Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-07-20
CHANGES IN DRAFT PLAN
Continued from, Page One)


~ was hopeless tangle If the double
drawing system were carried out, one
election district in any exemption d-
vision might Re swept clean OF all its
young men 10 MI the quota, while the
other election districts in the same exemp-
tion area furnishes no men whatever In
other cases II might he necessary to pass
upon and exempt a thousand aliens before
a single American was called to service
In others thousand Negroes might be
taken for examination before white
man was called. or vice versa.
There was only ono way out and the
war department promptly announced that
the whole intricate method Of drawing
devised 20 save time ana labor would be
abandoned IN favor NJ the simple direct
plan ~ drawing sufrcient numbers to fix
the place of the last man in the largest
exemption district That was the crieina,
plan and u was intended for weeks TO
draw IN that way. but the enormous
amount ~ labor and the time involved
prompted tho effort 10 devise a short cut
that would hc fair 70 all
Pleased Error Found
orcers ~ Gen. Crowders once con-
graduated themselves tonigh, that the
dlrrcul'v in the way ~ the double draw
inr was found today rather than after
N. drawing II Was certain % have
been discovered Afterwards and then il
would have been necessary - declare its
result cancelled and draw again.
The diWculty that forced abandonment
~ The moro elaborate method grew out
OF the de'ail ~ the plan. II was nro-
posed 20 list all registrants in each dis
tric' by thousands or fractions Of thous
ands Men whose serial numbers were in
'he three thousands would have been NM
IN one group those with numbers less
than thousand m another. those with
numbers in tho four thousands in ano,he,
and 30 On The FIRST drawing would have
placed these groups " thousands in N.
e'der ~ which tho numbers 10 10 were
drawn The second drawing would then
have nssd the order ~ liability % tho
individuals IN each Of the thousands as
h.'we-n themselves. n thousand numbers
rslnr drawn 20 that end
The Two Drawings
The result would then have boo,
mat " the 5000 group were first drawn
% the Iittle lottery all the men bear
ing serial numbers in the 5000 would
Save been called for duty frs, and in
the order IN which their serial num-
oers came out in the big drawing The
rssult Of the big drawing would then
have beer applied 10 the other thou
sands in their order fixed by the little
Lottery
Each exemption district is compo.-
"a Of several election districts which
were the registration precinct. in the
fret revolution Of the draft machin-
cry, The registration cards wer.
turned over 20 the exemption boards
with instructions to shuf'le them be-
fore placing on each its serial num-
Der In some districts. however, in
stead OF the individual cards. IL was
packs Of cards. which represented a
complete registration precinct. that
were shufYied. The first pack was open
ed then and the serial number one
placed on the first card Serial num-
hsis were placed In rotation until the
peck was exhausted. then continued
with the next pack picked up.
0upposing that . pack contained
thoussne cards and was numbered
frem one 70 1000: then II the 1000
group harpened to DO the hrst drawn
IN the little lottery. every registered