Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-03-19
Ehrntttg Ul1at

! ana furnish an excellent example of
! preparedness to the rest of the state
| II 1t will emulate some of the New
england cities in the taking of mill
tary census, The Keystone State now
| mas an archaic system of military en-
rollment which is supposed to contain
| the name of every man capable of
bearing arms. 1t has been written
ABOUT and talked about as n wonderful
/ means of defense, and, being made nv
assessors who generally know little .
more about a man than his name and
residence, is not worth as much as the
| WINDOW book of the average political
WORKER. In any event the military roll 4
Is emery useful to give newspaper
men about once q year and for COM
! parlson with other counties. But a
mllltary census is an entirely different
| proposition. 1t is estimated that it
would require hundreds of thousands
| OF dollars and months of time to pre-
| pare in Pennsylvania and some
men do not think it worth IL mas
much as the United States government
makes census once every ten years.
A bill for military census is in the
| state Senate and so constructed that
IT would make a lot of appointments.
New York has passed law for a
military census, but Connecticut has
done the work.
The Nutmeg State Governor called
on the Legislature for authority to
make a. military census and on the
people to do it. He wanted It done
quickly and accurately. What hap
| pened in the city of Hartford was
typical. The Chamber of Commerce
and the big Industrial establishments.
tne commerciul organizations, the
churches and the lodges all Joined
in. A citizens committee took charge
or the details. Men gave up their
| business and girls working in stores
and society buds went to the head
quarters to help sort the blanks as
| 1ast as they came in. 1t was a patri-
otto duty and the Governor got q CO.
| operation that amazed the country
| IN SIX weeks q military census was
taken that showed the name, resi-
| dence age, height, weight, occupation
ana social condition, with number of
dependents, obtained from original
sources, the information secured in
many cases by timekeepers in plants,
ioremen and employers. And then
the nationality data was taken with
the significant notation whether the
man had taken out papers, and IL not
what was his nationality. But that wasN
not all. The blanks asked for military
experience and for physical defects
stress being laid on whether they
would bar the man for active work.
All the foregoing was pretty inter
esting and immensely valuable, but
/ Just read the rest of the information
asked by these volunteers and state
Iagents and collated, fled and in many
cases verified. The real fact questions
were whether the man could ride a
horse. handle a team. not Just drive
1t; drive an AUTOMOBILES: ride a motor
cycle; whether lie understood telegra-
phy, could operate wireless; any
experience with steam engine; any
experience with electrical machinery;
handle a boat, row, power, motor or
sail; any experience in simple coast
wise navigation andh any, experience
with high-speed marine engines
FINALLY 1t was asked, Are you a good
swimmer"
The way these practical Yankees
handled the problem is too long q
story. First they made up alphabetical
lists and then sent out the blanks and
when the blanks came back filled the
original list was weeded out. Every
day they know how Hartford, for in
stance, was responding to the call for
information, and when one considers
how busy is that city with its great
| factories and enormous business it cAp
! be understood that there were great
sacrifices made. But the Governor
had within startlingly short space of
| time the information which the mill
tary authorities would need in the
event of any outbreak of war.
1t is true that Connecticut is exposed
to water attack and that it is close
to the greatest prize in the new world,
! New York, but that does not affect the
Importance of the military census les
son to us in Pennsylvania, the work
shop of America, which contains most
of the munitions plants, the coal
mines. the powder plants, the steel
works, the oil wells and the great
| n ri tnfsfn Nf frn Nafs
officer once told me that when he was
abroad the foreign soldiers he talked
TO were always discussing the Won
derful Pennsylvania Railroad system
| and what fortunate state was that
which possessed within its border SO
many resources, wealthy cities. rich
farming counties and great establish
ments. all located on the line of that
railroad. The lesson was obvious.
For years past there has been
similarity between the number OF
registered or enrolled voters and the
military roll that must impress any
one who has studied them. We in
| Pennsylvania cast about q million and
| a quarter votes. We have manhood
suffrage exclusively, There are many
aliens who can't vote and some men
who won't vote. The next observation
would naturally be the splendid army
of men we have in the keystone State
Yet is there in any Office in the Capitol
or in any city hall or borough office
in the siXty-seven counties a list show
ing how many of that great army
could march five miles, how many
have ever slept out OF doors, how
many can handle q gun, <how many
can drive horse or row boat, to say
nothing about what else they could or
could not do? And most important of
| all, how many of the army of men in
| Pennsylvania have been working here
earning here and living here and
/ frankly owning allegiance to some
| other principality or power?
|
The other day a man told me that
| there were more men working in steel
mills at Steelton who had served with
| the celors of their native lands and
| who are not citizens than there are I'm
the whole of the Eighth Pennsylvania
Infantry.
1t is said that the last complete mill
| taYy roll in the state dates back to
1911. The roll is supposed to be made
up annually and sent here for imme-
diate use in case of EMERGENCY
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE