Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1917-07-27
CONSCRIPT ARMY IS
CHOSEN BY CHANCE
LOTTERY FIXES THE ORDER OF
LIABILITY OF AMER IcA'S
YOUNG MEN FOR WAR DUTY.
Task of Drawing 1o,50o Numbers Con.
f.. sumes 1e Hours and SO Minutes,
Secretary Baker Drawing
the First Number.

n.-Selective CONSUMPTION |
was put into effect July 90 when
national lottery fixed the order OF mil |
itary liability for the ten million young |
Americans registered for service in the
war with Germany.
To accomplish this result, 10.5oO
numbers hard to be drawn, one at a
time, task which consumed 16 hours
and SO minutes
The first number drawn was 2oS, and
the last number taken from the box
was 8217. The first number was
drawn by Secretary Baker, while Gen
eral Crowder drew the last number.
The great lottery went off without
mishap except for the drawing OF one
blank, which means that one serial
number among the 10000 assigned to
registrants was not drawn. The blank
was given No 10,500 in the liability for
service list, and when a rechecking re
veals the missing serial number 1t will
be given that place.
The lottery was held in the public
| hearing room of the senate office
building, with war department Off
cials in charge Of the actual drawing
and with members of the senate and
house military committee as witnesses.
Through the day there was a small
crowd of spectators, but altogether
probably less than a thousand people
| saw any part OF the process.
Definite Place Fixed.
As result of the drawing every reg
istered man Is given definite place
in the liability for service list. Al.
ready $4,000 have been ordered to
the colors to fill to war strength the
regular army and national guard and
to constitute the first increment Of the
national army. To secure that total.
1,374,O00 men will be called for exam
ination within q few weeks, officials
estimating that two registrants must
be called for every soldier accepted.
These 1,374,000 will be taken from the
head of the liability list, every local
district furnishing fixed quota.
The drawing was conducted with
ceremonies as democratic as the ideal
of citizenship II embodied.
Baker Draws First Number.
It was shortly before 10 o'clock
when Secretary Baker, lntrusted by
the president with the carrying out Of
the draft law, raped for order. The
congressional committees were In their
| seats. and on small table stood the
: great lottery jar, sealed with b.own pa
per and showing through It's transpar.
ent walls the heap Of number-tilled
capsules that must be taken out one
, by one. In front of the table a row
officers waited with the official tally
sheets before them. Down one side
of the room ran another table, where
two score press representatives waited
to send out the numbers as they were
read.
Secretary Baker briefly explained
the purpose Of the drawing, ther
: stepped forward to be blindfolded ana
J draw the first number. Major Genera
f Duval broke the seal and with a loni
| wooden spoon, bearing d ribbon of tn
7 national cOlors, vigorously stirred tn
: capsules.
The secretary reached into the Jar
b picked up capsule and handed it t,
q an announcer. It was number Us
d Then In quick succession other mum
bers were drawn while cameras AM
e motion picture machines recorded tn
h scene.
e The only interruption was the FIRE
: qnent changes of tired annOuncers ant
}, tabulators and the removal for clean
Ing of the blackbOards, where the re
o suit was publicly displayed as eael
3 number came out When a group o
n 500 numbers had been written. the frs
d section of the board was taken out /
: be photographed to establish an abso
Il lutte record, while the second seetio
was substituted.
BY the laws of chance, the seria
number one was drawn from the jar a
]. No. 1869 In the liability list. while NJ
2 10,500, the top number among the car
{. sules, cameEoat No. 23S. The seria
&c IL, tabled bearer OF ili-luck, was draw
y in the 7S90th place.
The work Of examination VIII
= covered in thirds. One-third will b
- notified to appear ON the fifth da
=, following the mailing OF the notifies
!" ton; the second third will be advise
= to appear on the sixth day and q
; final third on the seventh day. Th0s
temporarily out of the jurisdiction Z
the draft board viii be given unit
4. the tenth day to appear for exnmlni
ton. and those who fail TO appear |
- all will be declared fit for service.