were certified to the
county clerks by the secretary of
state Aug IA The ballots in each
county will be printed within a few
days, and the preliminary machinery
for the statewide primary Sept. IL
will be well started.
Something more than !, 200 names
were certified by the secretary of state
to the county clerks. Eighty-twO such
certificates, couched in exact legal
phraseOIogy, finely printed and bear
ing the gold seal of the state of Illi-
nois, were mailed out.
Identical certificates went to 20
county clerks. That is, in 20 counties,
the same names for state senator,
representative in the general assem-
bly,, representative in congress, and
the order of the other candidates on
the ballot is the same. In 50 coun
ties the ballot is distinctly different
from every other ballot because of the
limitations of senatorial and congress
sional districts.
Overlapping congressional and SEN
atOTial districts in many sections made !
the task of certifying the exact ballot !
difficult task for the secretary of
state Nineteen of the certificates
went to Cook county alone. as there |
are 10 senatorial districts in Cook.
The names of candidates for state |
offices are rotated on the ballot by
senatorial districts. For instance, |
there are three candidates for COVER /!
nor on the democratic ticket. In the |!
first senatorial district these names !
will appear in alphabetical order as /
following:
William r. Brinton.
Edward F. Dunno.
James TraynOr.
In the second senatorial district the !
name of BrintOn will be third and /
that of Dunno will be first. and so on /
the 81 senatorial districts |
of the state.
The same method is followed with
all other state offices. but in the case
of all Offices other than state offices,
the name appears on the ballot in the
oder in which they were filed with
the secretary of state
Problems Before BARRIERS.