Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-18
Not To Publish
Draft Dodgers
Nv ". s MANN.

WASHINGTON, u 1o.-DeClSlon
BY Secretary Of War Baker not to
make public the list containing the
names of some 10000 draft evadeTs,
and withdrawal of the reward OF $50
each which has been paid heretofore
for those arresting such military
is expected to evoke wide
protest from organizations of men
who served in the war against Ger
many.
Some impatience has been mani
tested by the men who answered the
call IN 1917 and 1918 at the delay
in bringing to justice the men whose
c~owardicc or whose lack of patriot
ism put them in the category of
draft dodgers" but assurances have
heretofore been given that a large
force was at work going over the
list OF men wanted and eliminating
those who were there by mistake.
and that in time the guilty would
be apprehended.
The next large gathering Of men
who served in the war against Ger
many will be the national encamp-
ment of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States. which
opens in Washington September 49,
This organization. which was found
ed by Spanish war veterans but
which now includes thousands who
served abroad against the central
powers, is much interested in round
ing up the draft evaders, and Sc
cretary Bakers position will come
in for much discussion.
The national convention of the
American Legion is to be held In
Cleveland, Ohio, the last week in
September, and there, too, the
method of dealing with the men who
lodged service is reasonably certain
to absorb a share of the time of the
delegates. Local posts of both of the
foregoing organizations have adopted
resolutions asking hat a more rigid
program be followed in bringing to
justice the men who refused to serve.
Until a short time ago il was ex-
pected confidently that so soon as
the navy department completed the
work of checking the list of draft
deserters and eliminating therefrom
the names of all those who had
served in the navy, it would be put
in every p~ostofice in the United
States. and a reward of $50 would be
paid for every one of those wanted,
as is paid by military authorities for
any other deserter. But Secretary
Baker has announced that he fears
many of the names in the list r
there enormously and that injustice
would be done to many If their names
were made public as men who re-
fused to serve. He also has with
drawn the $50 reward.
The force of the adjutant generals
Office hat has been making up the
list of draft ~deserters has stricken
therefrom the name of every person
who at n time before the armistice
entered the military service of the
United States. In some cases men
who disappeared after being drafted
in 1917 were found to have enlisted
a year or more later. and even
though guilty of a breach of dis
cipline that never would have been
excused in a regular soldier. their
names were removed from the list
and they were given a clean record.
The list was then turned over to
navy department, which went
through it to take out the James of
who had at any time before the
armistice served in the navy or
marine corps. This took several
months, as there was no large force
of clerks which the navy could put
to work, but it vas completed a short
ago, and the announcement OF
Secretary Baker that the names
would not be posted vas a great sur
prise to those who had been waiting
to see those in the class of Grover
Cleveland Bergdoll hunted down.
In addition TO those wanted by the
department for not answering
the summons to military duty, there
is a somewhat larger list which the
department of Justice is engaged in
seeking out. made up largely of those
who refused to register for military
duty. Once man vas registered
he came under the jurisdiction of the
military authorities and was subject
to court martial. but if he failed 10
register he must be prosecuted in the
civil courts for violation of a federal
statute.
The original number wanted by the
var department as draft dodgers was
placed by Provost Marshal General
Crowder at 10000. Though this
list was substantially reduced by the
elimination of the names of those
who later enlisted. it was increased
by the addition of many names of
men who~had first been sought by
the department of justice, so the
number now approximates 10000.