Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-08-08
$4,000 MEN ARE
UNDE.RARMS SAY
WAR OFFICIALS

WASHINGTON, d. c., August s.
Provost Marshal General Crowder and
his assistants are at work on the final
set of regulations to be promulgated
this week to complete the organization
Of the selective draft war army. They
will govern actual mobilization Of the
men selected
Statements issued by the war de-
partment shows that preliminary fig
ures place the total force of national
guards taken into the federal service
August 5th, at 1903 officers and 49,
S34 men. Another statement showed
that 1S0,766 war volunteers have been
recruited since April /, leaving only
about 1000 vacancies in the regulars
a. war strength.
725,OO0 Men Under Arms.
These figures mean that approx
mately 725,000 men are under arms,
exclusive of the navy and marine corps,
to be supplemented within the next
few weeks by $4,000 raised under the
selective draft bill. Of the latter num-
Der about 100000 will compose the
third great element of the war army
the new national army and the remain
der will go to fill up the regulars and
and the guard and their reserves.
The mobilization regulations will
show how the drafted men are to be
assigned. Already the war department
has received countless applications
from men certain to be called in the
first increment Of the draft forces for
assignment to some particular arm or
branch of the service. Where man
has been summoned by his local board
for physical examination, no method
exists whereby he may enlist in the
re regulars and have his service count
on the home quota. 1t is probable,
however. that some effort will be made
to meet the wishes of the drafted meR
ir this regard as far as possible when
they are modified. 1t can only be
done to limited extent, as the regu-
lars and guards, as shown by tCday's
statement, are practically filled up now.
Recruiting Fer Guard Also.
The war department has taken over
recruiting for the national guard, as
we'll as the regulars, the entire guard
having now become part of the army
OF the United States and having no
connection with the states. Today's
statement says about half the men ap-
plying for enlistment are within the
draft ages. Those accepted 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
1t home.
The national guard statement shows
that only the number of men short OF
the Abs figures, shown by checking
OF the muster rolls by department COM
manders and the rejection of any found
ungt, will be taken from the draft
forces for the guard service. The re-
cruiting service expects to fill the reg
ular army to full war service tomorrow
or next day, so that there probably
will be a surplus of 10000 or more
men when the full $4,000 of the first
increment OF the national army is as
sombled.
Recruit Reservoir Planned.
In addition recruiting throughout the
country will supplement the excess, all
men who volunteer going into the reg
ulars or the national guard or into the
reservt, after full war strength is at
nined
1t is regarded as likely that the mo-
bilization regulations soon to be is
sued will show that the surplus OK
drafted men is to be used as a recruit
reservoir and that all the men will be-
out urGer training as quickly as pos
rible A recruit depot will be estab-
ltshed in France, from which regi-
r1ents at the front will be kept well
filed up, drafts of men from the main
recruiting depot in this country being
sent over to this distribution center
rs needed. In the same way, sick or
wounded men will be returned to the
fvcr; when recovered and a steady flow
f recruits to maintain active regiments
1t top fighting efficiency will be pro-
ided in this way.
The only hint of the probable method
II mobilization Of drafted men lies in
recent ruling by General Crowder,
which shows that the adjutant general