The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-10-20
DRAFT DocToRlNc
Figures We're Twisted for Benefit OF
the Southern States.

FlgUsSS were visited Tor Benefit OF
the Southern States.
Willie the mefrlciency and rank
injustice Of many of the acts uf the
War DEPARTMENT relative to the
draft leslslation are now i matter
% cpaiiam knowledge. tie dlscri.
lalnntDry aae unjust move in the
4pp4st .unlnent Of draft figures, lust
trongAt % lghf By the publication
OF the Official ceusta Figures. are
not so we'll known. although aIega.
tion3 have often been made that
the Wa Department had committed
grave wrongs In the sectional ap-
"porti0nment OF the CONSUMPTION al
lotments. These allegations. how.
ever, are well borne out by the
population ltatistics.
Tie War Department. as Is
known, used practically ficti.
tious draft population figures for
aport oning the draft. Yet the de.
partment used these figures OF its own
conlecturing when it had az hand the
Census Bureau official estimate Of the
population ut that time. besides the
various state censuses of 1916. ny tax
ing he Departments own figures.
however, the extent os the sect loEal
discrimination is apparent the system
Wcgi ing tut in Che main 10 ethe
benefit oi7Domocrat { Btates.
Stone Of the more glaring Of the
Example Of this injustice arc as fol
uyf3.
Arkan az. had a population in
iJlD of l,534.449. It's draft population
was PIT at 1,59i,S 35. IT, population
IN 1879 Is 1850. 995. Tennessee's pop
nlati9n IN 1910 was 2,1S4,lS9, her dfaft
populatitn was fixed at 2.0e4.SSS and
her 1920 population Is 2,337. 459. Ken
lucky s figures were: 1910, 2.2S9 sos;
1917. 2,024, ass; 1920, 2.4l6.013. Ala.
bama's figures were; 1910. 2.f39,093!
1917, 1,946,53G; 1920, 2.347, 295. Missis-
'ipp had l79f,ll4 inhabitants in 1910.
was credited with only 150l.3l5 in
1917 and had l,1S9, 1854 In 1920. Lou.
tslnu had !, $50 3SS in 1910, was ere.
dttea with l.6SS, S62 in 1917 ana had
l,797.7gS IN 1920. Georgia's 1910 total
we 2,609 ,l21,; Ii decreased to 2.iS6.-
54t IN 1917 and jumped up back 20 g.
500 955 IN 1920.
South Caro- ina also showed a myS-
serious falling off for war purpises and
4 qu elk recovery after the armistice.
Her total i'm 1910 was l,515,400 in 1917
a3NN sNh emu AA A'aNs AtNNhfnbas ANhiNil
Carolina was similarly affected. Her
total was 2.206. 2S7 in 1910. II fell to
2t'G2G6 in 1917 and scared to 2,556.
lSu in 1920. Virginia had 1901, 612 in.
habitants in 1910, was credited with
only 1851. 521 in 1917 and had 2,306,
36l IN 1920.
IN contrast with the artificlally de.
creased draft totals of these states
many aorthern states bore a grossly
exaggerated burden. New York's pop.
ulation in 1917 was put by the War
Department at lt.tS7,70S. ITS real
population three yeara later was only
10 3Si 14A. Pennsylvania draft flg.
ure was S.9St .6S2. her population In
1920, 9720,159. Michigan's artificial
1917 total was 4.015. 053. Her census
return IN 1920 was only 3.G67332.
Ohio's draft population was 6.074.77i;
her real population three years later
WAS $3.50. 36S. Connecticut was sad
died with an enormous draft popula-
tion OF t.7t9iG23. Her census total
n 1920 was only t3S0.3G5. Illinois
was credited with Z 227 $50 inhabitants
IN 1917 In 1920 she had only 6,4S5,
OQ8
So much for "the equality of obliga.
ton which was the main purpose of
the draft law. II there had been q