South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-05
MEN WHO FAIL TO APPEAR
TO Be HELD AS DESERTERS
Whole Power of Federal and
Civil Government to be
Employed to Bring
Them to Book.
ciated Press Service

As .ciated Press Service.
WASHINGTON. Aug. A.
Registered men who resist the
Selective draft law face military
court martial for ieSertion and
The possibility of execution for
ieSertion in time of war. The
whole military and civil power
of the federal government and
The civil power of the states, cit
\ les or counties will he employed
10 bring them 10 book. This
was announced i'm q formal state
nelt tonight 10y Brig. Gen.
Enoch n. CroWier provost mar
shall general. i'm response to re-
ports from North Carolina,
Georgia AMI Oklahoma of anti
draft disturbances. As yet the
power of the federal government
mas not been invoked by the
governors of the three states,
nor hv The agents of the depart
men. of Justice The only off
cal notice received I'm Washing
ton of the disturbances was a
telegram from the governor OF
North Carolina saying that the
registered men of two townships
in that state might refuse i'm a
body 10 comply with the sum-
mons for examination.
Confident Of Outcome.
40 official word came from
Oklahoma. where the most Sc
riouS situation prevails. 1t was
! believed The governor both in
! his Official state capacity and as
The direct agent of the president
lin the execution of the draft law,
( is confident that order can be re-
stored without military aid.
| There will be no hesitation,
/ however, in employing federal
troops if they are needed.
Gen. CrOWier'S statement,
! formulated after conference
with officials of the Justice de-
partmenL follows
The press reports and other
adviceS received indicate that in
one or two widely separated dis
trictS, individuals, miSinformed
as to the purposes of the law and
misguided as to its result, are
threatening forCible resistance to
the draft
Nothing to Resist.
There is nothing to resist at
this stage in the execution of the
law. All male persons between
the ages of q and 80 inclusive,
have been enrolled for military
service. A preliminary call has
gone forth to some such persons
but the immediate and actual
object of this call is merely to
provide an opportunity for such
persons. or for someone else in
. respect of them to present to the
government reasons why they
should not be finally ordered to
report for military duty If such
( persons do not appear and pre-
sent these reasons, they have
simply neglected to take adVan-
tage Of an opportunity that was Of
fered solely for their benefit. The
failure of persons 10 take advantage
Of this opportunity does not inter
fere with the raising OF the army
and interests the government only
as punishable crime Of omission. II
they do not desire 20 make any such
claims. or if for any other reason,
they fail 20 appear, their names are
automatically posted as having been
called and not exempted or dis
charged. Automatically also. they
and made subject 70 military law.
Failure 20 appear merely hastens
this automatic process.
Amounts 20 DcsertiOn.
When the time allowed for max
ling these claims has elapsed, these
persons will be enrolled as in the
military service. They win then be
ordered 10 appear as soldiers
From this point on. they viii be
under the swift and summary pro
cedure Of courts martial Failure 20
report for military duty when or
dered 20 do so constitutes desertion.
Desertion in time OF war IS a CAPT
tai offense
"Deserters may oe apprehended
by either civil or military authority,
and after the mandate of the fed
eraI government has gone forth, the
whole strength Of the military arm
Of the government is available 10
lapprehend deserters. II il IS neces-
sary 20 use such force.
Demonstrations against local