The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-11-29
NEW METHOD OF SELECTING
MEN FOR NATIONAL ARMY

Every man who is registered for
the draft will soon have an opportur-
ity Of telling the military authorities
of the nation all about his private af-
fairs. The Government has prepared
an elaborate QUESTIONABLE, which will
be sent to registered men about De
cember Is, designed to make posi-
BILE the distribution of these men into
five general classes arranged in the
order in which they will be summon
ed for service. The first draft was
necessarily hit or miss affair in
which the question Of exemption was
decided for each individual by local
draft boards. Many were taken
into the army who would have been
of greater service to the nation had
they remained in civil life. But the
second draft will be based on care
fully gathered mass of information
which will make infinitely easier
the task of the draft boards.
The QUESTIONABLE is divided into
twelve sections. The first, which
must be answered in full by all re-
gistered men, asks information as to
the name, address, age, parentage,
schooling and occupation of the per-
son to whom it is sent. The second
section inquiries into the rcgistrant's
physical fitness. This schedule en-
ables registrants to make a claim for
exemption on grounds of health, tho
no one, of course, will be taken into
the army without physical cxamina-
ton. Sections three to eight inclu-
slve make it possible to claim exemp-
ton on such grounds as holding a
federal Office, being minister of the
gospel or student of divinity, being
already in the army or navy, being
an alien or being Il state or muni-
cIpal official, a custom house clerk,
| an artificer in an armory or navy
yard, a pilot or mariner. Exemp-
, tions on some of these grounds are
not absolute, but, if allowed, they
postpone the time when the repis-
trant will be summoned for service.
Section nine is for the member of a
religious sect which has conscientious
scruples against war. Section ten,
which goes into much detail, permits
the registrant to specify the persons
dependent upon his earned income
and to offer proof of this dependency.
Sections eleven and twelve, the most
elaborate of all, deal with. industrial
and agricultural occupation in order
that it may be possible to determine
how essential" to the war necessities
OF the nation is the work of the re-
gistrant. Every registered man, ev-
en- II he was exempted by the draft
tribunals last summer, must return
the questionable sent him within {,
week of the time he receives it, with
every query which concern him fully
and accurately answered.
Because of the difficulty which
many person of slight education, or
unused to filling out detailed printed
form, may experience in complying
| with the requirements of the Govern
ment, President Wilson has asked
"men of legal profession to offer
themselves as associate members of
'ae legal advisory board to be provid-
ei in each community for the pur-
Jose of advising registrants of their
rights and obligations and of assist
ing them in the preparation of their
answers So if anyone finds any
difficulty in understanding the qucs-
tlonalre, he can find lawyer to tell
nm, without charge, just how he
should answer. This is the first war
work which lawyers, as profession,
nave had chance to perform the