Middletown transcript., 1917-11-17
WILSON LAUNCHES
new DRAFT PLAN
Puts Classification Feature Of
Law into Operation
TO PERFECT ORGANIZATION
QUESTIONABLE Out On December IS.
Classification VIII Take 60 Days,
Delaying Next Call To
February IS.


WASHINGTON. - President Wilson
formally put the new machinery for
the carrying out of the Selective Draft
bill into operation with the publication
of the foreword he has written to the
regulations under which the second
call will be made. The regulations
themselves and the questionnaires
which more than 100000 registrants
will be required to fill out are being
forwarded to local boards, but have
not Yet been made public.
Wal Department officials estimate
that the whole process can be COM
pleted within so days. This means
that no second call will be made upon
the draft forces before the middle of
next February, as the period of classi-
fcation will not begin until Decem-
Der Is.
The President describes the new plan
of dividing all registered men not al
ready modified into five classes, sub
ject to military service by classes, as
being intended 10 produce "a more
perfect organization of our man
power"
"The selective principle must be
carrieIto it's logical conclusion" the
President said, and he added that there
must be complete Inventory of the
Qualifications of each registrant in or
der to determine "the place in the
military, industrial or agricultural
ranks of the nation in which his ex-
perience and training car best be
made to serve the common good."
The inquiry projected in tae ques-
tionnaires will go deep into the quail
fications of each of nearly 10sOO 900
men. The success of the plan aid its
completion within the estimated lime
rests absolutely upon the whole-he,rt-
ed support given by the people, vs.
pecially by the doctors and lawyers cf
each community, and the Presiden,
calls upon them for that unstinted aid
Presidents Foreword.
The Presidents fOreword follows:
''The task of selecting and mobiliz-
Ing the first contingent of the Nation
al army is nearing completion The ex-
pedition and accuracy of it's accom-
plishment were a most gratifying
demonstration of the efficiency of our
democratic institutions. The swift
pocc with which tho M oobipor1, for itc
execution had to be assembled how
ever, left room for adjustment and i'm
provements. New regulations putting
these improvements into effect are,
therefore, being published today.
There is no change in the essential
obligation of men subject to selection.
The first draft must stand unaffected
by the provisions of the Few regula-
tions. They can be given no retro
active effect.
"The time has Come for o. more per-
feet organization of our nanpower
The selective principle m"st be car
ried to its logical conclusion. We
must make a complete inventory OF
the qualifications of all registrants in
order to determine, as to each man not
already selected for duty with the
colors, the place in the military, IN
dustrial or agricultural ranks of the
nation in which his experience and
training can best be made toEerve the
common good. This project involves
an inquiry by the selection boards into
the domestic, industrial and educa-
tional qualifications of nearly 10000
900 men,
Members of these boards have rem
dered conspicuous service The
work was done without regard to per-
sonal convenience and under pres
sure of immediate necessity which i'm
posed great sacrifice. Yet the services
of men trained by the experience of
the first draft must of necessity be
retained and the selection boards must
provide the directing mechanism for
the new classification. The thing
they have done is of scarcely one-tenth
the magnitude of the thing that re-
mains to be done. It is of great i'm /
portance both to our military and to /,
our economic interests that the classi- |
fcation be carried swiftly and acsl
curately to a conclusion An estimate
OF the time necessary for the work
leads to the conclusion that it can be |
accomplished in so days, but only if |
this great marshaling Of our, resources !
OF men is regarded by all as a nation !
al war undertaking Of such significance |
as to challenge the attention and COM
pei the assistance of every American
81 call upon all citizens therefore to
assist local and district boards by prof
fering such service and such material |
conveniences as they can offer and by
appearing before the boards, either
upon summons or upon their own
initiative, to give such information as
will be useful in classifying regis
trants. | urge men of the legal pro-
fession to offer themselves as asso-
clate members of the legal advisory
boards to be provided in each COM
munity for the. purpose of Advising
registrants of their rights and obliga-
tons and of assisting them in the prep
aration of their answ ers to the ques-