The Clio messenger., 1917-06-22
+DRAFT TO. Be FAIR
METHODS OF SELECTING MEN
FOR NATIONAL ARMY WILL
BE ABOVE CRITICISM.
NO CHANCE OF FAvORITISM
Rules for Physical Examination Of
Volunteer Recruits for Regular
Army VIII Be Modified for the
Young conscripts.
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.
Washington. - Washington knows
that there Is anxiety throughout the
country lest In the drawings here and
there there may be some "trick of the
trade" by which certain men may be
drawn for the new army and certain
other men not drawn by means OF
some deft sleight-of-hand performance
The last Registration day reports
have come into Washington. There is
not enough concern left In the results
of registration to shadow the rapidly
looming interest In the methods which
VIII be adopted to choose the service
men by use of the rule of chance.
The country can at once give over
any apprehension that the drawings
will not be fair. A method will be
adopted by which the drawings will
be lifted from out of any shadow OF
suspicion as TO the fairness of methods.
There will be no possibility that any
che can enter a legitimate objection 10
the means which are to be employed
10 give oil men equal chances In the
matter.
The chances seem to he that for the
new army there will be some modifi-
cation of the rules which now are In
force for the physical examination of
volunteer recruits for the regular
army. It Is not believed that young
Americans for the new forces will be
compelled to measure up to the stand
ards set for recruiting for the regulars.
When 1t was declared a day or two
ago. seemingly by authority. that regu-
lar army standards would be main
tained for physical examination.
croakers instantly began to say. This
will not leave one really stalwart young
American In the country"
Why So Few Are Accepted.
1t is pretty generally known that out
Of every five men who have applied
In the past at regular recruiting offices,
only one man has been accepted. No
one has seemed TO realize the real
reason for this condition Of things. In
certain districts In the United States
fully 80 per cent Of the volunteers of
the regular army have been accepted.
In some other districts only 10 per cent
of the willing ones have been accepted.
II is matter easily explained
In the past, notably In the city dis
tricts. there have applied to the re-
crulting officers thousands Of men of
whom by far the greater percentage
were seeking enlistment because they
had come to the conclusion that they
could do nothing In civil life. Army
officers. If they would talk. could tell
tales Of hundreds Of down and cutters,
physical decrepits. who. tired with the
struggle to get living. perhaps not by
the labor route, have applied for per-
mission to serve Uncle Sam. with good
money, good bed. good board, good
clothing and good care thrown In. II
was the down and cutters and the men
who not willing to consider themselves
down and out yet through adverse con-
ditiOns had become run down physical
". who npplied I'm largest numbers to
the recruiting officers for regular serv-
ice.
II was the inevitable thing. there
fore. that the recruiting office records
in the great cities should show only
about one enlistment for about four
or five applicants. In the country dis
tricts the percentage of acceptances
was much higher because away from
the cities living conditions were better.
Americans were willing to enlist to get
n chance to see life under new con-
ditions.
To Keep Alive Service Spirit.
And still the wonder is growing here
at the results Of registration day.
There is an lnflowing stream Of tele-
grams and letters from the country,