The Colorado statesman., 1917-05-19
Measures for Raising Of Military
Forces, as Agreed Upon
by Congress.
AGE LIMIT, Fl TO 80 YEARS
Male Citizens, and Those Who Have
Declared Their Intention to Be-
come Citizens, of That Age,
Liable to Drsft-Classes
That Are Excused.


der which the new United States army
will be raised will be applied under
the following provisions of the army
bill:
"That the enlisted men required to
raise and maintain the organizations of
the regular army and to complete and
maintain the organizations embodying
the members of the National Guard
drafted into the service of the United
States, at the maximum legal strength
as by this act provided, shall be raised
by voluntary enlistment, or if and
whenever the president decides that
they cannot effectually be so raised or
maintained, then by selective draft;
and all other forces hereby authorized
shall be raised and maintained by Sc
lective draft exclusively; but this pro-
vision shall not prevent the transfer
to any force of training cadres from
other forces.
Age Limits Are Fixed.
"Such draft as herein provided shall
be based upon liability to military serv-
ice of all male citizens or male persons
not alien enemies who have declared
their intention to become citizens, be-
tween the ages of twenty-one and
thirty years, both inclusive, and shall
take place and be maintained under
suchAregulations as the president may
prescribe not inconsistent with the
terms of this act.
Quotas for the several states. terri
tories and the District of Columbia, or
subdivisions thereof, shall be deter
mined in proportion to the population
thereof and credit shall be given to
any state, territory, district or sub
division thereof for the number of
men who were In the military service
of the United States as members of
the National Guard on April 1, 1917,
or who have since said date entered the
military service of the United States
from any such state, territory, district,
br subdivision, either as members of
Vthe regular army or the National
Guard.
Provides for Military Law.
"All persons drafted into the serv
Ice of the United States and all off
GERS herein provided for shall, from
the date of said draft or acceptance,
be subject to the laws and regulations
governing the regular army, except as
to promotions, so far as such laws and
regulations are applicable to persons
whose permanent retention in the Iui!i-
tary service on the active or retired
list Is not contemplated by existing
law, and those drafted shall be re-
quired to serve for the period of the
existing emergency unless sooner dis
charged, provided that the president is
authorized to raise and maintain by
voluntary enlistment or draft, as here
in provided, special and technical
troops, as he may deem necessary, and
to employ them into organizations and
to officer them as provided in the third
paragraph of section l and section 8
of this act.
Organizations of the force herein
provided for, except the regular army.
shall, as far as the interests of the
service permit be composed of men
who come, and of officers who are ap-
pointed from, the same state or local
ity."
No person liable to military service
will be permitted to escape therefrom
by furnishing a substitute or the pay
ment of money, and the payment of
bounties for recruits is prohibited.
Men Who Are Exempt.
The persons who will be exempted
from military service are thus desig
mated by this provision of the bill
"That the vice president of the
United States, the officers, legislative,
executive, and judicial, of the United
States and of the several states, terri
trtn NJ af 10
regular or duly ordained ministers of
, religion, students who at the time of
the approval of this act are preparing
for the ministry in recognized theologi-
cal or divinity schools, and all
persons in the naval service of the
United States shall be exempt from the
selective draft herein prescribed.
Nothing in this act contained shall
be construed to require or compel an
other person to serve in any Of the
forces herein provided for who is found
to be a member of any well-recognized
religious sect or organization at pres
ent organized and existing and whose
existing creed or principles forbid its
members to participate In war In any
form and whose religious convictions
are against war or participation there
In in accordance with the creed or
principles of said religious organiza-
ton; but no person so exempted shall
be exempted from service In any ca
pacity that the president shall declare
TO be noncombatant.
Certain Glasses to Be Excused.
1.-THE president Is hereby authorized
to exclude or discharge from said Sc
lective draft and from the draft under
the second paragraph of section here
of, or TO draft for partial military serv-
Ice enly from those liable to draft as
In this act provided, persons of the fol-