New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-10-17
CROWDER CLEVER At
CHOOSING HIS AIDS
Best Legal Talent in Country
Assisting Boss Of the Draft

washington, Oct 11.-One great
factor in Provost Marshal General
Crowder's success in administering
the draft has been the type of men
he selected to assist him. General
Crowder has a weakness for law
yers, especially distinguished lawyers
and he has them in quantities now.
They are not advisers or consultants,
but have been taken away from lu
cratlVe private practices thrust into
uniform, and set to work actually as
aides and staff mem bers, TO help run
the machine. Some of the legal luln-
1naries so captured are men of more
than national note in their profession.
The first man whom General Crow
der called in from civil life was
Charles B. Warren of Detroit, now
colonel and senior officer on his staff.
Colonel Warren has written most Of
the selectlVe service regulations. and
was primarily responsible for the for
mutation of the regulations for the
first draft. incidentally Colonel War
rem has written many of the con-
gressional statutes which have been
enacted into law in connection with
the draft. Colonel Warren was on
two occasions before becoming an
aide to General Crowder attorney for
the United States in international ar
bitrations. Once, during the fisheries
dispute with Canada, he held the at
tenton of the Hague tribunal with an
argument six days long. At an ear
lier date he was one of the lawyers
appointed by the president to argue
the case of the United States before
the Joint High Tribunal created to
adjudicate claims of Great Britain
IL,
of the Boring Sea seal fisheries con-
troversy. Robert Lansing, now sec
rotary of state, was also of counsel in
that matter. In addition to his career
in the field of international law, Col
onel Warren has developed g, finan-
cial career He is heavily interested
in large industrial enterprises and
banks in Detroit, his home city, and
had found time to be president of the
Detroit Chamber of Commerce before
he dropped his private activities to
join General Crowder's machine for
downing the Hun. His varied expert
ence in law. business. and finance,
has naturally been an invaluable as
set in laying out and administering
the draft.
"Wigmore On Evidence
yers will instantly think of Wig
more on Evtdence' in this connection
was dean of Northwestern Univer-
sty Law School and author of sew
eral recognized volumes on legal lore
when the draft organization took him.
Colonel r. S. Easby-Smith, a Wash$
ington attorney with a supreme court
practice, came to the staff because Of
his successful work at the head of
the District of Columbia draft board,
He exemplif1es another practice Cen
eral Crowder has developed that OF
picking up an executive who has been
particularly successful with the draft
in his own locality, and bringing him
in to headquarters.
Major J. r. Clark, also of Washing
ton, D. c.. formerly solicitor for the
state department, has been newly
added to the department, as office ad-
iutant The exhaustive medical pro-
visions of the draft are now under
the direction of Colonel f. r. Keefer,
a regular army officer, who heads the
medical division.
Lieutenant Colonel Grant Trent,
who sat on the Philippine islands
supreme bench several years, and
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph F. Fair
banks, a New England aCCOFllSV, give
special attention to the digest of
draft cases appealed to the president.
Lieutenant Colonel Roscoe S. Conk-
lin, a relative of the famed New
York senator and political leader, is
now particularly charged with classi-
flea ton questions for the whole of
the draft within the United States,
because he proved particularly sue
cessful in getting through emergency
organization in New York city. Lieu
tenant Colonel IT. G. Kramer, now
heading an inspection division, came
in after making a success in New
Jersey, as agent for the adjutant gen
eral of that state; in similar duty.
Endless tables of figures and statts-
tics have to be marshalled to keep
the stream of men flowing into can
comments, and for this work General
Crowder imported Major Fl. f. Ste
phenson, late efficiency expert with
the Pennsylvania railroad. For his
personal military aide, General Crow
der has Major J. Barry King OF Ok
I'LL.