The sun., 1917-06-01
MEN OF DRAFT AGE
CAN'T QUIT COUNTRY
United States. Closes All Doors
to Those Seeking to Escape
COnscriptiOn.

WAsHINGToN,' May 31-Every male
citizen OF the United States liable to SER
vice under the operation OF the selectiSe
draft is prohibited from crossing the
bounda ries OF the United States or taking
passage for another country by an edict
OF the Department OF Justice made pub
lie to-day. The Department announced
its determination that no man subject to
registration under the new army law
should escape his obligation by leaving
this country.
The State Department has provided
that before issuing passport to a
male person who on or before June D.
1917, shall have attained his twenty
first birthday or shall not have attained
his thirty-first birthday, the Department
of State requires that such person
present with his application for a pass
port signed statement from the War
Department to the effect that the War
Department has no objection to the
issuance OF a passport to him
The action OF tho Department was
taken after ii became known to officials
that hundreds of conscription skulkers
were fleeing across the Mexican and
Canadian borders and were attempting
TO take passage to other countries. The
! first man to fall victim to the new order
be OF wealthy San Francisco family.
United States army coast guard cut
ter halted Pacific Mail liner from San
Francisco TO Mazatlan. Mexico and took
Fay off. Ii is understood that Fay had
spent twelve years in Germany, returning
to this country shortly before the out
break OF the war in 1914
In the last few days under orders
from the Department Of Justice several
hall
at the Mexican border. Virtually all of
them, so far as can be ascertained, We're
fleeing TO Mexico to escape registrati tion
and the possibility of conscription. Be
fore this. according to reports received at
the state Department, two or three thou
| sand youths had crossed into Mexico
presumably from the same motives.
From now on every case will be investi-
gated by the Federal authorities IL the
man seeking to cross Is between II and
80.
James Linn Rodgers, Consul-General
at Havana, Cuba, has reported 10 the
state Department the arrival there OF
many young Americans who admittedly
have made the trip TO the Cuban repub-
| lie FOR the purpose OF avoiding con-
| scription These men will be virtually
! expatriates. at least OF the period of the
| war. for they cannot return to this
country without becoming subject TO the
draft which they attempted to escape
Only 100000 men approximately will
be selected now from the IL. .000, 600 who
will register June 3, but many of those
who are not selected at this draft will be
b, selected at the draft OF the second 500.
900 men. and any OF the skulkers who
return to the United States in the mean
time are likely to be included in this
number.
While agents of the Department OF
Justice and customs OFFICIALS are draw
ing what is substantially an impossible
Gordon about the United States. the
, roundup OF anti-conscriptionsts has be-
gun within the borders OF the country
and the few arrests that have been made
SO far will be followed within the next
forty-eight hours by scores OF others,
among whom will be numbered the prop
agandists In New York and other East
ern cities who have been urging young
men to refuse to register and have ad-
vocated the doctrine that II is preferable
to be shot in upholdng this fright" TO
decline to- register than TO join the ranks
and shoot at fellow man.