Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-07-20
MEN SHOULDN'T WAIT
TO ENLIST UNTIL CALLED
Recruiting Office issues State
ment on Advantages of
an Early Enlistment

The United States recruiting office
located at the postofice in Atlanta has
issued very Illuminating statement on
the enlisting proposition as a whole, The
statement is condensed, but is self eX-
planatory and is as follows:
There seems to have been an impress
sion throughout the state that instead Of
enlisting now, men should wait This
impression has been dispelled to great
extent as shown by the record of the At
lanta recruiting district. An average of
over 40 men per day have enlisted for
the past ten days. But for the benefit
of those few who are still doubtful, the
following statement is made by your re-
cruiting officer.
First, your government tried in ev-
cry honorable way to keep your country
out of war, and finally as last resort
called congress together for the pur-
pose of laying before that body the facts
of Germany's abuse of American rights
and the ruthless murder of it's citizens
Congress, by an overwhelming majority.
declared that a state of war existed be-
tween Germany and the United States
Germany was the aggressor; she made
war on the United States by attacking
her merchant marine on the high seas.
and sinking her ships and numbering her
people.-this, in violation of information
al law. The United States. the nation
which stands for freedom and right.
could not stand this condition of affairs
longer, and declared war.
Second the plans of the war depart
ment were next hurriedly, but carefully,
drawn and every effort made to carry
these plans out 1t was considered by the
war department that the regular army
would be raised by voluntary enlistment
to full strength by June 30th. Unfort-
unately, this plan did not succeed by
about $4,000 men. This shortage is en-
barrassing to the government, and
should be rectified at once. 1t was the
intention to train men in July and Au-
gust and use them in September to help
train the big national army to be called
to the colors at that time. However,
this failure can be corrected, and it is
believed will be corrected by the imme-
date response to the governments CALL
Third, the first increment of 5000
men for national army kas to have been
selected in July and August and ordered
to report for training in September
This will be done and in order to give
ample time for the exemption boards to
act the actual draft will begin in a very
few days.
Fourth, the second increment of 50),-
900 men for the national army will be
selected in September and october, with
orders to report November 1.
Fifth, all national guard units are
now under orders for mobilization and
training
sixth 1t was no doubt the intention
to send all these units, regulars, ma
tional guard and national army to
France in the early spring of 1918"
Seventh. careful estimate of the
number of men to be selected from Geor-
gia after deducting all men who will
probably be exempt, only about $4,000
men will be left from which the draft
will actually be made, as shown by the
following table:
Total registration for Georgia,
so per cent of this number mar
ried and probably exempt 49,. 10000
Total unmarried ............. 100, 600
OF this number the following Will
probably be exempt on account OF rea-
sons mentioned:
Dependent families, s per
cent .............-... S,OOO
Farmers, 80 per cent. 10000
Munition workers, per
cent ................... o,OOO
Physical disability, s per
cent observation-disclosures. S,OOO ol,OOO
Total available for selection. .49, 900
Total to be selected from Georgia. 80, 900
n