The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-04-08
Practically Everybody IN
der As Is Liable To Be
Drafted BY Lot
WILL PENSACOLA
MEN VOLUNTEER?
Military Company To Be
Organized Tuesday Night
At Arnory Hall

Plans are rapidly rounding into
shape for holding the big rally at
armory hall Tuesday night at 7:30
for the purpose of recruiting the
company of militia which Pensacola
is expected to furnish in the national
crisis.
Jas. F. Phillips, Manuel Quina, and
Louis Shuttleworth, the committee
asked by the adjutant general of
Florida to form the company, are en-
thusiastic over the interest that has
been evoked by the call
1t is not doubted for a moment that
volunteers will be Immediately forth
coming.
If, on the other hand, they are not
the military laws of the state OF
Florida make ample provision for CON
scription, and it is stated that the
company will be raised by that
means.
In 1908, the legislature declared
that the male citizens of Florida. in
Guiding those of foreign birth, were
divided in two classes-the organized
and the reserve militia. The reserve
militia includes all male inhabitants
who are more than Is and less than
As years of age. All of these may be
called into the service OF the United
States or the state of Florida, ex-
cept those specifically exempted by
law. Among those exempted are of
ficers of the u. S. Government, judges
of the supreme court and oil courts
of record, members of the legislature,
county officers, except notaries pub
lie, teachers in the public schools and
ministers of the gospel.
Drawn BY Lot.
It is provided that at the direction
of the governor the tax assessor OF
each county shall prepare in tripli
cate an alphabetical list of all the
male inhabitants of his county who
are of militia age. One copy of the
list is to be retained by the tax as
SCISSOR, one copy to be filed with the
clerk OF the circuit court and the
other copy to be filed in the office
of the adjutant general
When troops are needed for any
purpose the governor calls out, by
draft or otherwise, such number of
this reserve militia as may be nee
essary. The usual custom is first to
call for volunteers. If sufficient vol
unteers are not obtained, section 666
of the General Statutes of Florida,
as amended, is put into operation.
Section 666 reads, in part, as fol-
lows:
The Law in Full.
whenever it becomes necessary to
call out any portion of the reserve
militia, the governor may appoint the
| number by draft according to the
| population of the several counties
of the state, or otherwise, and shall
notify the sheriff Of each county from
which any draft is so required, of the
number of persons his. county is to
| furnish, Upon the requisition of the
| governor being received by the
sheriff he shall Immediately notifg
| the clerk of the circuit court of tn ,
/ county. or in case of the absence of
/ such clerk, or his inability to act,
then his legally authorized deputy ef
deputies, who shall repair to the Of
| flee of said clerk, and in public copy
| from the assessors roll of such coun-
| ty, by name or number, persons who
are returned as liable for military
duty; such name or their correspond
ing numbers, shall be placed on slips
| of paper of the same size and APP
pearance, as nearly as practicable
which slips SO named or numbered
shall be placed in box suitable for
the purpose and the number required
| to fill such draft or requisition drawn
therefron by the clerk. All persons
so drawn and liable to perform duty
1 shall be determined shall be legally
held to serve in the manner and fol
i the time specified in the requisition
and the sheriff shall notify the per
sons so drafted, orally or in writing
at what time and place they shall ap
pear"
j If any person so drafted fails II
| appear, he shall be deemed guilty of ;
nisdemeanor and sentenced to a fin
not exceeding $500 and inpr1son
ment not exceeding six months, on
or both at the discretion of tn
court.