The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1917-07-27

hhb'Hhl btNtl9 iIAhi tht bih'i Va mn
itary liability for the ten million young
Americans registered for service N the
war with Germany
To accomplish this result, lO,JOO
numbers had to be drawn. one at a
tune, task which consumed 10 hours
and 80 minutes.
The first number drawn was 25S, and
the last number taken from the box
was 3217. The first number was
drawn by Secretary Baker. while Gen
eraI 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 1880 assigned to
registrants was not drawn. The blank
was given No. 1880 in the liability for
service list. and when a rechecklnG re-
veals the missing serial number it will
be given that place.
The lottery was held in the public
hearing room of the senate office
building, with war department Off
Gals in charge of the acIual drawing
and with members, of the Senate and
house military committee as witnesses.
Through the day there was Il small
crowd Of spectators. but altogether
probably less than II thousand people
saw any part of the process.
Definite Place Fixed.
As II result of the drawing every reg
istered man is given definite place
In the liability for service, list. Al
ready GS7000 have been ordered to
the cslors To till to war strength the
regular army and national guard and
10 constitute the first increment of the |
national army. To secure that total, |
1,374,0OO men will be called for exam |
inatiOn within a few weeks. officials !
estimating that two registrants must |
be called for every soldier accepted. |
These L374,O00 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 it embodied.
Baker Draws First Number.
IL was shortly before 10 O'Clock
when Secretary Baker, intrusted by
the president with the carrying out of
the draft law, raped for order The
congressional committees were in their
seats, and on II small table stood the
great lottery Jar, sealed with brown pa
per and showing through its transpar-
ent walls the heap of number-filled
capsules that must be taken out one
by one. In front of the table IA row
Officers waited with the official tally
sheets before them. Down one side
or 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. then
stepped forward to be blndfolded and
draw the first number. Major General
Duval broke the seal and with long
wooden spoon. bearing a ribbon of the
national colors, vigorously stirred the
capsules.
The secretary reached into the iar.
picked up capsule and handed II toI
an announcer 1t was number 25S.
Ihen In quick succession other num-
bers were drawn while cameras and
motion picture machines recorded the
scene.
The only interruption was the fra
quent changes of tired announcers and
tahuiators and the removal for clean
ing of the blsckboards. where the re-
suit was publicly displayed as each
number came out. When group of
800 numbers had been written, the first
section of the board was taken ont tn
be photographed Ia establish an abSo- /
lutte record, while the second section
was substituted.
by the laws Of chance, the serial
number one was drawn from the lar os
No, 1860 in the liability list, while M
lo,doo, the top number among the cap
SulcS. came out M. 23S. The serial
Is, tabled bearer of ill-luck, was drawn
n the 7S9Oth place.
Registrars will receive no official
word of their order of liability upru
their local boards summon them for
examination, after official records nf
the drawing have been transmitted IN
them by mail Preparation of those
records began on Saturday.
II is claimed ny military Officers
That more than ~ per cent uf thoS,,
who registered will b. EXEMPT frnm
military duty, largely because of pby-
steal defects, ana the opinion is ex-
pressed hy some that taking the cnun-