Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-07
5000 MEN LIKELY
TO Be CALLED HERE
This Is Estimated Number OF
First Draft in the
Capital.
GENERAL POLICY OUTLINED

About S,2OO men, or approximately
10 per cent of the young men of the
District who registered Tuesday, will
be called in the first selective draft,
according to unofficial estimates at the
provost marshal generals Office. This
number, 1t is believed. will be the first
quota to be enrolled from the National
Capital. While absolutely unofficial it
Is expected the number stated will
closely approximate the number Of men
to be selected in the first draft.
A board of army officers. designated
by the War Department and approved
by the President. Is now at work ar
ranging the details Of the first draft
and devising or perfecting the machin-
cry by means Of which it Is to be
operated.
No intimation as to the plan to be
followed has been made public. other
than Secretary Bakers expressed belief
that something like the jury wheel.
used in many places for drawing We
niremen, will be used in selecting the
names of those to be drawn first. Men
whose names are drawn then must pass
the physical examination. and their
claims for exemption will be considered
before they are finally enrolled.
Statement Of Gen. Crowder.
Provost Marshal Gen. Crowder last
night made this statement in regard to
registration and the draft which Is to
follow shortly:
Registration marks the completion of
the first well defined step in the execu-
tion of the selective service law. The
actual recording has been practically fin
ished in single day. but the arrange
segregation into appropriate groups. the
publication Of lists and the garnering in
of delayed registrations will consume a
week or ten days. In the meantime the
readjusted to serve as machinery for
the further execution of the law. This
work is proceeding rapidly and should be
completed coincidently with the tying up
Of the loose ends OF registration.
when this 10 all done regulations gov
erning the Jurisdiction Of the local boards
will be issued and the machinery will then
be ready to proceed to the drawing which
will result in determination Of the order
in which registered men will be exam
military or industrial service. When this
list Of order, is determined 1t is expected
that the War Department will be able to
make definite call for men. and as soon
as this data is available the quotas nee
essary to fill the first call will be assigned
to the several states.
To Continue Policy.
"The policy Of decentralization. the
application OF which has %. guccess-
iI11y iIy i sssstg ses ss
various states. knowing the number Of
men which they must call and the order
in which each particular man is to be
examined, can then assign to the yari-
Gus local boards the task Of selecting
tlhe number Of men necessary to COM
plete the quota for the locality under
the Jurisdiction Of each board.
Precise time limits cannot be set at
present, for the reason that 1t is de-
sired to have uniformity Of operation
Of the machines throughout the United
States and to have each step taken sim
ultaneously throushout the nation:
Mountainous. heavily wooded and
spArsely settled states cannot move
with the expedition of compact and
densely populated states. While dates
are not to be named precisely. these
steps will follow each other promptly.
with a hxed purpose of giving as much
time as possible to men who are select
ed to adjust their affairs. to make their
farewell and to avoid the Inconvenience
and suffering that would result from a
hasty change from civil to military
status"
Attnrnau Honara1 pIaoead