Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1917-08-11
Some of the Men Raised BY
Draft May be Allowed to
Choose Branch of Service.
MEN DRAWN WILL
BE SENT IN GROUPS
Each Quota to Have Five Parts,
Which Will be Called in Turn !;
Surplus Men to Form Reserve.

Provost Marshal General Crowdel
and his assistants are at work Oh the
final set OF regulations to be promul-
gated this week to complete the orga-
nizatiOn of the selective draft army
They viii govern actual mobilization
OF the men selected.
Statements issued Tuesday by the
minary figures place the total force
of national guard taken into the
feIeral service August at 1908
officers and 419,834 men. Another
statement showed that 180,766 war
volunteers have been recruited for the
regular service since April l, leaving
only about 1000 vacancies in the
regular war strength
These figures mean that approxi-
mately 725,000 men are now under
arms exclusive of the navy and ma
rine corps This number is to be sup
limentel within the next few weeks
by 6S7,000, raised under the selectiye
about 10000 viii compose the third
great element of the war army, the
national army and the remainder will
go to fill up the regulars and the
guard and their reserves.
The mobilization regulations will
show how the drafted men are to be
assigned Alreasy the war depart
ment has received countless applica-
tions from men certain to be called
in the first increment of the draft
forces for assignment to some particu-
lar arm or branch of the service.
Where man has been summoned by
his local board for physical examina
tion, no method exists whereby he
may enlist in the regulars and have
his service count on the home quota.
1t is probable, however, that some
effort will be made to meet the wishes
far as possible, when they are mo-
bilized. 1t can be done only to a
limited extent as the regulars and
guards, as shown by Tuesdays state
ment, are practically filled up now
The war department has taken over
recruiting for the national guard as
well as the regulars, the entire guard
having now become a part of the
army of the United States and having
no connection with the states Tues
days statement says that about half
the men applying for enlistment are
within the draft ages Those accept
ed will count as credits on subsequent
quotas of their districts.
The statement lays stress, however,
on the fact that the country wants all
the men it can get who can be spared
at home
The national guard statement
shows that only the number of men
short of the 419,S34 figure, shown by
checking of the muster rolls by de-
partment commanders and rejection
of any sound unfit, will be taken
from the draft forces for the guard |
service The recruiting service ex-
poets to fill the regular army to full |
war service Wednesday or next day, |
so that there probably will be a sur
plus of 10000 or more men when |
the full $4,000 of the first incre-
ment of the national army is assem-
bled
In addition. recruiting throughout |
the country will supplement the ex-
cess, all men who volunteer going |
into the regulars or the national |
guard or into the reserve after full !
war strength is reached
1t is regarded as likely that the
regulations soon to be
issued will show that the surplus of
drafted men to be used as a recruit
reservoir and that all the men will be
put under training as quickly as
possible "A recruit depot will be es-
tablished in France, from which regi-
ments at the front will be kept filed
up, d.'a'tS of men from the main re-
cruit depot in this country being sent
over to this distribution center as
needed. In the sane way sick or
men will be returned to the
front when recovered and a steady
1ow of recruits to maintain active
regiments at top fighting efficiency
will be provided in this way
The only hint of the probable
method of mobilization of drafted
men lies in a recent ruling by GEN
lral CroWdnr which ShONUe that tho !