Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-13
WILSON INACCURACIES
NEW MACHINERY FOR
SELECT|VE SERVICE
President viii Definitely Fix
the Place in Call of Every
Man Who Is Registered for
the National Army

WASHINGTON. Nov. lO.-IreSluenI
Wilson formally put the new machinery
Tor the carrying out OF the selective
service bill into operation tonight with
the publication Of the forevOrd he has
written 10 the regulations under which
the second call will be made. The reg
ulations themselves and the question
naires which more than 100000 reg
istrants will be required to fill out are
bein. forwarded to local boards, but
have not vet been made public.
War department officials estimate
that the whole process can be COM
pleted within sixty days. This means
that no second call will be made upon
the national army before the middle or
next February, as the period of classi-
f:cation will not begin until Decem-
Der Is.
The president describes the new plan
o. dividing all registered men not al
ready modified into five classes, SUD-
iect 10 military service by classes as
y, ;rr intended to produce "a more per
feet organization Of our man power.
WILL PLACE ALL MEN
The selective principle must be car
I'D 10 its logical conclusion the
,,ssidert said. and he added that there
n,ust he made a complete inventory OF
thS qualifications of each registrant IN
order TO determine ''the place in the
military. industrial or agrlcuItural
ranks of the nation i'm which his eXpe-
rience and training can pest DE IlSue
IN serve the common good.
The inquiry projected in the ques-
,s,nnaire viii go deep into the quallfl-
...tions OF each OF nearly iO.OOO,ooO NEIL
The success of the plan and It's com
action within the estimated time rests
,rsoIutelv upon the whole-hearted sup
mort given by the people, especially o!
he doctors and lawyers of each com
-1suity. and the president calls upon
them for their unstinted ana.
The presidents foreword folloWs'
TASK NEARS COMPLETION.
The task of selecting and mobilizing
The first contingent of the national army
= nearing completion. The expedition
"a accuracy of its accomplishment
we're a most gratifying demonstration
~ the efficiency of our democratic IN
s,y,,,ttons The swiftness with which
the machinery for its execution had 10
he assembled. however, left room Tor
adjustment and Improvement. New reg
uIations putting these Improvements
into effect are therefore, being publish
cd today. There is no change IN the
essential obligation of men subject to
selection. The first draft must stand
unaffected by the provisions of the new
regulations. They can be given no retro
r
active effect
.sThe time has come for more per-
fsct organization Of our man power. The
selective principle must be carried TO
its logical conclusion. We must make
complete inventory of the qualihca-
tons of all registTants in order to de-
termine, as to each man not already Sc
lected for duty with the colors, the place
in the military. industrial. or agricul-
,ural ranks of the nation in which his
sxperience and training can best be
made to serve the common good. THIS
project involves an inquiry by the selec-
zion boards into the domestic. industrial
and educationa aualif1ca tions. or nearly
ten million men.
'AIembesr of these boards have rem
dered a conspicuous service. The work
vas done without regard to personal
Convenience and under a pressure of inn
mediate necessity which imposed great
sacrifices. Yet the services of men
trained by the experience of the first
draft must of necessity be retained and
. The selection board must provide the
directing mechanism for the new classl-
-ration The thing they have done is
scarcely one-tenth the magnitude of the
. thing that remains TO be done. 1t is OF
great importance both to our military
and TO our economic interests that the
classification be carried swiftly and &C
curately 10 a conclusion. An estimate
I Of the time necessary for the work leads
J 10 the conclusion that il can be accom-
. Dlished in sixty days; but only if this
( great marsha Hing of our resources of
men is regarded by all a national
: war undertaking of such significance as
/ 10 challenge the attention and compel
the assistance of every American.
Il call upon all citizens, therefore. to
assist local and district boards by prof
ferlng such service and such material
: conveniences they ca noffer and by ap-
pearing before the boards, either upon
| summons or upon their own initiative,
10 give such Information as will be use
I full in classifying registrants. l urge
[ linen of the legal profession TO offer
: themselves as associate members of the
. legal advisory boards to be provided in
! each community for the purpose of ad-
! vising registrants of their rights and
/ obligations and Of unassisting them in
4 the preparation of their answers to the
| questions which all men subject to
draft are required to submit. I ask the
/ doctors of the country to identify them
| selves with the medical advisory boards
f. which are to be constituted i'm the va
rious districts throughout the United
/ States for the purpose of making a sys-
[ tematic physical examination of the reg
I istrants. II is important also that po-
lice officials of every grade and class
should be informed OF their duty under
selective service law and regulations
3 20 search for persons who do not re-
spond promptly and 70 serve the sum-
mons Of local and district boards. News.
. papers can be of very great assistance
i'm giving wide publicity to the re-
auirements OF the law and regulations
Z and TO the numbers and names of those
who are called 10 present themselves to
their local boards from day to day. FL
usliy. 7 ask that during the time here
after 20 he specified as marking the
sIxty-da4 period OF the classification
al citizens give attention to the task