Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-19
WITHIN ONE HOUR
| FATE OF MILLIONS
WILL Be DECIDED
Drawing Of Names to Take
Place in Capitol
Building.
SECRETARY BAKER WILL
DRAW OUT FIRST NAME
House and Senate Military Com
mittees Invited as Official
Witnesses for Congress.
ALL PREPARATIONS COMPLETE
System Evolved Leaves All to Chance
and Is Absolutely Fair to Sc
Every Man.
SECRETARY BAKER WILL
DRAW OUT FIRST NAME
ALL PREPARATIONS COMPLETE

WASHINGTON, July 1s.-The draft
will be on Friday morning at 10 o'clock
in the great Capitol Building here.
One of the largest committee rooms
will be the scene Of the drawing which
will determine those OF Americas
manhood who first must go to tho
colors. ttl-s
The actual drawing hinges only upon
reports from five States that their
work OF numbering registration cards
has been completed. All have as
sured Provost tMarshal-Gen Enoch
Crowder that they are working under
high pressure to get their duty done
before noon Tomorrow
The War Department to-day rejected
plan to hold the drawing in the
chamber of the House of Representa-
tives. Objection was made on two
grounds. first, that it would make
spectacle out of a solemn OCCASION,
and. second. that the noise would be
confusing to the tally clerks and
might lead to regrettable errors, .sir,-S
validating the entire. draft 81. 4 .s,sS ;gssss,
Everything is ready. as far as Ssths.
War Department is concerned Printed
pamphlets explaining the system to- be
employed in the drawing were dis
tributed to all the local boards to-day
and given to the press in confidence to
be released when Secretary of War
Baker shall permit. They probably
will be made public Friday morning.
just before the drawing. Not a word
is to be made public until the States
have all reported themselves ready,
as precaution against tamperinR
with serial numbers
The Slater which had not concluded
their work at a late hour tonight
were Michigan. Mississippi. Pennsyl-
vania and New York. Illinois was
complete except for one board in Chi
cago. One county in Missouri held up
that States report. Kentucky and
Virginia both reported themselves
ready to-day.
ABSOLUTELY FAIR CHANCE A
TO EVERY REGISTERED MAN
General Crowder this evening said:
Tho system evolved leaves all to tho
element OF chance. 1t has been care
fully designed TO give an absolutely
fair deal to every man registered
From present prospect. the draft
will be held Friday. 1t had been
planned to hold it in the big reception
room OF the War Department. but 1t
was decided that this was too small.
So 1t will be held in one OF the large
committee rooms of the House. The
drawing will take one hour. A trial
drawing, exclusive of one short fea-
ture. took exactly fifty-six and one
half minutes. and not an error was
made.
II hope that no numbers will be sent
out by telegraph before they have been
officially checked up. SO that no re-
grettable errors shall cause discom-
fort to any man or his family.
ct,la s,l, -.
the drawing have been carefully pre-
pared. the numbers verified and have
been placed under seal in place OF
complete safety. They will not be
touched before the drawing"
The numbers will be brought to
the Capitol from their present place
Of safety under armed guard at
least threo responsible officials will
have them in charge. -
The final announcement regarding
the draft will be made tomorrow
morning. Secretary OF War Baker,
now on a trip down the Potomac will
return to Washington at o'clock
General Crowder will meet him an
hour later, and at this conference IL
will be determined when announcer
ment is to be made of the way tho
draft machinery will work. and the
bs held.
CONGRESS COMMITTEES
TO WITNESS DRAWING
Conferences also have been arranged
between Secretary Baker and the
chairmen Of the House and Senate
Military Affairs Committees These
committees will be official witnesses.
on the part Of tha Congress. to the
drawing. ,.seS5
Space has been reserved and wire
service srranged for the press, so that
each number may be sent broadcast
over the country from the committees
room. where the drawing will be- held
Officials in charge Of the drawinG
to-day showed how heavily the respon-
sibility weighs upon them. Three ta1tyg
clerks have been selected. but heir
names arc not made public. They
will be responsible members OF the
provost-marshaTs STAN. trained esps.& q
cially for the work. {SS s.
And here Ia description OF Enoch
Fl. Crowder. brigadier- general, T. 81
A.. who has been In command Of the
machinery--the man who devised me