Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-13
WHATS THE MATTER
WITH OMAHA BOYS?
Recruiting Officers Note Leth-
argy Here, While Patriotism
Throbs Out in the State.
WARRIORS FROM COUNTRY
OMAHA'S MUSTER ROLL

/ ldtlltdllN dil ltNlullnis hdlultN
through Omaha recruiting stations tn,
last few days has been OF young
men from outside the city. Hardly
a single Omaha youth has enlisted
according to the recruiting officers
who are wondering what is the mat
ter with the local lads.
"All twenty of Wednesdays navy
cnlistments and nine more Thursday
morning were OF men from outside
the city," said Lieutenant Waddell
The same was true of the army, witt
one or two possible exceptions, &C.
cording to Captain Mckinley.
Recruits are coming in big punches
from many small towns" the officers
said but practically none from
4 Omaha itself"
Little Patriotism.
/ The only explanation that occurs tc
the recruiters is that strenuous effort:
are now being made by army and navy
canvassing parties, travelling i'll Ne
braska, Iowa and South Dakota. Thi:
leaves the local recruiters short.
handed, and they have few men avail
able for recruiting in Omaha. How.
ever, the few working here find little
response to their appeals. National
Guard recruiting i'll Omaha is also al
a standstill.
While little patriotic enthusiasm fol
enlisting is noticeable in Omaha, nu.
merous patriotic rallies for army and
navy recruiting are being held daily
in the territory adjoining Omaha and
splendid results are reported.
At Wakefield and Lexington TO-
night big meetings will be held to
boost the navy. Prof. Edward D
Lundak OF Pierce and Rev. w. L
CASTOR Of Wayne will speak at Wake
field, along with Chief Yeoman Guy
Stoner and Boatswain's Mate Frank
Harper of the navy. Chief Electrician
T. E. Barrett of the navy will give a
chalk talk on submarines at the Lex
ington meeting, which was arranged
by the postmaster, mayor and leading
citizens.
Navy Men Active.
Mitchell, S. D., citizens have ar
ranged big rally for next Wednes-
day, when a navy recruiter will be
there to receive number OF appli-
cants promised. Postmaster Ben A,
Brewster of Chadron wired Lieuten-
ant Waddell that a navy rally there
on next Monday evening was ex-
pected to produce good results.
Mayor Allen G. Fisher will preside.
Leonard w. Trester of Lincoln,
state chairman of the navy training
association, phoned Lieutenant Wad-
dell Thursday that he had group
of young men there who wanted to
purchase a motor boat, donate it to
| the navy, and then enlist i'll the naval
reserve for active duty as mosquito
feet crew.
Qualify Enlistments.
While more naval reserve enlist
ments are desired in the classes for
active sea duty during the war, head
quarters has instructed that no more
enlistments be accepted for the fourth
class, for land service, excepting both
men and women WHO are qualified
radio operators, and of men for motor
boat crews. In the latter case. the
motor boat must also be offered to
the navy.
Women and men desiring to enlist
as yeomen or clerks in the reserve
are thus barred by the new instruc-
tions. The latter say that only
enough reserve yeomen may be en-
listed to fill vacancies at recruiting
stations, and none of these are now
nedeed at the Omaha station.
Need for Nurses.
Doctors and nurses are still needed
in the navy, the lieutenant says.
Miss Jacqueline Cheney, p, Wahoo
wrote to ask if she might enlist as a
stenographer in the navy, but was in
formed that there was no opening
here now.
L. J. Harris, editor OF the Mauer
publications here. offered free adver.
tising space to the navy, saying he
considered it the duty of all true
Americans to boost in the war crisis
Army enlistments included eight
| youths from Dakota City, among
which were two pairs OF brothers.
Promotions of fourteen privates
and seven corporals in the army re-
cruiting staff of this district have
been approved by orders from head.
quarters. These came as a result oi
the fine recruiting record made dur.
ing January, February and March.
Captain Robert Z. Firth, u. S. A..
retired, is coming from Chicago to