Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1917-05-24
PROCLAMATION Of DRAFT DECLARED
BY PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON

more than one year, or, III subject to
military law, shall be tried by court
martial and suffer such punishment as
courtmartial may Direct
Now, therefore, !, Woodrow Wilson,
president of the United States, do call
upon the governor of each of the sew
Tal states and territories, the board of
commissioners of the District of Column
bia and all officers and agents of the
counties and municipalities therein, to
perform certain duties in the execution
of the foregoing law, which duties will
be communicated to them directly in
regulations or even date herewith.
And ! do further proclaim and give
notice to all persons subject to regis
tration in the several states and in the
District of Columbia in accordance with
the above law, that the time and place
of such registration shall be between Z
a. m and 9 =. m. on the fifth day of
June, 1917, at the registration place in
the precinct wherein they have their
permanent homes. Those who shall
have attained their twenty first birth
day and who shall not have attained
their thirty first birthday on or before
the day here named, are required TO
register, excepting only officers and en-
listed men of the regular army, the
navy, the marine corps and the national
guard and naval militia while in the
service of the United States and Off
GERS in the officers reserve corps and
enlisted ren in the enlisted reserve
corps while in active service. In the
territories of Alaska, Hawaii and Porto
Rico q day for registration will be
named in later proclamation. :.
And | do charge those who through
sickness shall be unable to present them
selves for registration that they apply
on or before the day of registration to
the county clerk of the county where
they may be for instructions as to how
they may be registered by agent. Those
who expect to be absent on the day
named from the counties in which they
have their permanent homes may regis
ter by mail, but their mailed registra-
ton cards must reach the places in
which they have their permanent homes
by the day named herein. They should
apply as soon as practicable to the
county clerk of the county wherein they
may be for instructions as to how they
may accomplish their registration by
mail In case such persons as, through
sickness or absence, may be unable to
present themselves personally for reg
istration shall be sojourning in cities OF
over thirty thousand population they
shall apply to the city clerk of the city
wherein they may be sojourning rather
than to the clerk of the county. The
clerks of counties and cities of over
thirty thousand population in which
numerous applications from the sick and
from non-residents are expected are
authorized to establish such sub-agen-
cies and to employ and deputize such
clerical force as may be necessary to ac-
commodate these applications.
The power against which we are ar
rayed has sought to impose its will
upon the world by force. To this end
it has increased armament until it has
changed the face of war. In the sense
in which we have been wont to think of
armies there are no armies in this strug-
gle. There are entire nations armed.
Thus, the men who remain to till the
soil and man the factories are no less
part of the army that is in France
than the men beneath the battle flags.
IL must be so with us. 1t is not an army
that we must shape and train for war;
it is a nation. To this end our people
must draw close in one compact front
against common foe. But this cannot
be if each man pursues a private pur-
pose. All must possess one purpose. The
nation needs all men; but it needs each
man, not in the field that will most
please him, but in the endeavor that will
best serve the common good. Thus,
| though sharpshotter pleases to OPP
crate trip-hammer for the forging of
great guns, and an expert machinist
desires to march with the flag, the
nation is being served only when the
tsharpshooter marches and the machinist
remains at his levers. The whole nation
must be team in which each man shall
play the part for which he is best fitted.
To this end, congress has provided that
the nation shall be organized for war
by selection and that each man shall be
classified for service in the place to
| which it shall best serve the general
/ good to call him.
The significance of this cannot be
overstated 1t is new thing in our
history and landmark in our progress
II is new manner of accepting and
vitalizing our duty to give ourselves
with thoughtful devotion to the com
mon purpose of us ALL It is in no sense
conscription of the unwilling; it is
rather selection from nation which has
volunteered in mass. tt is no more a
choosing of those who shall march with
the colors than it is selection Of those