The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-28


to place behind its army the prevail
ing ounce of provision. But the blow
that skaters the German line and eX-
tlnguishes autocracy from the face of
the earth will be the blow Of mans
right arm and not the insdious stroke
Of q shrewd trader.
Our selection boards have done n
great thing for this nation, but they
must do q greater thing The task ac-
complished is scarcely one-tenth the
importance Of the task which remains
before you. For this gerat work there
into being three months ago and
erected almost like Aladdin's palace.
i'm q night. There are nearly $1,000
members of local and district boards
With their assistants there are con-
siderably over twice that number OF
persons engaged--a greater numer-
ical force than is contained in q COM
batant division of soldiers. They are
pioneers They have blaZed their
own path. They are trained in the
work and familiar With the law. They
have become an essential and highly
specialized and important part of the
war organization Of this nation. The
selective service system is as essential
tO that orca OiZotion &C ic tho army
which it produces. 1t is the balance
between the military and the indus
trial need Of the nation and stands
as n source of supply TO one and q
shield of protection to the other. 1t
can not be replaced. Any break in
I it's ranks would be an act Of even
greater harm to the nation than ac-
crues when soldier abandons his
regiment or "a sailor his ship. 1t
disrupt or replace this organization
as TO attempt to replace or dismiss n
division on the field OF France Most
Of you are without the military age
get you may canvass the field of all
that YOU could have done to serve
your country outside of the fighting
forces and YOU will find no more val
liable thing than what YOU are doing.
: The examination Of the first .
100000 registrants has taken you
from your occupations and the win
ming of your daily bread. No one
knows better than / the burdens you
have borne under our new and nee
ossariiy crude system.
As VIC built and bolstered during
the early orsanizationai period /
would shuddcr whenever necessity de-
manded that | send out to the out
burdened boards new rulings, amend
ments, orders, ana yet it became
clearer ana clearer that we must re-
tain the services of all for this new
and greater task.
The conclusion was overwhelming.
The whole systcm must be revised in
the light of our experience. The bur
dens must be made ble-the
lives of members OF selection boards
livable. / called some members of
boards from various parts Of the
country TO Washington and went care
FULLY over the situation We evolved
new plan for the process Of selec-
tion.
This brings me to the most pleasllr-
able part OF the message I have for
YOU. With all the urgency OF YOUR
c"untry'S call upon you. feel that if
could not come here with q prom
i$e of your dcliverance from the over
Whelming demands we have made up-
on YOU. | should hesitate to ask Won
10 continue, but think I can demon
a'Fa'e in a few words that we have
removed the burden that Won have
hitherto borne.
IN The now plan 1872 forms which
served to bewilder both you and the
registrants and to increase vour yor,,
nave been abolished. Their place has
been taken by 10 which YOU will he
called upon to use. Even this state
meht gives no idea of the reduction
Of clerical labor that has been nc
compliSAcd. For the use Of regis
trants there is single form ouos.
tionnaire. The registrant is called IN.
on 10 answer series Of questions
that searches his entire Industrial oc.
onolnic' and family relation. Each
set of questions is integrated with
the claim of classification to which II
pertains On the face of the ques-
tionnaire is summary of its contents