The Washington herald., 1917-07-20

coNrISuED FROM PAGE ONE.


They win then be. drawn out one at
a time. The first number drawn
will mean that every man holding
a registration card bearing that num-
! Der In all of the Asst districts viii
be the first called to serve.
Owing to the difference OF registra-
tion In the various districts, however,
there is this provision:
That II the first number or num-
hers drawn are higher than the card
bearing the highest number IN as
trict the first number to be drawn
within the limit of the cards of that
district will designate the first man
called from the district in question.
For instance. should No. 10000 be
drawn first, it would affect only
few districts, those having that num-
ber of registered men. Then II NO.
"a were next TO be drawn. the man
holding card No. "a would oe tne
second to be called in the distrlcts
of more than 10000, but hrst IN an
below 10000.
Double quota Expected.
Each district will be called upon to
supply 200 per cent Of its quota, zen.
crowder announced. Thus, II the
registered number in a district is 200
ord the ouota 20, 10 men will be
called for examination. This means
that the man who stands forty-nrst
ON the list will be exempt from the
first call. The only provision Is that
out of the 40 men called 20 are found
physically fit and free of exemption.
should more men than 10 be required
in order to secure 20, the next men
in line will be called. 1t Is safe to
assume. however, that in the case
/ of the district of 200 with a quota
of 30 that the man in the fiftieth
position and all those below him will
be exempt from the first call.
Preparations for the draft were
completed when New York, Pennsyl-
vania and Michigan, the last three
States to get ready, announced by
telegraph that they were prepared.
Gen. Crowder conferred with Sec
retary Baker Immediately after
| this conference, the General released
, for publication his plan for the draft,
which contemplated the drawing Of
ten master-numbers and 1000 key
numbers, a process which would have
required but an hour and which would
have fairly determined the liability
of every registered man to service.
! Gen. Crowder then announced that
the hour of the draft had been def
nitely set for $50 and invited news
paper men who were assigned to re-
port the event to attend a trial draw
ing in his office at o'clock in the
afternoon so that they might be thor
| oughly familiariZed with every detail
of the plan. 1t was just about
o'clock that the telephone on Gen.
Crowder's desk rang sharply and Cen
traP' told him there was a long dis
tance call from Trenton for him.
Just what words passed over the
wire only two men-and possibly Cen
| tral-know. One was Gen. Crowder
He wouldn't tell who the other was.
Indeed. he wouldn't even tell the name
OF the State which had upset the
draft plan. Secretary Baker did that
later.
Jersey Boards BIunder.
there was a hurried call over the
telephone for Secretary Baker. Gen.
| Crowder informed him of the news. II
was that several of the Jersey boards.
each one of which included several
Il
the registration cards of all the dis
tricts together before placing the red
ink numbers" on them, had taken
whole districts by themselves and
numbered the cards in order, righ[
down the line.
This meant that should the cards
of a cretain district be in the 1,0O0s
while the ones OF another district
under the same board ran over into
the 2,OOCs, all the men holding the
LOCO cards would be ordered out first
should that number be drawn first in
the pulling Of the ten master numbers
at Washington. In other words, the
whole district would be called irsI
while the next district. with the cards
numbered 1000 would escape in a body.
The whole fair deaP' aspect of the
draft would be destroyed; there woulo
| follow charges of unfairness which
| would be a national scandal and the
/ whole drawing might. be inYalidated-