Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-19

group.
Necessity For Drawing
Since all registered men stand in
an equality of right and duty, the
question of priority can only be de-
termined by lot or drawing. 1t
would be possible to have 1857 sepa-
rate drawings-one for each group
but since methods would vary and
since supervision and absolute insur-
ance against the charge of fraudu-
lent manipulation could not be had
in that way, every consideration of
expediency and justice urges one
drawing in Washington.
Method For the Drawing
In each group, every registration
card has a red-inked number written
on its face and these numbers run
in single series from unity Cd to
the number corresponding to the
greatest number of cards in the
group. Normally this is from unity
Cd to about 5000.
Exact copies of the cards in each
group have been attested and sent to
the various state capitols. Lists
showing the name of each man in
each group and the serial number of
his card have been posted in the office
of the board. published in the press,
and one copy is on file in Washing
ton. There is. therefore. no chance or
any mans number being changed
without detection, or of any card be-
ing lost beyond replacement.
The Idea of Central Drawing
Suppose there were just 5000
names and numbers in every group.
1t is at once apparent that 1t would
be very simple thing to have cen
trail drawing that would control the
order of every name and number in
every group of the whole ten million
Just put 1900 numbers into bowl
and draw them out one at time.
The first number drawn out would
place the 4,447 cards bearing that
particular number at the head of
every list in the United States. The
second number drawn would put the
cards bearing that number second on
all the lists, and so forth.
Now, the thing cannot be done
in precisely this way, because there
are not precisely three thousand num-
bers in every group. But the same
idea with a few necessary modtfca-
tions is the idea on which the pres
ent drawing is based.
The Drawing by Thousands
ITO draw ten thousand separate
numbers would take ten hours and
would multiply the chance of error.
Moreover, If the '9-thousands'. the
'S-thousands, the 7-thousands' and
the '6-thousands' were scattered all
over the master list indiscriminately
the cancellation by boards having
and would open the way to numerous
errors. All this is easily avoided.
Suppose we draw only one thousand
numbers. We could then provide that
the drawing of the number SIS would
also draw the numbers 1878, 2S7S,
1878, 1878, 5S7S, 6S7S, 1878, Ss7S and
9S7S.
I'm that way only one thousand
numbers need be drawn, and by MAX
ing our master list consist of one
sheet for each one thousand we could
provide master list easily applicable
to lists with only 5000 numbers. since
such boards could disregard all eX
| cept the first three sheets.
An Even Chance
| I'VE should do this but for the fact
| that this makes it certain that men
in the first thousand would be called
first, men in the second thousand
| next, and men with high serial num-
| bers last of all.
"Since the assignment OF numbers
is also done by chance, this does not
| interfere very greatly with the even
| chance of all men, but it does inter-
fere to some extent For this reason
it was decided to have one drawing
| to determine the order within any
group of 1000 and another drawing
to determine the order in which the
sheets of 1000 each should appear on
the master list, instead of arbitrarily
assigning the sheets of 1000 in their
natural order. This reduces the
whole matter to an absolute equality
| of chance.
The Details of the Drawing
"One group of numbers. from 1 to
| 1000, and second group, from 0 to 8,
have been carefully imprinted on
opaque slips of paper, black on one
side. counted and checked. These
slips have been rolled up and each
put inside a gelatin capsule with the
black side out. To insure absolute
accuracy of count. the capsules con-
tanning numbers from 1 to 1000 have
been counted into ten glass jars in
groups of 100 each; the glass jars
have been sealed and kept in a safe
awaiting the day of drawing.
THE contents of the jars will be
decanted into a large glass receptacle
from which the capsules can be read
lily drawn.
"A blindfolded man will stir the
capsules in the receptacle thoroughly
before any are drawn, and will keep
stirring them during the drawing.
To Use BIindfolds
"A blindfolded man will then draw
capsules out one at a time. AS each
capsule is drawn it will be handed
to an announcer, who will break the
capsule and announce the number
drawn. While he is announcing the
number, a second capsule will be
drawn and handed to a second an
nouncer, who will break the capsule
and read the number. The drawing
will proceed in this way until all
| the capsules are drawn.
Three tally sheets will be kept.
One keeper of a tally sheet will re-
peat each number as it is announced,
and all three will write 1t down. In
case of disagreement between tally
sheets on any number, the sheets that
agree will control.
| Immediately before the drawing
| of the numbers from 1 to 1000, the
drawing of the numbers from 0 to .
will take place to determine the order
in which the thousands shall appear