New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-12-03

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nOrance neglected to keep in tOucl
with their local boards, or for various
reasons failed to report for militar,
duty without willfully intending Il
evade service.
Registered but Didn't Report
The men concerned registered and
each CAV his address as being resident
Of his local draft district. When the
time came to call these men for serv'
Ice their induction orders were mailed
to them at the po~st-office addresses
given by them at time Of registration
The registrant himself. and the regis
trant alone, was responsible that his
draft board be kept Informed Of his
address and Of any change in his ad,
dress. Thus those men who failed 10
report for service have at best, to
some extent, mlsconducted themselves
and neglected performing their full
duty. The selective service records
Of the men on the consolidated list of
draft deserters do not indicate any
circumstances palliating their failure
TO report for military service as or
dered. In general, In the cases OF men
on the consolidated list, not until the
man appears before the military au.
thOrities and n thorough personal eX-
animation Is made of the circum-
stances of the case, can 1t be deter.
p,tnAl phAtlA. pntttnaftn1 .,tpnttnt.
stances exist sufficient to exempt him
from trial.
The names Of willful deserters were
c0mbed from the total number report
ed rs draft deserters In order that
they might be published to the country
and vigorous steps could be taken TO
apprehend such men and to fully in
vestigate such cases on their merits,
and II the investigation shows that the
men were guilty Of willful evasion OF
military service bring them TO trial.
May Receive Discharge.
If, after full investigation. It lie not
believed that the offense Of willful de-
sertlon can be proved against any
man. yet he did fail to report for mill
tary service as ordered, due to neglect
or fault IN his part. the war depart
men policy is to give him a discharge
stating that "this man failed to report
for duty until posted as a draft de-
serter and until after the signing OF
the armistice, and performed no mill
tary service whatsoever in the war
with Germany"
Unless the government gives such a
man a discharge the man Is liable to
he re-arrested as a draft deserter and
the government be put to the trouble
and expense of rehandling his case,
though II had been decided as the re-
suit of Its first investigation not TO
bring him to trial.
Pending publication of the list OF de-
serters, any man who may be charged
with draft desertiOn and who wishes
to avoid the humiliation of arrest by
police officials and removal 10 camp,
may voluntarily surrender at the near
est army camp. post, or station, In
order that his case may be investigat-
ed and his status be definitely fixed.
Any man who has his case finally dis
posed of prior to the time the consoli-
dated list Of draft deserters Is 10 be
published will have his name removed
from such list. so that It will contain
only the names Of men whose cases
have not yet been disposed Of.
The second group Of 151. 900 men
classified as not properly cbargeable
with desertion are I'm general not 10
have their names published 10 the
country with a view TO their appre-
hension and trial.
May Have No Inaugural Ball.
Unofficial word that resident-elect
Harding and Mrs. Harding may o
sanction the holding Of an inaugural
ball, and that the P~resident-elect
may not favor an inaugural parade
population. These features of an
Inauguration OF new President
mean much 10 the people of Wash
who have never fully for
given Woodrow Wilson for killing"
the ball In 1913. Mr.. Wilson Intimated
hat one reason for his request that
the ball be omitted was the indirect
expense caused to the government
(some $4,000 was the estimated
actual cost through loss Of services of
employees Of the pension bureau) : 4
md he also Informed the committee,
81 which william Corcoran Eustis was
chairman, that "these balls have
,eased to be necessary to the enjoy
nent of the visitors"
II was suspected In Washington,
however. that the real reason was the
Of display on the part Of both
fr. and Mrs. Wilson, for Mr.. Wilson
lad made substantially the same ie-
luest regarding his Inauguration as
Governor Of New Jersey, and that had
,een made a strictly formal state func.
Ion.
1t was the first impulse of the citi.
ems OF the District to go ahead and
i've the ball regardless Of Mr.. Wilson's