Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-09-04
Last Day at Home
for First Contingent
By George Martin

ny 1COA60 MAJ I'LL
UNITED Press staff correspondent
Washington, Sept. T. - This is the
last day at home for the first sO6,000
Of Americas drafted recruits.
They are quitting their jobs, arrang-
ing their personal affairs and getting
ready for the final goodby less than "a
hours away, after which they will be
on their way to camp to learn to shoot
guns and plunge bayonets in defense
7 of their government.
They are all under orders to report
! in person to the members of the local
exemption boards which chose them
By early afternoon the entire 206,00C
will be modified at exemption board
headquarters from Maine to Ualifornia
and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf
After being shown to government
! lodgings or given permission to spend
tonight at home, the men will be al
liberty until $50 p. M, when they will
again be mobiliZed at headquarters o1
the local boards for retreat roll call.
! At that time one member of each
group will be chosen by the loea
boards to command the party on the
way to camp.
All local boards have strict orders
from the war department to watct
their men carefullv and, in case any OF
them fail to report, or reporting, dis
appear afterward, institute instant and
vigorous search for them and turn then
over to the United States army FOL
trial and punishment as deserters.
Thousands of mothers, sweethearts
sisters, fathers and brothers accom-
panied the boys to local board head
quarters today. In many places arrange
ments had to be made to rope off suf
ficient space around board headquar
tiers to mobilize and take account Of
the men.
An even greater mob Of relatives and
friends is expected tomorrow, when the
men say their final goodbys and are
off to camp.
Precautions were taken by the gov
ernment today to make sure that nj
drafted man escapes military service
in this and following groups by start
in to camp with the others and disap
pearing on the way
! A. each mobilization camp will bt
kept list of the number of men eacf
board is TO furnish. A copy of the mer
actually sent will go with the leader
of each group and be checked up al
the camp. And if for any reason the
number of men is not right, or if any
of them have abandoned en- route, the
local board responsible for that groul
will have to find the missing men anC
also immediately send others next OF
their lists to take their places at camp
/ "Only men actually reporting anC
finally accepted for military servict
at the mobilization camp says tht
official order, twill be credited to the
quota of any local board.
! Although passed and accepted by the
local boards, these 100000 men will bC
subjected to final, rigid physical ex
animation by army surgeons at the mo
bilization camps. None of them will be
finally accepted for service until they
have passed this examination.
! 1t is probable reflections will be num-
erous at the mobilization camps, be
cause the local and district boards or
ders are that when they are in doubt
as to a man 8 fitness, he shall be ac
cepted as fit Also there will be mum
ber of men who did not report for ex'
animation who were certified into the
military service of the nation by the
local boards who will not prove fit.
A number of men equal to the num-
Der rejected by the army surgeons will
have to be supplied by the local boards.