The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-12-02
Registered but Didn't Report.

evade service.
Registered but Didn't Report
The men concerned registered and
each gave 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 post-oflice 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 bis
address and of any change in his adj
dress. Thus those men who failed to
report for service have at best, to
some extent, misconducted themselves
and neglected performing their full
duty. The selectiye service records
of the men on the consolidated list Of
draft deserters do not Indicate any
circumstances palliatlng their failure
to report for military service as or
dered. In general, in the cases of men
on the consolidated list, not until the
thorities and a thorough personal ex-
animation is made Of the circum-
stances of the case can it be deter
mined whether mitigating circum-
stances exist sufficient to exempt him
from trial.
The names of wlllful deserters were
combed from the total number report
ed as 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 i'm
vestigate such cases on their merits,
and If 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 Is not
believed that the ofrense of willful de-
sertion can be proved against any
man, yet he did fail to report for mill
tary service as ordered, due to neglect
or fault on his part the war depart
mcnt policy is to give him a discharge
stating that this man failed to report
for duty until posted as 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
be re-arrested as draft deserter and
the government be put to the trouble
and expense of rehandling his case,
though it 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 to camp,
may voluntarily surrender ct the near
est army camp post, or station, in
order that his case may be Investigate
ed and his status be definitely fixed.
Any man who has his case finally dis
posed of prior to the time the CONSOLE
dated list of draft deserters is to be
published will haye'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 $4,000 men
classified as not properly chargeable
with descrtion arc in general not TO
have their names published to the
country with view to their appre-
henSion and trial,
IIay Have No Inaugural Ball.
Unofficial word that resident-eect
Harding and Mrs. Harding may not
sanction the holding of an inaugural
ball and that the PreSideut-elect
may not favor an inaugural parade
has depressed the national capital
population. These features of an
Inauguration of new President
mean much to the people Of Wash
ngton, who nave never fully for
given Woodrow Wilson for killing"
the ball in 1913. Mr. Wilson intimated
that 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;
and he also informed the committee,
of which William Corcoran Eustis was
chairman, that these balls have
ceased 70 be necessary TO the enjoy
ment Of the visitors"
It was suspected IN Washington,
however, that the real reason was the
dislike Of display on the part Of both
Mr.. and Mrs. Wilson, for Mr.. Wilson
had made substantially the same Ie-
quest regarding his Inauguration as
governor of New Jersey, and that hud
been made "A strictly formal state func-
ton.
a ttrug tIp grgt it,ntttag 30 49,. ,t,t