Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1918-11-14
GEN. CROWDER CANCELS
CALLS FOR DRAFTEES
Soldiers Whose Training is In
Complete to be Sent
Home

provost Marshal General Crowder
has directed the cancellation of an
outstanding draft calls, stopping the
movement during the next FIVE days
of $4,000 men and setting aside an
November calls for over 3oo,0
men.
Calls for the navy and marine
corps are not affected by the cancel
alton, and entertainments of men for
these services will continue as or
dered.
Secretary Baker later announced
that so far as practical, all men who
had been called and who had NOT
completed their training would be
Immediately turned back to civilian
life. ITO the extent that we cam,
he said, ''~C viii tLin back those
men who have been entrained and
have not yet reached training
camps"
kilograms to the $500 odd local
draft boards eanceling the calls were
prepared two days ago, at General
Crowder's orders and only the word
of the general staff was needed TO
release them. Genersl Crowder has
been urgent in recommending the
suspension of the calls.
II is pointed out in the orders to
local boards that sher work is to
continue, and that ths draft ma
chinery will remain in readiness Z.
function quickly again, however le-
mote the possibility of it's necessity
pran -.
600 called to enter service in Novem-
Der was a registrant on September
II, when the IS to as year age limit
became effective. Over 5000, 900
men to date have been ordered into
military service under operation OF
the selective service law, and over
100000 including nearly every
man found physically fit and without
dependents or industrial exemption
of the original 81 to 81 year group.
has joined the service.
One call, for few thousand men
to join the navy, is now being pre-
pared by the provost marshal.
The provost marshal generals
Office had no estimate of the NUM-
Der on trains before the canoeginw
order was issued. All men assem-
bled for entraining are to be consid-
cred as honorably discharged from
the army and paid accordingly
Until further notice, no inductiona
or calls, except for the navy and
marine corps, will be permitted.
Since August 1917, when the first
calls were issued under the army
draF+ lon, . vno nno 49,, k.,.o -.
indicted into the army. Practically
all physically qualified men between
the ages of 81 and 81 who were
placed in Class /, are now in tho
service. The men who were to have
moved to camp this month were of
the new registrants enrolled Septem-
Der IL.
Many of the men who were under
orders to move this week, were orig
inally directed to entrain in 0cto-
Der, but their movement was held
up because of the epidemic of infiu-
enza in the army camps last month
General Crowder announced that
registrants whose induction orders
are cancelled or who are discharged
after their entertainment for camps
will revert to the status existing at
the time the original induction or
der was issued, this to include ro-
of their order and seria1
1t also was specifically announced
that nothing in the cancellation OF
the calls shall operate to relieve
from the consequences of his acts
any registrant who has heretofore
become a delinquent or deserter.
By order of Secretary Baker,
Provost Marshal General Crowdcr
directed local and district boards
to continue to completion as expo
iitiously as possible the classification
Of all registrants who CT September
IL, had attained their nineteenth and
mad not attained their thirty-seventh
The boards also were dl-
rected at the earliest appropriate
to issue questionnaires to
Ill 1S-years-old youths who regis
tered September IL, and to complete
heir classification as early as posi-
Die.
General Crowder, however, di-
rected the boards to discontinue inn
"all work connected with
The classification of men who on Sep
.ember II had attained their thirty
seventh birthday and had not attain
ed their forty-sixth birthday"
"In entering, said Mr.. Bakers
order to General Crowder, upon
what seems in view of the mighty
events of the day, to be the final
work of this character to be done by
he selective service system, j ex-
end to the members of that sys-
,em my personal congratulations
Upon their truly great achievements
Of the past year and half, achieve
nents that have taxed to the utmost
he time, the ability and the endur-
lnce of all those engaged in the
work, and that have furnished the