El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-02-20
STACKER RAIDS HAD
WHOLESOME EFFECT
GEN.. CROWDER SAYS,
REPORT INTERESTING
MouNTAiNEERs ONE OF MOST
DIFFICULT PROBLEMS OF
DRAFT DEPARTMENT; MUCH
FoRclHLE RESISTANCE.

A copy OF the second report OF the
Provost Marshal General submitted to
the secretary of war has been received
by Captain r. c. Reid, executive off
Ger of the draft board here. The re-
port contains 607 pages and covers the
operations of the selective draft from
May 1917, to December 20, 1918, and
is made by e. Fl. Crowder, provost
marshal general.
The report contains many facts
which were printed from time to time
in the papers, 1t is true, but it also
contains an immense amount of in
formation concerning the details of
the great undertaking Of Uncle Sam to
put millions Of men in the field to
lick the Hun.
Concerning Stacker raids conducted
in some of the large cities General
Crowder gives the opinion that in the
main the raids were successful and
~praiseworthy, but he admits some peo-
pie exceeded their authority and there
were instances where injustice was
done. The raids, through the publicity
they received, were OF vast influence
throughout the country inducing slack
ers or delinQuents to come forward
and enter the service OF the country,
in the opinion OF General Crowder.
Discussing the height OF men accept
ed for the army, the report says that
at first the minimum was placed at
s feet 4 inches, but later it was re-
duced as low as 5 feet, but never low
er than 8 feet, as 1t was believed i'm
practicable for a man under so inches
in height to carry so pounds, the bur-
den on the backs OF soldiers.
The report contains many appendix
tables which win furnish valuable sta
tistics to students OF the draft law.
Under the title "Delinquents, De-
serters and R~esistants," General
Crowder tells a number of interesting
stories Of attempts to resist the draft
made by young men who were ignor-
ant, or who lived in the mountains. OF
those who refused at first to register
in the mountains of North Carolina,
the provost marshal says: Wonderful
fighting men they were, reared from
the cradle to use the rifle and knife;
wonderful material for raiders In No
Mans Land when taught the self-re-
of discipline but suspicious and
r~esentful. The mountain and its PEG.
pie were a problem to the draft
boards"
1t looked like a pitched battle to get
draft evaders for they were we'll
guarded by friends who knew the
mountain trails. But then anne Handy
who spread the story of the war and
its lessons OF patriotism. He met the
mountain men and their women always
sending messages OF patriotism and
service to the outlaws. None Of them
did he ever see. But at times he felt
they we're under the same roof
with him, and that from behind half
opened doors and rude lofts their sharp
ears gathered each word he left as
for them. Eventually these
aeserters and evaders came into camp,
their lesson OF patriotism and
went to war.
Forcible resistance to the draft also
vas found in the mountains Of Geor-
yia. Virginia. and West Virginia, but
n a negligible degree. A number of
indians also resisted at first. General
-rowder attributes practically all of
he resistance to the activities of rad
calls except in the case Of some noun
aineers whose native suspicion made
{ difficult for them at first to under
the purposes Of the draft.