The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1919-02-07
CLOSING BOOKS
OF DRAFT BOARD
FOR FINAL HALT
TWENTY MONTHS OF EFFICIENT
AND PATRIOTIC SERVICE sY
MEMBERS or BODY.
MADE RECORD FOR COUNT,
Men Who Gave Their Service Without
Thought of Personal Affairs and
Kept Maury's Stream OF Soldiers
Pouring into the Army.

With the work OF the selective SER
vice board about completed, Chief
Clerk Laurence Parker is preparing
to ship all the records of the office to
Washington where they will be pre-
served by the War Department for
future use in case another emergency
should arise. An inspector is expect
eif at the local office soon to pass
finally on the work OF the local board
and give the order for the closing of
the doors upon work that is with
out parallel in efficiency and public
service.
For twenty months the members Of
this board have been at the command
of the government. Their private
affairs have been made secondary
They have worked with the zeal OF
patriots, and the fruit of their labor
was not to be compensation in money,
but the gratitude Of nation that de-
pended upon it's people to put into the
ranks Of its armies enough men to
oyerwhelm the greatest military pow
er on earth.
w. p Ridley is chairman of the
board; J. J, Gray, Jr., of Rockdale, is
secretary, and Dr. Fl. A. Cant is ply
sician. Although neither of these
men has given his entire time to
the work of the selectiye service,
each one has sacrificed much in order
to perform the duties of it and during
the rush days of the draft all of them
worked night and day without thought
of their personal affairs to keep
Maury county's quota Of soldiers pour
ing into the army. The efficiency
of their efforts has been attested upon
more than one occasion by letters of
commentator from state and nation
al officials of the, selective service.
1t is improbable that any other county
in the American Union made better
record in the draft than is that record
ed on the books and documents of
the Maury Local Board soon to be
shipped to Washington.
The members of the board were
Loyalty supported in their efforts by
the public and BY tie 'indivfduSI fabof
or scores of citizens who volunteered
their assistance. Particularly notable
was the aid given by Hon. W. J. Web.
ster, government appeal agent, who,
perhaps more than any other appeal
agent in the state, gave his personal
attention not only to every detail of
the governments rights in the draft
but also kept watchful eye upon
the rights of the registered men,
guarding constantly against any error
that might have unjustly called man
into the military service. For his SER
vice he has been highly commended
by government officials.
1t is a matter of pride. to the legal
and medical profession Of the county
that the lawyers and doctors at great
sacrifice gave their services to the
board in assisting registrants in pro
perly filling questionaires and in ply
sically examining the men selected
or called to the colors.
Behind all of the machinery of the
draft in Maury county has been that
steady, calm, ceaseless working
Laurence Parker whose duty it was
as chief clerk Of the board to keep
everything moving smoothly and to
do everything that somebody else did
not volunteer to do. There were times
when the rush got heads and ears
over everybody and was veritably
swirling torrent Of labor and red tape
but through it all Parker kept his
equilibrium and let nothing escape
its proper attention. Without reflec-
ton upon anyone else connected dir
ectly or indirectly with the Maury
County Local Board of the selective
service, the Distinguished Service
Cross for extraordinary valor in civil
ian service is hereby pinned upon the
breast of Laurence Parker, chief
clerk. Provost Marshal General
Crowder make your records conform
to this publication.