The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-05-17
Conscrip,ion Soon

The conscription act has passed
both the Senate and the House of
Representatives of the national Con-
gress and will become law as soon
as President Wilson shall affix his
signature.
The conscription act provides that
the ten million male citizens of the
United States between the ages of
FL and 81 shall go to their respective
named by the President in a procla-
nation which he will issue within the
: next few days, and on that date reg
lister with the registration officer, CIV
NNg full name and address, date Of
birth, occupation and the names OF
dependents, if any.
This registration applies to both
white and colored alike, between the
ages of FL and 81.
Failure to register (properly) up
on the date to be named by the Presi-
dent will be met with severe penal
ties provided by the federal law. The
penalty for evading or attempting to
evade registration or service is fixed
at from three to twelve years in the
federal penitentiary without fine, and
then service in the army.
Mr.. E. Walker Duvall, of Cheraw,
has been appointed chairman of the
registration board of this county, to
put the conscription law into effect.
Tho otbar f,uo ~, have oro tbo Cl,rl,
of Court, Mr.. 1. P. Mangum; the
Probate Judge, Mr.. M. ]. Hough.
This committee will appoint regis
trar for each polling precinct in the
county and he. must be one of the
six who were election managers at
their respective polling precincts in
the general election last fall These
registrars will be notified of their ap-
pointment and they are compelled to
serve. The county committee, f.
Walker Duvall, the Probate Judge
and the Clerk Of Court, will shortly
meet and appoint these registrars,
notifying them of their appointment;
also furnishing them with the cards
for registration. When a man regis
ters the registrar will issue to him a
small card which is in the form of
receipt, showing that he has duly reg
istered. Every man within the regis
tration ages will have to be able to,
produce his registration receipt up
on the demand of an officer at any
time after the date Of registration
that will be named by the President.
After the registration date the diff
ferent registrars at the various pre-
cincts will send the registration cards
to the county committee who will sort
and classify them according to di-
rections from the War Department at
Washington. The conscription law
provides that the President, in his
judgment, may exempt from the first
draft or later drafts, if he deems ne
cessary, any of those who have de-
pendents upon them or who are en-
gagged in agriculture. 1t is believed
that the first.draft will be made from
the single men and, as far as pos
sible, that they will be secured from
the towns in preference to the
country; that first the single men in
the towns will be called and if need
ed, the single men on the farms will
next be called; then the married men
in the towns and then the married
men on the farms.
All preliminary preparations have
been made, so that when word is re-
ceived from the President the wheels
will Immediately begin to turn. Those
within the age limits will probably
have to register early in June and
those drafted will likely be notified
a month later, yet they will probably
not be called to the colors before
September 1st.
1t is estimated that South Carolina
vii have to furnish about eight
N~,sotsand troops for the first draft,
but these will be selected from one
hundred and thirty-seven thousand
men eligible. The troops from
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Tennessee will be placed together to
form an army division under the com.
mand of a major-general. IL is es-
timated that about $50 whites and
$50 negroes will be called in the first
draft from Chesterfield County to
furnish one hundred white and one
hundred negro soldiers who will pass
the physical examination