Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-29
DRAFT BOARDS
HAD BIG TASK
Men Worked Long and Faith
fully to Select Men For
Great National Army

Shortly after the declaration of
war in April, 1917, orders were re-
ceiVed from Washington to prepare
Tor registering men under the pro-
visions of the selective service act.
The late Mayor Charles A. Miller
with City Solicitor John L. Fox and
DIR. j. w. McMullen constituted
tho organizing board in the city.
City. Clerk r. Ross Seaman acted
as clerk. County Commissioner c.
G. Cumbler DIR. G. r. Phillips,
county medical Inspector, and
Sheriff w. w. Caldwell prepared for
the draft registration in the county
with Register of Wills Ed. Ii. Fish
er, at that time chief clerk to the
County Commissioners, as clerk.
The preliminary organization of
city service boards was decided up
on. The city was divided into dis
tricts as follows: First, including
the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth and
Sixth wards; Second, including the
Second, Eighth, Ninth and Thir-
teenth wards; Third, including the
Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth and
Thirteenth wards. The Fourteenth
ward at that time was part of Sus-
quehanna township.
The original members of the Vari-
Gus city boards We're: First district,
Mercer B. Tate, DR.. j. Ross Swartz
and B. Frank Mead; Second district,
Frederick r. Smith, DR.. Thomas e.
Bowman and Alderman George A.
Hoverter; Third district, John c.
Orr, DIR. Claude w. Batdorf and j.
William Bayles.
Thousand Registered
Polling places in the city and
county districts, with few eXcep-
tions were used for the first regis
tration on June 5, 1917. with regis
trars and registry assessors in the
district volunteering their services
for the work.
There was no evidence that
throughout the entire city and
county anyone had deliberately
evaded registration who was within
the draft age. Reports were receiv-
ed that a few had not registered
but the authorities Strengthened out
the difficulties quietly.
At first the official county show
ed that in the city and county there
were IA, 141 men liable for select
i've service, 6,915 of that number re-
siding in Harrisburg. When cards
were received from other parts of
the State and country for the men
who could not be home on regis
tration day, the official total reach
ed 14,269, with 6,912 in the city
and 1857 men in the county. A
very small percentage of this num-
Der had to be listed as physically
disqualified.
Division of the county into dis
tricts was another step in the or
ganization work The lower end
of the county, including Steelton,
Highspire, Middletown and Royal
ton boroughs, Londonderry and
other townships constituted the first
district. The central. and eastern
part of the country to Peters noun
tain on the north, practically all
within about 15-mile radius to the
east and to s miles on the north
from Harrisburg, represented the
second district, including Hummels-
town. PaXtang and Penbrook
boroughs. The Third county dis
trict comprised the entire north
ern end of the county, including
Millersburg, Halifax, Elzabethville,
Lykens. Williamstown, Uniontown,
Gratz and Berrysburg boroughs.
Numbers Assigned
Assignment of serial numbers ac
cording to the service regulations
followed and when these serial lists
were first issued the interest of the
public, particularly the men in the
draft age, in the plans for raising
the nations war strength, greatly in
creased.
BY this time the draft boards were
reorganized.
Ex-Governor Martin G. Rrum-
baugh, the chief executive of the
State at the time, issued an order
that the mayor, city solicitor, sher-
iff and county medical inspector.
should be members of the boards in
the respective districts in which
they resided. Due to the death Of
Mayor Charles A. Miller Harrisburg
had only acting mayor at the time.
the late William l.. Gorgas.
City Solicitor John E. Fox and
Sheriff w. w Caldwell, both resid-
ing in the First city draft district
became members of that board. DIR.
V. Hummel Eager was the physician
appointed to the board and Albert
M. Hamer and Burton r. Speas
acted as clerks.
Throughout the entire war the
members of all the draft boards de-
voted many hours of their time to
the work, frequently working until
late at night to complete the duties
assigned by the government in the
rush to get men in camp.
The second city board when or
gan!zed for work including Edwin
G. Thompson, Mr.. Smith and Dr.
Bowman. On the third city board
DIR. Phillips. because of his office as
medical inspector, replaced DIR. Bat
dorf. In December, 1917, Miss
Maudeline d. Shoaff was named
clerk of this board.
Questionnaires Mailed
In the first county district the
members were c. c. Cumbler, High
spire: Allen Drawbaugh and Dr.
B. T. Dickinson, of Steelton, with