The Tupelo journal., 1917-06-29
REGISTRATION BOARDS
RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS
Regulations Issued by President
Designed to Prevent Misuse
of Power by the Boards
When Passing on Exemp-
tion Claims-Actual
Draft Will be Made
in Washington.

washington, June Z0.-lnSCruc-
tions to the local boards of regis
tration having to do with the draft
have been framed and forwarded
from Washington.
Every provision of these instruc-
tions is drawn with view to pre-
venting any favoritism, and the pre-
cautions against attempts at evasion
of military service are not more
drastic than precautions against the
possible misuse of the power reposed
in the local boards.
Thus far there has been no Off
cial announcement Of the Govern
ment's method Of conducting the final
lottery in Washington to avoid any
chance of local influence affecting
the drawing, but the plan stands
as published in the New York Amer
lean today; it awaits only the Presi-
dents final approval.
Manner of Drafting.
Every board is required to make
four copies of the registration list.
One Of these it retains. A second
must be posted in a conspicuous
place, accessible to the public: A
third copy must be kept available
for the local press, which is re-
| quested to publish it. The fourth
copy must be sent by registered
mail to Provost Marshal General
Crowder at Washington.
This list will show each mans
number. When the drawing is held
the number, not the name, will be
| taken from the wheel. If John
Smith, Jr., is No. 144 and that num-
Der is drawn from the wheel, the
number will be telegraphed to the
town where John Smith, Jr., lives,
and he will then know he had been
elected to serve his country.
Subsequently he will have a
chance to appear before the Exemp-
ton Board and show cause why he
should not be required to perform
this service. But the draft comes
first and the granting of exemption
afterwards.
Purposes of Publicity.
The purpose of the public post
ing and the publication of the lists
is two-fold First in order that ev-
cry man subject to the provisions of
the draft may know that he is
properly registered-the burden of
getting his name on the list rests on
the man himself, and he may not
avail himself of errors or omissions
by the board-and, second, in order
that shirkers and slackers may be de-
tected.
The Government figures that if
John Jones is registered and his
neighbor Frank Smith is not, John
Jones will insist on Smiths coming
up to the scratch.
In order that there should be no
excuse for failure on the part of
|
structions, ten simple rules have
been prepared by, the Provost Mar
shall General The first of these
deals with the organization of the
boards, taking the oath and tele-
graphing the fact. of organization,
the mailing Of the oaths of Office
and their acceptance by the men,
bers of the boards to the Goxernor
of the state.
Then come provisions concerning
the examination of the registration
cards and the elimination of those
that belong to some other board.
Then comes the order to the
board to number the cards and the
copies in red ink.
Serial Number System.
The Presidents regulations ex-
plain that the cards are to be num-
bered consecutively, and expressly
prohibit their being arranged alpha
betically. These numbers are to be
known as serial numbers. They are
the numbers that will go into the
| jury wheel. Copies Of the cards
must be mailed at once to the Adju-
tant General of the State In ci-
ties Of over 80, 900 the copies 60 first
1 to the Mayor, who is to forward them
to the Adjutant General.
III boards are enjoined to make
cel ln:
That the serial number of every
card corresponds with that on its
copy.
That there are no duplicates,
either in the originals or in the
copies.
rT.Yz IL 4