The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-01
MANY RECRUITS FOR
 MILITARY SERVICE
Local Recruiting Offices Busy Now Dealing With
 Applicants

i The recruiting offices of the navy army and marines are about the busiest places around town now. All the offices are filed with young men anxious tc get in before the conscrption bill i: passed. The probability that it will pass and become operative in just few days has caused great increase of applica- tions in the past few days. Not only the men right in Birmingham, but many from small towns near the city are coming in, desirous of chance against the Germans They seem rather impatient, too, as the offices of all branches are well filled daily. The patriotic spirit is rife and everyone wants to join while he can SC where he wants to. There is a general objection among the applicants to the idea of being conscripted. The branches are all filling up nicely, and all will soon be at their ma ximum authorized strength.
 Captain Hutchinson, at army head quarters, on Fourth avenue and Twen- tieth street, is swearing in crowd every day, but not quite as rapidly as he would like.
 They all want to be officers" he com plained. "A lot of them come in here who have never handled a gun and don't hIOW d lHlnR aDOul UTlll OI illlldIy ldC- tics and want a commission to start with. They don't realize that it takes experi- ence and training to make an officer, and that no matter how much ability they have, it must be trained before they are efficient enough to become officers It is really more patriotic to enter the ranks as a private and do all the hard work there uncomplainingly. The advance ments and commissions will come later with knOw1edRe and eXDerieQcP.'
 Those who are accepted are being sent on to Fort Ogiethorpe, Ga, for their training. good number is being sent every day. Those who went yesterday are: Ernest Linn, S. McCombs, William A. O'Neal. Etherdige o. Beatty. Robert c. Cooper, Alfred B. Robertson. These re- cruits will be trained at the fort and later sent on to active service.
 The following made application yester- day: Diegold R. McMiian, Charles H. Culpepper, Arthur Lewis, Henry John ston, Guy A. Robinson, H. E. Watson, Lewis NJ. Parks William H. Hall These young fellows will have a day or two at home with their families and then will he sent on to Fort Oglethorpe.
 Captain Clark is in charge of affairs at the naval recruiting office on Third avenue and Twentieth street and is hav- ing big success In getting his recruits. Many seem to prefer his branch be- cause of the sea life and the absence of trench duty, and judging by the way his offices are filled every day he will soon be recruited up to his war footing. Many young men from the local colleges are applying for enlistment papers in this branch. Yesterday afternoon almost the entire senior class of Birmingham col- lege came up for information and sew eral enlisted It is rumored that this class will join one branch in a body, vri11 rrith h ic friends.
 Two men were sent off by Captain Clark yesterday. Thomas Wiley Taylor was sent to New York and Lewis San ders Freeman to Newport, R. I.
 Those making application for enlist ment papers yesterday were Joe Shelton, w. c. Shelton J. c. Pegues. A. c. Tow fer, w. Wilson, John Mcwharton Clark, John Kimmons, R. H. Caldwell, R. D. Lewis, l.. F, Cox, w. c. Church, F. c. Beaty Joseph Mott Reynolds. Luther Bees, Edgar Hugh Hildebrand. Joe Shell ton and w. c. Shelton are brothers and will be placed together for mutual com have passed their physical examinations and will be sent to Newport and New York soon.
 l.. F. Hill has charge of the marine offices on Second avenue and Twentieth street. This is an especially attractive branch. and is filling in very rapidly.
 "The men are coming in fine," said L.. F. sHill, "and we will soon be full. If any men wish to get in the marine serv- ice they had better hurry, for I am al- most full and when they are conscripted they will have no choice as to the branch they will be put in.'
 Joe Smith of Gadsden was sent to At lanta yesterday for his examination and later will go on to Port Royal s. C., If he passes the examination successfully Others will be sent on in a few days.