Arizona republican., 1917-08-23
TO0 LATE TO RESIST THE DRAFT LAW, |S
 WORD TOOBJECT0RS

Swift is the operation of the selective service law, sure is it's procedure and certain and heavy it's punishment for
 failure to comply with it's conditions
 are facts made plain in an order from
 Provost Marshal General Crowder yes terday to the governors, adjutant gen. erals and members of local and dis trict boards.
 This latest order was occasioned by reports of demonstrations that have been made against the selective service law in some parts of the country. It 1 tells them and others that the time is
 past when any resistance can be made 1 to the law. It reads as follows: Press reports and other advices
 received indicate that in one or two widely separated districts, individuals,
 misinformed as to the purpose of the 1 law and misguided as to it's result, are i threatening forcible resistance to the draft
 There is nothing to resist at this stage in the execution of the law. All
 male persons between the ages of 21 and 30, inclusive, have been enrolled
 for military service. A preliminary call | has gone forth to some such persons, but the immediate and actual object
 of this call is merely to provide an
 opportunity for such persons, or for 1 someone else inh respect of them to present to the government reasons why they should not be finally ordered to
 report for military duty.
 If such persons do not appear and
 present these reasons, they simply have neglected to take advantage of an 1 opportunity that was offered solely 1 for their benefit The failure of per- 1 sons to take advantage of this oppor- l tunity does not interfere with the raising of the army, and interests the 1 government only as punishable crime of omission. If they do not desire to
 make any such claims or if for any other reason they fail to appear their names are automatically posted as 1 haVlng been called, and not exempted 1 or discharged. Automatically also. they are inducted into the military service and made subject to military law. Failure to appear merely hastens this automatic process.
 When the time allowed for makin O
 these claims has elapsed, these persons will be enrolled as in the military ser vice. They will then be ordered to appear as soldiers. From this point on, they will be under the swift and summary procedure of courts martial. Failure to report for military duty when ordered to do so constitutes de- sertlon Desertion in time of war is a capital offense. Deserters may be apprehended by either civil or military authority and, after the mandate of the federal government has gone forth. the
 whole strength of the military arm of the government is available to appre- hend deserters, if it is necessary to use such force
 Demonstrations against local boards | are simply futile strokes in the air.
 All the records necessary to hold such persons are already on file at state 1 headquarters and at the national cap-
 ital, and since local boards have no oc- casion to use any force in simply offer
 Ing beneficial opportunity to regis tered persons, there is no field for 1 resistance If resistance is attempted 1 later when the army seeks to appre- hend deserters it will instantly h. 1 counter troops of the federal govern | ment.'