Macon beacon., 1917-06-01
Registration Day.

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On that day every male citizen
who has !reached the age Of q
years and has not yet completed
his 30th year, will be compelled
30 register at one Of the appoint
ed places. Ifbusiness keeps him
away frcm home between the
hours of Z in the morning and 9
at night on June 5, he may regis
ter by mail by means Of a regis
tration card which he must obtain
before hand from the official des-
ignated in the published rules,
Men confined to theirs home from
illness may register in the same
way. For the registration there
are no exemptions which apply
to men between the specified
ages unless they are already in
the military service Of the u. S.
Government. The lame, the halt
and the blind must place their
names on the national roll, the
roll Of honor. Exemption from
military service will be attended
to Letter, when the registration is
complete and the draft begins,
1t IS the present intention to
confne the draft at the begin
nina to 100000 men. who will
comprise the first increment OF
the new national army. But il
stands to reason if the regular
army is not raised to the author
Med strength, and the quota of
the National Guard is not com
pleted in a reasonable time by tic
recruiting of volunteers, that
those branches must be filled b,
drafted men. 1t has been the
hope eff the War Department tha
the recruiting, now under th
management of competent anC
experienced officers, would be ct =.
fective and the complement o
the existing army units all com
pleted early this summer. That
hope has not been abandoned b}
any means, and enlistments il
the regular army and the Ma
tional Guard.are numerous enough
to encourage the belief that draft.
ed men will not be needed. 1t is
possible, however, that a first
draft of more tnan 100000 may
be required.
The registration must be COM
pleted in one day. Machinery t.
expedite the enrollments has been
provided in every village, town,
and city of the country. In Mis-
issippi the enrolment will proba-
bly, be between 400, 900 and 500 :
600 according to how the negroes
register. AS they have never
taken part in elections and a good
portion live in rural localities, it
is probably that many will be
missed.
The services of the Registra-
tion Boards and their clerks will
be given to the nation without
compensation. American history
has no record of such a day. In
some of the States it will be OBJ
served as a festival; in all, ,wheth-
er or not ordinary business is sus-
pended, the spirit will be the
same. The young men of a ma.
tion more than 0,000, 900 strong
self governing and free, will
come forward to set the seal of
Their approval on the adoption of
the principle universal service for
the sake of democracy. The prin-
ciple was adoption by their own
mandate. A nation has volun-
teered and allits able-bodied men
are to be assigned to service
which will aid the country in the
impending struggle. Those who
do not serve on the battle line
will serve equally we'll in those
industries which are as essential
to the conduct of a great war as
soldering. The soldier must be
fed and clothed and supplied with
arms and the tools they require.
Tho mhooIc of co,,,paroo ,,,,ct bo