The daily morning oasis., 1920-08-19

small but constant stream of whom
were being delivered to posts, camps
and stations; but because of the fact
that those days were crowded with
other matters of more Importance
special attention could not be given
during that time to the running down
of TIE comparatively small number
Of draft deserters.
Af-er the discontinuance on No
vember 18th, 1918 Of mobilization
and induction under the. Selective
Service Law, the War Department
began at once to consider the ques-
ton of the proper disposition to be
made of all those registrants class
flied Ly the draft authorities as
draft deserters with a view to de-
finite;y settling their status and
punis h,ng the. guilty.
For this purpose instructions were
| ISSUE: on December 23rd, 1918 to
the lo1al draft boards to segregate
fro the 24,OOO,OOO records of draft
regist' ants, those of men reported
during the period of the war as draft
dessrt.rs. The shipment to Washing
ton Ct these records, amounting TO
489.0(3 began in March, 1919. In
vestia: ton showed that compare
ti7a.y small proportion of the nearly
ha;f million men reported as draft
deserters could be considered as will
full offenders.
In the reduction of this number,
the following class of persons, num-
BERN about 10000 men had their
case, disposed of during the War:
Ia Registrars who enlisted in
the rmy, Navy or Marines Corps,
but tailed to inform their local boards
of the fact.
90 Men who failed to report for
mill, ary duty, because of ignorance
of The Selective Service Act, but
who. after learning OF the serious
ness o. the offense, reported to mill
tary t.mps for service, and were re-
store! to duty, after satisfactorily
showing that their offense was not
wilfu:.
&C. A small number of persons,
who during the progress of the war
convicted of desertion, or discharged
as physically unfit for service.
Id Registrants who died after
theu induction orders were mailed.
Of the remaining $4,000 names,
the records of 49, 900 showed that
they could not properly be charged
with Cesertion, and the records of
$4,000 registrants revealed that
they lad been ordered to report for
military duty and wilfully failed.
Quo of over 24,000,000 registrants,
the maximum number chargeable
witt w,lful desertion is 1891: con-
siderahJy less than one per cent of
the total registration, and tremen-
dous improvement ove, the draft re-
cord Ct. the Civil War. The War De-
pa-tm.nt, in the near future, will
publish to the Country list of men
elias ;ified as wilful deserters, and de-
sires te obtain The cooperation of the
various State and local officials,
patriotic societies and other agencies,
including the. Department of Justice,
in bringing about the apprehension
of these men. Assurances of such
cooperation have in many cases al
ready been given. Exact copies of
the list of names, ground by States
or other convenient divisions win be
available for postmasters, police
stations and other agencies.
Pending publication of the list of
deserters, any may charged with
| draft tescrtion who wishes to avoid
the humiliation of arrest may volun-
tarily surrender at the nearest ARMY
pnSt, camp or station, in order that
his case may be investigated and his
status definitely determined. In t
event that any such mans case shall
have been finally disposed of, prior
to the publication IF the list of de-
serters, his name will be omitted
from that list.
An draft registrant who is in
doubt as to his draft status NAV
write to the Adiutant General of the
ARM, Washington. D. c., and find
! out how he is classified, notwith--
standing the fact that Ignorance OF
sncn status is the registrant's own