Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1917-07-06
EQUAL AND FAIR.

ANY system for selecting men for mill
tary service. whether voluntary invoun-
tary in its operation. necessarily selects some
to bear the burden of danger and sacri-
fee for the whole nation. The system here
provided places all of military age upon
an even plane and then, by selection which
neither favors the one nor penalties the
other, calls out the requisite number for serv-
ice''
These are the words of President Wilson in ex-
PLANTATION Of the selective draft system and the
regulations issued by him through proclamation
this week. They dispose effectively of all the
tommyrot about favortism, political pull and
chicanery that SOME have said would be evidenced
in the operation Of the law because they show the
viewpoint, the policy and the determination of
the man who as commander chief of the army
directs its operation and enforcement.
He appoints the exemption boards, local and
district, and remove any of them at will. Just
. hint of favortism is all that will be necessary.
The axe will fall And anybody who has ever
dealt with Uncle Sans army who knows any
thing about the rightly with which its regula-
tions are enforced, knows that mighty close tab
will be kept every feature Of the operation of
the system. Those army officers will see to it that
the law is impartially and impersonally enforced.
And you needn't worry about the local exemp-
tion boards-they are going to hold strictly to
the regulations. They'll have to g. the minute
they show the slightest bit Of favoritism to one
selected man, they're going to be in shot water
and they know it. They are going to be just,
they going to be careful and they are going to
b impartial, but they're going to be mighty
strict, too The minute they let down the bars
Just trife for the benefit Of one man. they re
going to have lot more on top Of their necks and
they know it. The bars will stay up-you needn't
worry about that.
Which, Of course, is the only way to carry out
the law. Be strict follow the regulations closely
play no favorites and see to it that every man
does his duty, and there won't be any complaints
So long as the local exemption boards follow that
policy, no one can and no one will criticize their
decisions.
4 And as to the actual drawing, that is to be
done entirely by number way back there in
Washington, where nobody knows to whom the
numbers belong. And each number drawn will
spply to each district in the state and there are
thirty-nine Of them in Washington. There's no
chance for favoritism there. Not until after the
number has been drawn, telegraphed to the gov
ernor of each state and by him telegraphed to the
exemption boards in each county and the board
refers to its list, will anybody know whose name
= opposite that number. And in case the local
board overlooks somebody there's double check
On it. duplicate list in the Office of the adjutant
general of the state and another list to be sent to
the war department after the drawing has been
completed, and neither the national guard nor
the war department is playing poltics-both are
preparing for serious war.
SO you see it puts each one of us on the same
basis 1t is the essence of democracy