Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-12-28
The QUESTIONABLE!

which is the QUESTIONABLE, has
giventhe government andthe peo-
ple a chance to test it and to de-
termine how satisfactorily it will
work in supplying the needs of
the country. 1t is practically a
census of the men Of military age
IN the United States. determining
lust how many there are and
their quality and status. 1t is
not really a draft, for it does not
propose to call out any number OF
men, and the expression some
times heard of the quota" under
it is misleading. for there is no
quota proposed or even limited at.
1t is an examination to determine
how many men can be called out
at will if the country should de-
sire to issue such a call. The eX-
emption or draft boards were in
structed to 90 over the 5000, 900
men who have registered as Of
draft age, to find the status of
all of them. Even those who
have been previously exempted
for physical reasons as unfit
for military service or because of
the large families they have to
support have been called on for
examination. The examination
is to be complete as to their do
nestle and financial status, as to
their employment to the greatest
advantage of the country and as
to their physical condition
whether or not they will make
good soldiers.
To get the Information on all
these points a QUESTIONABLE, or
series of questions, has been sent
to every registrant, which he is
required to fill out and swear to.
The questionable IS very full.
covering the whole personal, do
nestle and financial history of
each possible soldier, and contain
ing a hundred-odd questions, 1t
was stated beforehand that it
would be a simple and easy mat
ter to fill out these questions,
but, as expected by those who
had given thought to the matter,
this has proved not to be the case.
AS a matter Of fact, the great
majority of ~registrants find it i'm
possible to fill out and properly
answer all the questions pro-
pounded to them. In the negro
districts of Louisiana and MiSsis
sippi the QUESTIONABLE is said tC
brighten the illiterate man as
much as a rifle. 1t was antic
pated that many Of the regis.
trants would be unable to answel
all the questions put to them
and in order to assist the ignoran.
provision was made for the orga
nization of auxiliary boards of lie
gal advice, to aid all who canno
themselves properly fill out thei
missionaries, and more thar
fifty thousand lawyers are busil,
engaged today in this country il
performing this work. The law
yers have given their assistanc
willingly, but it has been foun'
no easy matter to keep up wit
the work which it is provided b
law must be completed in a Ger
tain specified time. EXperienc
has shown that a great majorit
of the questions filled out by tn
registrant himself, without tn
assistance of a lawyer, are fault
lily done and have to be write
over again,
When, however. the task
completed and the men of mil
tary age are listed and classihe
according to the order undC
which they will be called to mil
tary service, he United State
will have an invaluable roll tn;
will greatly facilitate it in ar
military preparations it may d
sire to make. 1t will be able
call out a million or two milliC
men who are fitted for servic
and to assign them to the bran(
for which they are best suite
and this can be done at one
without waiting for a long del;
to call out and examine the mt
they will be ready to go to Il
camp at once, as Immediately a
ter the questionnaires are eXar
med and the men classified in
the five classes provided fo
those who are liable for INN
date service will be examine
h,, +bo madical advisory boar