Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1918-01-12
SINGLE MEN ONLY
FOR NEW ARMIES
Those With Dependents will
Not Be Taken.
DRAFT LAW TO De CHANGED
orovost Marshal General, in Ex-
haustive Report Says Class
Should Provi de Men For All
Military Needs OF Country.

armies still to be raised by the United
States will come from Class l unoer
the new selective service plan. That
means the nations fighting is to be
done by young men without famliles
dependent upon their labor support
and unskilled in necessary Industrial
or agricultural work.
Provost Marshal General Crowder
announces the new policy in an ex-
haustive report upon the operation OF
the selective draft law submitted 10
Secretary Baker and sent to Congress.
He says Glass l should provide men
for all military needs of the country
and to accomplish that object he urges
amendment of the draft law so as 10
provide that all men who have reached
their twenty-hrst birthday since June
5. 1917, shall be required to register
for classification. Also, in the inter-
est Of fair distribution of the military
burden. he proposes that the quotas OF
states or districts be determined here
after on the basis of the number o.
men in Class l and not upon popula-
ton.
100000 IN cLAss1.
Available figures indicate, the re-
port says, that there are l,OOO.ooo
physically and otherwise qualified men
under the present registration VINO
will be found in Class when all ques-
tionnaires have been returned and the
classic alton period ends February H.
To this the extension of registration
to men turning q since June OF last
wear and thereafter will add 100000
effective men year.
Glass l comprises:
"Single men without dependent rela-
tives, married men vho have habitu-
ally failed to support their families,
who are dependent upon wives for
support or not usefully engaged and
whose families are supported by in
comes independent of their labor; I'M
skilled farm laborers; unskilled in
| dustrial laborers, registrants by or in
| respect of whom no deferred classlfl-
cation is claimed or made, registrants
who fail to submit QUESTIONABLE and
in respect Of whom no deferred classi-
| fication is claimed or made, and all
registrants not included in any other
division Of the schedule"
cRoWDER PRAISES PLAN.
Narrowed down under the analysis
of the first draft made in the report
the plan places upon unattached sim
gle men and married men with indie
pendent incomes most Of the weight
Of military duty, for the aggregate
number of men in the other division
Of Class / is very small.
General Crowder finds that the first
draft surpassed the highest expecta
tons Of the friends Of the selective
service idea He pays high tribute
not only to the thousands of civilians
who gave ungrudging service to max
Ing the plan a success, but also te
the high patriotism of the American
people as whole.
AT the Presidents CALL" he says
"all ranks of the nation, reluctant!
entering the war, nevertheless in
stantly responded to the first call o
the nation with vigorous and I'm
selfish cooperation that submerged
all individual interest in a single en-
deavor toward the contamination o
the national task. l take it that NJ
great national project was ever at
tempted with so complete reliance
upon the voluntary cooperation o
citizens for it's execution. Certainl!
no such burden and sacrificial STATUTE
ever had before been executed with
out a great heirachy Of officials.
"This law has been administered b.
: sivilians whose official relations Ii
only in necessary powers with whicl
, they are vested by the President
designation of them to perform tn
: i duties that are laid upon them. The
: have accomplished the task. The
, have made some mistakes. The sy;
, tenn offers room for improvement.