The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-06-23
HUNTING KANSAS SLACKERs
Grand Roundup of Those Who Failed
to Register on June 5 Has
Begun.

The grand roundup of slackers start
ed in Kansas. Instructions went out
| to the sheriffs and other law-enforce-
ment officers recently. The substance
of the order was:
Investigate every suspected case.
| Demand that suspects show their reg
istration certificates In case of doubt
as to age, compel them to produce au-
thentic records to prove age. If proof
| of age or other reasons are unsatis
| factory, gather up all the facts and
send them to the United States dis
trict attorney and await further or
ders"
That mighty few slackers will be
found in the state is the belief of all
officials, state and federal, who have
had anything to do with the registra
| ton work. That a few have slipped
by, there can be no doubt. But they
will soon be brought into camp.
The greatest difficulty experienced
by the officers was in registering the
Mexicans. Very few of that national
| ity were registered, Notwithstanding
| the fact that there are many of them
| in the state. Nearly all the railroads
are using Mexican labor on their
tracks. Mexican colonies are numer-
Gus along the main lines of the big
roads. But when it came to signing
up, most of them said they were either
too young or too old to register. 1t
| is remarkable how few Mexicans
there are between the ages of q and
80. None of them is a citizen of this
| country and could not go to war. But
| they do not understand the matter. 1t
| is now up to the authorities, through
| the use of interpreters, to explain the
matter to them. 1t is believed they
will come through and register when
| they find that they don't have to go
| to the trenches.
The war department has been very
lenient with slackers up to date. It
| preferred to give them the benefit of
the doubt and take it for granted that
| they found it impossible to register
But beginning now the department will
assume different attitude and handle
slackers without gloves
x x
Wind Destroys Church.-A store, a
church and two residences at Clinton,
twelve miles west of Lawrence, were
destroyed by a storm recently Wires
are down and communication with
Clinton and surrounding territory is
cut off.
Suicide as Sons Registered.-Wor-
ried over the registering of his two
sons who were needed to help on the
farm, Henry F. Roehrman, a German
farmer, living near Hope, killed him
self Tuesday. He leaves a wife and
five children.
Registered, Then He Knocked-Al-
ONO Carpenter, after he registered at
Caldwell, spent the remainder of the
afternoon cursing President Wilson
and condemning the draft plan He
was arrested and taken to Wellington
to be held for federal officers.
; x x
College Class Buys Bonds.-The Sc.
nior class of the Kansas State Agri-
cultural College has appropriated $500
for Liberty Loan bonds. This action
. was taken at a recent meeting of the
class. When the bonds are sold the
principal and interest will be used to
purchase a class memorial.
Newspaper Man Dead.-Thomas c.
, Richardson, so years old, a veteran
| newspaper man Of Wellington, Win.
field and Caldwell, is dead in Portland
Ore, where he was the towns adYer.
Using agent twelve years.
x x x
Kansas Boy Dies in NaVy.-Word
has been received in Wellington of the
death, from pneumonia, at the naval
i hospital at Portsmouth, N. H. of Yer
non Brown, son of Mr.. and Mrs R. g
Brown of Oxford. He recently was q
student at the Sumner county high
school.
To Raise College Fund.-A cam
paign to raise million dollars fol
: Paramount College has been opened
= in Wichita. There are several large
. pledges recorded already, if the de
sired amount can be obtained,
X X x
D Farm Brings $S5, ooo.-The Grant
i Arbuthnot farm near Haworth, 4SC
: acres, recently sold for $4,000 James
' Grant of Kansas City was the owner
3 of the farm. one OF the best improved
in that section. and sold it to Ralph
KaliVoda.
r Lightning Hit Smith center.-Dam
! age estimated at $4,000 was caused
7 when lightning struck the main bust
: ness block of Smith Center, causing
! a severe fire. Buildings owned b.
= four large firms we're partly destroyed
and their stocks badly damaged.