Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-08-09
$4,000 MEN ARE
NOW UNDER ARMS
Regulars, Recruits and Guards.
men Make Up Sizeable
u. 8. Army.
$4,000 MORE COMING.
Final Set Of Regulations to Complete
Organization Of Selective Draft
Army Nearly Ready.

Washington, Aug. 7.-Provost Marshal
General Crowder and his assistants are at
work on the final set Of regulations to be
promulgated this week to complete the or
ganization Of the selective draft war army.
They will govern actual mobilization of
the men selected.
Statements issued to-day by the war
department show that preliminary figures
place the total force of National Guard TAX
en- into the federal service August at
1908 officers and 1854 men. Another
statement showed that 1S0.766 war volun-
teers have been recruited for the regular
service since April /, leaving only 1000
vacancies in the regulars at war strength.
These figures mean that approximately
725, 900 men are now under arms, exclusive
Of the navy and marine corps. to be sup
Iplemented within the next few weeks by
6S7 900 raised under the selective draft
bill. OF the latter number about 5OO.OOO
will compose the third great element OF
| the war army, the national army and the
remainder will go to fill up the regulars
and the guard and their reserves.
| The mobilization regulations will show
how the drafted men are to be assigned
Already the war department has received
| countless applications from men certain
| to be called in the first Increment of the
ticular arm or branch of the service.
Where a man has been summoned by his
local board for physical examination no
method exists whereby he may enlist in
the regulars and have his service count
on the home quota. 1t is probable, how
ever, that some effort will be made to
meet the wishes of the drafted men In
this regard as far as possible when they
are mobolized. 1t can only be done to a
limited extent. as the regulars and guard,
as shown by to-day's statement, are prac-
tically filled UP now.
The war department has taken over re-
cruiting for the National Guard as well
as the regulars, the entire guard having
now become a part of the army of the
United States and having no connection
| with the States. To-day's statement says
that about half the men applying fol
| enlistment are within the draft ages
. Those accepted will count as credits or
subsequent quotas Of their districts.
The statement lays stress. however. or
the fact that the country wants all the
} men it can get who can be spared al
home.
The National Guard statement show.
D.. that only the number of men short OF thu
r 419,S34 figure. shown by checking Of thu
4. muster rolls by department commander
3 and the rejection Of any found unfit, will
be taken from the draft forces for thu
guard service. The recruiting service ex
poets to fill the regular army to full wa
service tomorrow or next day. so tina
there probably will be a surplus of 5000
or more men when the full $4,000 Of tn
first increment of the national army i
assembled.
In addition, recruiting throughout tn
country will supplement the excess. al
;rNo xHa
lars or the National Guard or into tn
reserve after full war strength is reached
It is regarded as likely that the mobiliza
ltion regulations soon to be issued will sho1
that the surplus of drafted men Is to b
e used as a recruit reservoir and that a.
the men will be put under training a
lquickly as possible. A recruit depot wi
be established in France from which regi
lments at the front will be kept filled w
drafts Of men from the main recruit depc
in this country being sent over to this dis
tribution center as needed. In the sam
5. way, sick or wounded men will be return
o ed to the front when recovered and
Is steady flow Of recruits to maintain activ
j. regiments at top fighting efficiency will b
IS provided in this way.
E. The only hint of the probable metho
a of mobilization of drafted men lies in
l. recent ruling by General Crowder whic
IN shows that the Acknowledgement may sun
Is mon the quotas Of the districts in incr'
ly ments. Division Of each quota into fiN
,e equal parts is suggested, each part to
i'd called up separately as needed.
I'd Under this arrangement 1t would
possible to call out at once the men
g form a new national army. and to summc
A later those who are to comprise the r
in serves for all elements of the army. Nc
up temporarily needed in harvest fields
up elsewhere could be CLASSIFIED by loo
ed boards into these later increments to me
oy emergency situations In their distric
Id without delaying organization of ne
forces.