New-York tribune., 1921-05-15
Many Errors IN
Stacker Lists
Laid TO Police
Failed to Check Up Me-.
Missing and Draft Boards
Had to Report Names,
Former Official Asserts
Would Stop Publication
Too Much Injustice Asserted
TO Have Been Done Now
by Careless Methods

The policy of the Washington gov
ernment in authorizing publication OF
the names of alleged draft dodgers
without full investigation beforehand
of the true status of all the men listed
was condemned yesterday by officials
of the various local draft boards, now
extinct
Failure of the police to obtain the
information required by the local
boards in the cases of men failing to
afps&Y for examination or for Undue
cause of erroneous publication of
many names.
In most instances disappointment
was expressed that the government
should have decided to publish the
names when the actual making public
of these names revealed "a wholly
unsatisfactory effort" had been made
to verify the data on file in the War
Department
An official who, as chairman of
local board in Manhattan probably
was concerned with the selection Of
more drafted men than any other in
the greater city, suggested that it
was not too late for the government
to withhold names not yet published
in order to do justice to men who
served in the army or navy, but whose
names may be found in the slackers'
list
"Carelessly Handled"
at would be very much better if the
government investigated thoroughly
the cases of these men," he said, "par-
ticularly when erroneous publication OF
their names works great injustice. No
one can hold the government liable for
authorizing the publication; that was
its duty if it saw fit The whole mat
ter, however, seems to have been very
carelessly handled. The truth is that
probably the government did not have
the necessary clerks or other personnel
TO make thorough check of the names
That being SO, it would have been far
wiser to have withheld their pub
lication'
The criticism of the police was made
by DR.. George Bennett, of 312 East
143d Street, the Bronx, who was
member of Draft Board TO- AS with
numerous other local boards, the re-
cent publication of names on the War
Departments lists revealed not few
from this boards district which ap-
parently did not belong in the classif-
cation of draft deserters Included
was wounded in the Battle of the
Marine and was in a military hospital
for six months; Frank Passko, who en-
listed in the 18th Cavalry at Fort Slo-
cum, and was honorably discharged in
May of last year; Louis Pascucci, who
entered the service after taking a cure
for drug addiction, and James or Jo-
seph Cooper, of 1853 Elton Avenue, who
was married and the father of two chill
dren, and who died of blood poisoning
in May, 1917.
Depended on Police
According to the regulations gov
erning the work of the draft boards"
said Mr.. Bennett, 1--WE were required to
fiji out certain forms with information
regarding those men called for exam
ination or service. Our information
regarding men who failed to respond,
of course, depended upon the work uf
the police. This information the police
were supposed to supply US within five
days from the date of notification.
Members of the police reserve took it
upon themselves to locate many men
for the boards, and in many Instances
they were successful. There were a
lot of men the police of the city seemed
never to have located, and SO there was
nothing left for us to do but to report
these to the Adjutant General as de-
linquents."
Many Chances for Error
Charles w. S. Moll, of Woodhaven,
l.. L., member of Local Board 90
(Kings County,, agreed that the gov