Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-10-30

trat.on fn successive periods Of men
~ military age and for the allotment
81 quotas under each draft levy 10 the
respective states IN accordance with
tneir population IN 1917
Under the provisions Of the At in
June 1917. registration Of the rnen
betvesn the ages Of II years and II
years was had This registration
disci0se6 approximately i9ya9s.Gs'0
r1en between rhose ages
II viii BE- remembered that at least
day N rexigtration was mad A
patriotic holiday. CIVIC obseryances
81 various kinds were held and every
effort made TO have the registration
include ever man within tn ages
mentioned.
few weeks after tbiS registration
the War Department announced the
population basis in each state in the
Union which they proposed 10 use -
a basis for aliottfng quotas 10 the
different states. TIE appointment
ing call was 10 oe determined by .fls
announced population figure is each
state.
In arriving at the population 81
each state the War Department did
not sscertain the population through
the Census Bureau an provided. The
Census Bureau would have given the
population in 1911 for each state bas-
ing its figures upon the growth al de-
tesMired ny previous census figures.
Insfed Of doing this the War Depart
ment arbitrarily and uniawfui:y used
the registration in eacf, state az A
basis from which TO calculate tie
population. In the states where tire
registration was large and cofnpiete
the population estimate Of the War
Department was c0TrespoEdingfy it,
creased bgt In those states where the
REGISTRATION had not been compiefa.
where many had failed u register. the
use Of the registration As . basis for
calculation Of population resulted IN
estimating those states TO have very
much smaller population in 1917 than
they actually had.
With the completion Of the ceEsus
exact population figures are available
and the extent Of the injustice can be
adequately measured, and In this
campaign, when the real issue Ii the
conduct Of the Democratic admins
tration and the real question before
the people In whether they wish TO
continue the Democratic administra-
ton or replace il with a consdtution-
al. efficient and unSectionai Republic
can administration I feel that 1T Ia
imperative that the public should
have full knowledge Of this action Of
the War Department.
Using the following eleven repre-
sentative Northern states: Nassa-
chusetts, Connecticut. New York. New
Jersey. Pennsylvania, Ohio. Michigan.
! Illinois. Montana. Wyoming. and
North Dakota az examples OF the ap-
plicatlon of this incorrect and vicious
estimate Of population, we find that
under the War Department estimates
based upon the draft registration
these eleven states were estimated for
the purpose OF alloting draft quotas
to have in 1917 population of 49,
i ses.543.
The census returns disclose that
these eleven states actually had In
1917 a population of 42.7s4, l23. The
War Department estimates credited
/ TO them s.s42.22o more people in 1917
than they actually had within their
borders. Not single one Of these
eleven states had even In 1920 az large
population as the War Department
credited them with in 1917.
The men taken into service by the
several calls under the Sefective Draft
Act approximate forty men for each
thousand OF population. Accepting
this as representing the men taken
from each state per thousand Of
population It would be found that
this overpopulation estimate caused
/, to be taken from these eleven states