Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-13
Ehrnttg Gl1at

night OF the issuance of orders at
Washington for the closing of the
state Draft headquarters In the
Board OF Trade building, where Ma
Jor Wiillam q. Murdock has presided
over the operation of the system itt
tie heystone State, realize what a
tremendous amount of work was
done and how efficiently it was hand
ied oy the Major and the men and
women who 1abored with him. The
oraIt headquarters was known
among policemen and other folks
VINO have to be around ali hours
OF DAY and night as the place where
the Eghts never went but. The
orainary day during the progress
vi Ine war was twelve to fourteenI
hours and since the close of the war
reduction of force at the time the
government called for final renorts
ana records made necessary dave of
still greater length. When the drafE
system was established in the State
IL ran up against prejudice dating
from the sixties magnified ratheTs
than diminished by the war and
aggravated by the discussion attend-
ing the adoption of the law in Con-
gress. And the early days of it's
administration were in the ReaE
Estate building at Locust and Court
streets which proved too small. Be-
tween lack of room and lack of un--
derstanding, general unfamiliarity
with the methods on the part of
the people and the overturn of the
normal due to entrance into war
the men in charge of the draft had
anything but an easy job. When
Major Murdock took charge and
started out to get in personal touch
with everyone of the 3S2 boards he
FACED task that would have ap-
palled most men. But before the
war had gone year the Draft head
| quarters was recognized as trying.
| to honestly administer a great work.
and on the Fourth of July last year
| everyone was taking pride in the
way Pennsylvania was responding.
First and last more than 200 persons
| were employed at State draft head
quarters, records running into the
millions were compiled, questions
answered by the thousands every
week and a system that touched
| 1S and As was being run from the
Board of Trade building without fuss
or feathers. The record speaks for
itself.
Just as an illustration of the man.
ner in which the people of Harris
burg are regarding the Homecoming
of the men who fought in France it
may be stated that almost every
school teacher in this city has re-
ceived petitions from pupils asking
} that they be allowed to join with
parents in greeting the returning
soldiers.
One ten her received a petition
! yesterday called up some of the
signers her information. ask
ing whe welcome parade was
to be. = Just had a parade the
: other day When is the next one
and what is IL for?" she asked.
; There's q truck company coming
home" said one boy.
And some of our men who used
to be in the Governors Troop are
coming home" piped another.
, That's two. Are they coming here
the same day?" asked the teacher
mo indeed. they're coming on diff
F ferent days ard after that some more
are coming" was the ready reply
"Well, we'll wait until the whistles
blow" ruled the teacher.
More people are going to Phila-
: delphia Thursday to see the parade
of the Twenty-eighth than the aver
age man imagines Th1s cropped
| out to-day in amazing ways. Numer-
GUS men ana WOIiSll cbShOo S@NN
/ day in business houses and when a
: group of men compared notes, they
found that dressmakers, dentists, IN
surance men and even architects had
, | arranged to be tout of town or
Thursday. It looks as though al
p, trains would lead to Philadelphia
> that day.
Harrisburg children are getting
, broken into the sound OF alrplan'
m otors. Nowadays when they heal
: the drumming of motor they ioof
I'M toward the sky. Occasionally, 1T l!
: only a big truck. but often it is al
: airplane and if the youngsters car
? get O. hand wave fro mthe man II
q the machine they are happy the res
! of the day.
The Commonwealth of Pennsyl
9 9 vania will probably be called upor
, to regulate it's own memorials a:
4 the first acts of the new State Ar
Commission, created by the Cover
Inor's approval of the Crow bill {
? few days ago. This commission il
!, to be named very shortly in an eff
I fort to secure the best there is il
the way of public structures ant
to do away with mail order" me
MORALS and the very nrSt business
to come before 1t will be to act upon
I the model and plans for the new
o memorial bridge to the soldiers
s sailors and marines of Pennsylvani;
5 in the great war which is to b'
u constructed as q part of the Capi
= tol Park extension plan. The mex
will likely be the Camp Curtin me
n mortal on the site of the great mob
r ilization camp of the Civil war il
: this city, for which the State bough
e q plot two years ago, and then th
: Gregg memorial will follow. In al
J, probability, the designs for the II ev
n State office building in Capitol Parl
S will be considered as they have beer
finished by Arnold W. Drummer. tn
distinguished architect, and will b,
submitted to the Board of Publi
Grounds and Buildings next Wed
. nesday.