Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-28

VIII be registering its young men for
duty and work will have begun on the
sixteen training cantonments, or camps,
where preparation of the forces for
war will start in August or September,
Sites for the environments have been
selected tentatively and all arrange
ments made for the concentration of
the troops assigned to each.
Decentralization of administrative
work will be sought by the depart
ment In every move 1t makes. Regis
tration will be carried on through
sheriffs and other county officials, aided
by postmasters or other federal agen-
cies where that seems desirable. In
structions and forms already have been
prepared and will be forwarded to the
state adtutants general for distribu-
ton among country officials.
Wide Publicity Is Planned.
Wide publicity is planned so that no
man liable for registration will have a
good excuse for failing to respond. On a
date to be set every citizen affected by
the act will be required, on pain Of heavy
penalty, to present himself at the nearest
registration place, where machinery will
be provided for classifying the recruits
and eliminating those exempt Doubtful
+.
With the rolls Of those liable for serv-
ice complete, the task of selecting the men
to go In the first increment of 100000 will
begin 1t has bean suggested that this be
done by means of the county jury wheel.
The first man whose name is drawn would
go, under that plan. with the first $780, 900
to be called out for training within few
months. The second drawn would go with
the second increment. to be called SIX
months later: the third with the third
increment. with duty a year off: the
fourth with the first increment and so on.
Meanwhile the work Of building the can
comments will go forward. Regular troops
and national guardsmen will be assigned
to them. with each arm of the service 50
represented as to provide the framework
of a complete army division at each point.
territory covered by the training district
so far as practicable. Police duty at the
cantonments will become part Of the re-
sponsibility of each district commandant,
and he will make such assignment Of his
forces as he may deem wise. Meantime
both the regulars and guardsmen will
continue recruiting to war strength.
Material for Necessary Officers.
With the new regiments assembled, .
rigorous course of training will be UNI
dertaken. The officers training camps
to be established within a few days in
each district will begin at the end of
three months. pouring new officers into
this organization. and the enlisted men
selected from the ranks of the regulars
FOR commissions will be given special
instruction to fit them for officers I'm
til the army of young men presents it
self at the camps in August or Septem-
Der the regulars and guardsmen also will
pursue a vigorous course of training.
The plans call for the transfer to the
first 100000 men obtained by draft of
from 100000 to 100000 non-commis-
stoned officers trained in the regular
and National Guard regiments 1t is
here that the opportunity lies for men
who volunteer now as enlisted men in
the ranks of thes two services. On
them, War Department officials believe,
even to greater extent than upon
the commissioned officers. will depend
the efficiency of the new armies
The backbone of any military organi-
cation is its non-commissiened force,
and in the months that precede the
calling out of the first 100000 officers
of the general staff hope there will be
found in the ranks of the regulars and
guardsmen such a supply OF men COM
petent for these positions that the flu
ture of the later armies will be as
sured beyond doubt.