Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-23
Open. High. Low. day. t'rds
ASKS BOARDS TO STICK.
General Crowder Explains Objects Of
New Classification.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 22.-In an unusual
and remarkable appeal to local and dis
trict boards TO remain on duty for the
selective army service system, General
Crowder, provost marshal general, says:
mo man can urge in this day of
trial and sacrifice that this nation
should deliberately neglect to make it
self effective in the field Of military on
the plea that our greatest contribution
to the cause of humanity is in attain
ing an economic supremacy. To do so
would be to relegate the United States
TO the role of sutler of the fighting ma
tons"
General Crowder reviews the work of
placing 6S7, 900 recruits in the training
camps under the first call to the colors
and emphasizes the importance OF the
work to be done in connection with
the selection Of men 10 be selected un-
der the second call.
Explaining what is expected of the
local and district boards under the new
plan Of examining the remaining
10000 youths Of the 10,0o0,000 regis
tered last June. General Crowder says
that the selective service system Is as
essential TO the organization Of the ma
ton for unified service in the war as
the army which 1t produces.
He tells the members OF the local
and district boards this system must
serve as the balance between the mill
tarv and industrial needs OF the nation
and stand as a source of supply to the
one and a shield Of protection to the
other.
What is offered here" said the ad-
dress of General Crowder. in telling the
boards what Is expected OF them under
the new plan OF examination. lis tn
basis for a nice balance between our
two necessities" One of these necessi-
ties is the raising OF the army, which
General Crowder holds to be para
mount. and the other is the industrial
situation. which, he says, must be
adjusted other than by shutting of
service.
Il Is Necessary to Fight.
"a vast production in our farms and
factories is necessary" says General
Crowder, an order to support military
o,era+ions on the field of battle We
shall not confne our participation in
this conflict to the making OF bread and
the sharpening Of swords of other men
This war will be won militarily on the
devoted field Of France The blow that
skaters the German line and extin-
cuisines autocracy from the face OF the
earth will be the blow Of mans right
arm, and not the insidious stroke Of the
shrewd trader"
General Crowder thus explains to the
selective service board the new plans
for Classifying those called:
'In class l we shall have then. in
every community, Immediately avail
able for military service, single men
and a few married men whose removal
will not disturb the reasonable ade-
uuate support OF their dependents. In
the industrial and agricultural aspect,
we shall have segregated into this class
men who have not especially fitted
themselves for industrial or agrlcul-
tural pursuits, so that our only incur
sion into the labor supply viii affect
but a small percentage of unskllled
labor
In class we find men who can be
taken without disturbing the support
of any dependent, and as I shall pres
entity show you, if the necessity Of
drawing on class 2 arrives. we must
dustry an adjustment TO replace small
percentage of skilled labor affected by
the draft-men who while occupying no
pivotal or important position, can serve
industry or agriculture better than I'M
skilled men.
Should the pinch Of military neces-
sity increase beyond class 2, 1t would
mean that the nation would have to
commit itself to hardships and to an
adjustment in agriculture and industry
to meet the paramount necessity.
1--WE take in class 3 a very small class
of persons upon whom others are de-
pendent for support but we do not
break up the closest and most sacred
of the family relationships. We also
invade the field Of agriculture and in
dustry to the extent of taking, in the
small percentage affected, men who
have specialized themselves or who
occupy rather pivotal positions.
'In class we find the men whom we
shall take as a last resort. Before that
class is reached it is perfectly safe to
say that, by the adoption. of other
classes as to age, say those who have
attained 21 since registration day, and
perhaps adding the classes Of men IL
| and 10 and 20 years old, we shall have
| included two or three million men IL
our available list, and thus have saved
| class 4. ....,.
GLASS 5 comprises the ae!d Of ahso-
lutte exempts."