Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-05-11
It's Dangerous.

tongues are not connected Will
their brains are talking, about
lodging the new conscription law
Such talk is not only unpatriotic,
it is foolish.
The New Orleans Item com.
ments on this class strongly and
Interestingly. In an editorial en-.
titled, "Don't Fool With the Con.
scription Law" the Item says:
''One may hear these days a
great deal of public conversation
on street car platforms, street cor
ners, at the bar rail and other
places where men think out loud
nd swap opinions as to how the
conscriptlon law may be lodged
when it goes into effect.
"Most of this talk is due TO
ignorance. All of it is foolish.
and If those who indulge in it at.
tempt to carry their little schemes
into execution they will find them
selves in serious trouble. The bur
dens of citizenship rest very lightly
ON too many shoulders. Taxes are
lodged. Citizens won't register
and won't vote. Jury service is
evaded by all classes of citizens
who frame all sorts of flimsy ex.
cuses as to why they cannot sit on
a jury. Perhaps this great Amer
lean habit is responsible for the
talk about evading the conscription
"Such persons should revise
their views at once. Un Gle Sam is
back of the conscription law. ard |
its enforcement. 1t is going be to |
as dangerous to try to escape this |
law as it is to try to operate a |
"mO0nshine" outfit or make coun.
felt money or run a lottery through
the United States mails.
"Any person who fails to regis.
under the provisions of the
scription act is subject to fine
and imprisonment in the .deral
penitcntiary, or both. If any
person who is of the age specified
in the law as subjecting him to
liability for military service does
not register voluntarily, or falsi.
ties as to his age or his occupation.
or as to his being married or having
people dependent upon him, he
will be arrested, if it be found he
has done any of these things, fined
(may be imprisOned) and then en-
rolled by the officers.
"WhO will find these things out.
The act gives the President the
power to utilize the services of all
the federal departments, their
agents, officers and employees, as
well as the services of the officers
of each state in order to enforce
the law. This means not only the
United States secret service, and {
the United States marshals land I
United States revenue officials {
will be empowered and authorized {
to ferret out all who may seek to 6
dodge the law, but the postal S
clerks, the letter carriers, the local d
police force, the local assessors and
registrars and all other officials or
of either the federal,
state or local government.
''The penalty for any of these
'ficials Or employees refusing to re- {
port any one who has not regis. L
tered or who has sworn falsely in C
order to escape liability for service t
is as severe as it is for those who o
try to dodge, fine and imprison- .
ment in the federal penitentiary. d
"Moreover, your neighbor is P
to report you, if he C
knows you have not registered or +
have faisified in your registration. n
This fact is going to be most eff :.
fective feature of conscription. \
Every man who is liable to service N
and has registered is going to make il
it his business to see that every &
one he knows who is liable does I
the same thing. He is not going
to let any slackers of his acquaint. d
anceship or his neighborhood or n
his office get by. p
"The man who is not liable on +,
the first call, or who is exempt un- 6.
der the first call, knows very well =,
that if the war continues and the d
first call doesn't produce enough b
men, he may be included in the r,
second call. So it is to his ad.
vantage to see to it that no one
liable under the first call escapes a.
being enrolled. Sc
"Keeping these things in mind, el
the men about town who are tell