The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1917-06-29
POLITICIANS ARE
WARNED NOT TO
BOTHER DRAFT
Jail Terms to Meet Any Attempt
at Crooked Influence on
Exemptions.
WILL SHOW NO FkVORITISM
Gen. Crowder Has Taken Steps 20
Safeguard the Exemption Process
Problem Is as Intricate and
Difficult as Could Be Found.

Washington, June 1S.-Politicians.
by an indirection that is direction II
self, are warned by Washington To
keep their hands of the selectiye sery-
ice machinery.
The fear of the people Is that Ia
voritism will be shown In the draft,
and by this is meant In the actual
drawing of names. Washington knows
all about this fear, and ii is deter
mined that any politician who at
tempts by favoritism, either In the
matter Of exemptions or In the matter
of the draft, TO obtain release for one
man and service for another. shall go
to Jail. The federal government, es-
pecially In time of war. has habit
of carrying out Its intentions.
Drawing to Be Fair.
In dispatch sent some time ago 1t
was said that the people gould give
over all fear that there would be
either favoritism or crookedness In
the operation of drawing the names
of men for service In the army. This
word can be repeated today. A sys-
TEN will be devised which no poll
tician can beat, let him try his crook
ed best. The names Will be drawn
with absolute fairness and by sys-
TEN above reproach.
There is not today in official ranks
In Washington any fear whatsoever
that trouble is 10 come through the
draft operations. There is fear that
when the exemptions are determined
there may be attempts to obtain I'M
munity for one man and service for
another when both equally are fit for
the army.
Ii can be said. however. that before
the official exemption steps are taken
safeguards will be devised which IL
is believed will hold the exemption
process safe from just criticism. That
there will be kicking here and there
is expected. but with a favoritism
proof plan the officials believe they
can withstand the assaults of the
chemically suspicious.
General crowder Praised.
An intimate knowledge OF the plan
nings and the workings of Provost
Marshal General Crowder's office since
he was assigned to his huge task makes
one know that every possible means
was taken to conduct the registration
fairly and is being taken To keep ex-
emptions, and the draft itself, free
from the faint of reproach. General
Crowder is as conscientious a man as
/ 10 10 10Th CT
In the Office of the provost marshal
general are dozen young officers Of
the service. chosen for their working
ability and for their keenness of vision.
and one might say also for their ex-
pertness in the solving of hard prob
lens. This registration, exemption
and draft business has presented a
problem to the war department as In
tricate, and as difficult generally. as
anything that one can find In the books
of calculus.
1t is right that the country should
know what the provost marshal gen.
erals Office has been doing. These
army officers on one or two occasions
have stayed at their desks straight
away for "a hours, knocking off only
at half hour mess times. Every effort
and every energy has been bent to
shaping the processes Of raising an
army so fairly that no man may have
reason to complain.
Jail Penalties Provided.
The officers of the provost marshal
generals office are not legislators. Con-
gress passed the bill which contains d
punishment clause for interference
with the operations OF the selective
service act. The department OF JUS
tice will see TO Ii that any man who
for any reason tries TO compass the
escape from draft Of man who Is
fit physically for the service at the
expense of some other man 10 whom
the lot has not fallen, shall be jailed.
Officials In Washington do not say
so, but unquestionably there is feel
ing that men who want 10 escape will
turn TO the politicians for the means
of escape. The politicians are sup
posed To be able 10 influence the sun.
the moon, the stars, the tides and the
winds. Generally speaking. perhaps.
they can. In this specific case they
will find that they can't. There Is
jail for the man who tries 10 send one
mothers son 10 the front in the place
of another mothers son whose duty IL
is 10 GO.