The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1917-07-26
CONSCR|PT ARMY IS
CHOSEN BY CHANCE
,oTTERY FIXES THE ORDER or
LIABILITY OF 4 NJ : -
YOUNG MEN FOR WAR DUTY
r.sk Of Drawing 1o,5oo Numbers Con-
alnes is Hours and SO Minutes
Secretary Baker Drawing
the First Number.


was put into effect July ~, @heh
national lottery fixed the order q mi,
itarv liability for the ten million young
Americans registered for service IA the
war with Germany. aa
10 accomplish this result lo'ooo
Numbers had to be drawn, one ~ d
fine task which consumed 10 hours
and SO minutes.
| The first number drawn was zoo' anu
the last number taken from the DoA
wos a217 The first number was
drawn by Secretary Baker while Cen
era1 rrowder drew the last number
The great lottery went off without
misbap except for the drawing OF one
blank which means that one serial
number among the 10000 assigned 10
registrants was not drawn. The blanK
was given No. 10500 in the liability Tor
service list, and when rechecklng re-
yeals the missing serial number It VIII
be given that place.
The lottery was held in the pubhc
hearing room of the senate oiflce
building. with war department OIL
cials in charge of the actual drawing
and with members of the senate ana
house military committee as witnesses.
Through the day there was small
crowd of spectators, but altogether
probably less than thousand people
saw any mart of the process.
Definite Place Fixed.
AS a result of the drawing every reg
istered man is given definite place
in the liability for service list. Al
ready 6S7,000 have been ordered to
the co1ors to fill to war strength the
regular army and national guard and
to constitute the first increment of the
national army. To secure that total,
/ ,3T4,00O men will be called for exam
nation within a few weeks, officials
estimating that two registrants must
be called for every soldier accepted.
These 1,374,000 will be taken from the
head of the liability list, every local
district furnishing fixed quota.
The drawing was conducted with
ceremonies as democratic as the ideal
of citizenship it embodied.
Baker Draws First Number.
1t was shortly before 10 o'clock
when Secretary Baker, intrusted by
the president with the carrying out of
the draft law, raped for order The
congressional committees were in their
seats, and on small table stood the |
great lottery jar, sealed with brown pa
per and showing through its transpar-
ent walls the heap of number-tilIed |
capsules that must be taken out one
by one. In front of the table a row |
officers waited with the official tally /
sheets before them. Down one side |
of the room ran another table, where |
two score press representatives waited
to send out the numbers as they We're
read.
Secretary Baker briefly explained
the purpose of the drawing. then
stepped forward to be blfndfolded and
draw the first number. Major General
Duyal broke the seal and with a long
wooden spoon, bearing ribbon of the
national eolors, vigorously stirred the
capsules.
The secretary reached into the Jar.
picked up capsule and handed it to
an announcer. 1t was number 25s,
Then in quick succession other num-
bers We're drawn while cameras and
motion picture machines recorded the
scene.
The only interruption was the fire.
luent changes of tired announcers and
LabuIators and the removal for clean
ing OF the blackboards, where the re-
suit was publicly displayed as each
number came out. When a group nf
500 numbers had been written. the first
section OF the board was taken out TO
De photographed to establish an abso-
ute record, while the second section
vas substituted.
BY the laws of chance, tbe sarfs1
lumber one was drawn from the Jar as
No. 1869 in the liability list. while No.
.o,ooo', the top number among the cap
Jules, came out No, 23S. The serial
3, tabled bearer of ill-luck, was draw.
n the 7S90th place
The work Of examination will be
oNered in thirds. One-third will be
Lotified to appear on the fifth day
oLiowing the mailing of the noriflca-
Ion; the second third will be advised
o appear on the sixth day and the
inal third on the seventh day. Those
emporarily out of the jurisdiction of
he draft board will be given until
ne tenth day 10 appear for examina-
ion and those who fail to appear at
Il viii be declared fit for service.
Physicians Provided For