The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1917-06-02
ess, and the peace which she has

ness, and the peace which she has
! treasured.
It is the bounden duty, as it should
be the pleasure, of every responsible
| individual in the United States, man,
woman and child, to contribute q
share-to do his or her "bit,S-toward
! insuring the ultimate triumph of our
nation and her allies in this life-and-
| death struggle for the maintenance of
free popular government and the
| overthrow Of the autocratic and bar
barous military despotisn now seek
ing TO dominate and rule the world.
Those of us who are too old or too
young for active military duty can
find some sphere of action and en-
deavor in which to render measure
of service for the aid, comfort and
support of our own soldiers and sail
ors, as we'll as the fighting forces of
the other countries making common
cause with US in this great war, the
like of which has never been record
ed in human history. The heWers of
wood and drawers Of water, the COM
mon laborer in field or factory, the
farmer, the gardener, the housewife,
the boy Or girl who. does something
to conserve or produce the necessarles
of life and thus augment the coun-
try's material resources, iss rendering
relative service to the nation III COM
mon with those who go to the battle
front on land or sea, under the water
or in the air.
1t is not only the moral, but the
legal duty, Of all the young men of
the United States between Fl and 80
wears of age-in the words of the
law passed by congress and approved
by the president on the 18th of this
month, "all male persons who shall
have attained their 21st birthday and
who shall not have attained their 31st
birthday"-to present themselves at
the places of registration in their re-
spective precincts on Tuesday next,
June 5, between the hours Of IN the
morning and 9 in the evening, for the
purpose of being enrolled subject to
draft into the ranks of the nations
defenders in such capacity and for
such work as they may be deemed
best qualified to do. Let none of our
young men fail to respond to this call
for registration on the day named,
because in addition to the moral dis
grace attaching to such failure, the
law makes it misdemeanor for
which years imprisonm may be
imposed as punishment by the United
States district court. 1t is estimated
that there are ten million citizens OF
the United States subject to this en-
rollment, and as it is proposed to or
ganize armies in units of 100000,
only about one in twenty of the total
registered will probably be
included in the first call; and if an |
army of a million men is found to be |
necessary for doing our share in the
war, only one in ten Of the registered
millions need be drafted to supply
the country's quota. Those who are
disqualified for efficient service by
reason of physical disability or other
wise, or who have good cause to
claim exemption on other grounds,
viii be given due consideration and
.elease by the proper authority after
but they must register
irst
In his immortal address at the dedi-
,ation of the national cemetery on
he battlefield of Gettysburg in No
,ember, 1853, the great Emancipator,
Abraham Lincoln, said: "It is for us,
he living, rather to be dedicated here
0 the unfinished work which they
= -srsA--..l ,--s4IIssvesEhls far SO
loblx advanced & is ~
emaining before us, that from these
onored dead we take increased de-
otion to that cause. for which they &
ave the last full measure of devo- t
ion; that we here highly resolve that i