Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-16
Eurntttg Gllat

chief draft officer, who has for yea
interested himself in compilation
the local history of the Susqu
mamma valley and has written exte
sively about the history of his ow
county of Northumberland wiz
which his forefathers were long idel
uned, is urging the various loc
boards to make their historic
sketches of the draft as complete
possible. Members of the boar,
may think that their. accounts
what was done, of humorous ar
similar instances and contempora
newspaper articles and photograph
have no historical value, but tn,
WILL said the major in talking abo
the work to-day. Had such a Cd
lection been made at the time of ii
Civil war draft imagine how inte
| estlng they would be to us moi
Some of the best articles I have r
ceiVed have been in plain, commo
every day English, but they tell
story that will be most interesti1
not only next year when the bo
are home, but in years to com
Chronicles written at the time w
be matters of pride to the residen
OF the districts in the future. Son
OF the boards have sent me new
paper clippings pasted on their Id
tor-heads which will furnish da
Tor historians of the future and she
now loyally the newspapers so
ported the draft service. The photI
graphs and newspaper pictures w
pe OF the utmost value. This is
work in which the War DEPARTING
Is greatly interested and I hope tn
our state Will make as good q sho,
ing In Its record of the draft as IL d
IN furnishing men when the natl
| called"
The district appeal board whi
met at the State Capitol, officia
known as district appeal board No,
Tor the middle districts was the a
district board to file its complete
port and with it was a histo
which contains numerous incider
and sketches in the experience of 4
BOARD. This board, which handl
many agricultural claims, we
through some unusual experfenc
robert r. Free, former Harrisb,i
newspaperman, was clerk to II
board and his training enabled h
10 get together and to write a chro
lcle or draft work which will be
tne highest value to some Cent
Pennsylvania historian in years
| come. Major Murdock, in commer
ing this boards history, said that
mad met the calls upon 1t in an
ceilent manner. All told 1t act
upon SSrO26 claims. Just what {
means Is that in the counties
Aoams' Center, Columbia. Cumb
Iand, Dauph1n, Franklin, Fultj
huntingdon Juniata, Lebanon, nj
Perry, Snyder, Union and Yd
there were steps taken TO raia1
from the draft a total approximate
half the population of Harrisbu
The board was composed of Da
u. Tracy, of this city, as chafrms
Howard e. Butz, of Huntingdon.
state fire marshal; Henry Y. Snvd
OF Lebanon; DR.. John A. Shower.
Lebanon; Thomas w. Smallwood
Paxtang; Howard NJ. BinCaman'
tnls city, and DIR. H. II. Longsdo
OF York. Under the fourth rerist
tlon alone this board had to act
| !S,66o appeals or claims. of wh
s,b68 OF an industrial or arric
tural character were granted
district had probably more anne
because of agriculture than
other In the state. Under the
registration there were over ia
Tor industrial or agrfcultural >
sons, largely the latter, approxima
y 5,0OO being refused. Under
second and third registrations th
were $500 of industrial or apric
turai claims, over 1000 being deni
Thus far district board No.
harrisburg local boards Nos. 2
are tie only ones to file compI
histories of their work and of
way the draft worked out. The w
is under way in the first Harrisb
and In the three Dauphin cou
districts. Cumberland and Perry
tricts will file their histories shor
According to a summary OF
ports on draft registration in Pc
sylVania the grand total of the n
or the Keystone State registered
the call for September 12 was
4s6. This is the net report of d
rections of reports and late regist
tions. All of these men were
tween 81 and As. or the regist
ton, says Major Murdock, 568.
were whites and 1854 colored.
average number of registrants
each of the PSI local board digtr
of the state has been calculated
1857. The average for Philadelr
board districts is given as 1868
for Pittsburgh 1878.
In connection with the history
the draft Major Murdock says on
the interesting accounts he recei
| was from Robert w. Smith. Re
tary of Blair county board No.
is an extract from a speech he m
to drafted men. Part of 81 A.
| follows: Let us recall the nj
story of the first drafted man
earth. Gideon was the commar
of the Israelites. He had an a
of $4,000 men at his back.
sought to draft out of that n
only the strongest and best warr
| to fight the enemy. He there,r
constituted himself the first selec
service board in the history of
world. His first draft order
that all his soldiers, who had
pendents, or were slackers, or
were afraid and wanted to 70 hid
may go. Thereupon, $4,000 Isr
ties deserted the colors and
home, leaving 10000 comrades
hind to fight the battle. The
mander then proceeded to sepaI
the physically disqualified from
army. So this novel test sof
'ciency was applied. The 10000
diers were marched down I'd
| stream and commanded to A