The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1917-07-26
TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED
NUMBERS TO BE DRAWN TO-
DAY-"MASTER KEY" SYS-
TEN ABANDONED.
NEW SCHEME NEEDED
TO INSURE "FAIR DEAL"
Local Boards in Many Localities Failed
to Shuttle Cards-lnjustice in Dou-
BILE Figures Seen-1,37 $4,000 Men
to Be Ordered Out to Raise
Army of 697 900.

Army of 687, 900.
Washington, July 20.-The draft OF
ten million men registered in the Uni
ted States for war service to deter
mine whom shall be called upon first,
began this morning. The hour was
$3.50 and the scene Room 226, Senate
office building.
There were 1875 witnesses at the SOL
emn and historic event, the lottery
which CANDLES with the lives of Amer
ica's best manhood, and stretches its
arm to practically every home and
freside in the Union.
Plans Changed.
But it will be a different draft from
the one planned. Mistakes of local
boards upset the entire calculations Of
the government.
Widespread error in numbering reg
istration cards in parts Of many states
forced the War department to abandon
the plan announced earlier in the day,
and substituted a straight draft in
which 10000 numbers will be drawn
and which will require 10 hours to con-
clude.
Crowder Makes Statement.
Unruffled by the last minute over
throw of his carefully prepared ar
rangements Provost Marshal General
Crowder, disappointed, but smiling,
made the following official statement:
"Advices received by long distance
telephone indicate that in certain areas
the boards, in numbering registration
cards, have kept the cards segregated
by election districts, and that serial
numbers have been assigned to the
whole group for a board while the
cards were thus segregated.
IF the drawing is concluded as orig
inally planned, in groups of 1000, the
result will be that considerable proper
lions of certain districts will be brot
up for examination together. This re-
suits in drafting persons from one To-
cality within the Jurisdiction Of a
board before any person is drawn from
another locality within the same juris-
.diction.
Only One Drawing to Be Made.
"For this reason it has been decided
10 dDduuOu Cuc vi Nv Ing w thAouooAAN''
and to draw 10000 numbers, which is
in excess Of the highest number Of
cards under the Jurisdiction of any one
board.
1.-THE only change in the plan will
be that there will be one drawing in
stead of two, and that every number
drawn will establish the order Of every
IN, hn Init Stotac whNCo rapiS-
tration cards bear that number.
"The advantage will be greater SIM
plicity. The disadvantage will be that
the drawing will require ten hours to
complete
Thus did General Crowder abandon
a scheme to which he had devoted
days of work and nights of study for
more than two months.
How Numbers Will Be Drawn.
The draft, as it will be held today
means this:
There are Asst registration boards
and each board supervises either a
county in the rural sections or dis
trict with an estimated population of
5000 in cities of 10000 and over.
The number of registrants in these
districts varies. The smallest number
in any one district is 1S7-an un-
settled county in Wyoming. The high
est is more than 10000 in district
of Detroit. Enclosed gelatine cap
sules will be numbered from l to 49,
500. These will be placed in great
glass bowl. They will then be drawn
out one at time. The first number
drawn will mean that every man hold
ing registration card bearing that
number in all Of the 4,557 districts will
be the first called to serve.
Owing to the difference of registra-
ton in the various districts, however,
there is this provision:
That if the first number or numbers
drawn are higher than the card bear
ing the highest number in district
the first number to be drawn within
the limit of the numbered cards of
that district will designate the first
man called from the district in ques-
ton.
For instance, should number 10000
be drawn first, it would affect only
a few districts, those having that num-
Der registered Then, if number "a
were the next to be drawn, the man