The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-04
FEW ERRORS NOTED'
 IN STACKER LISTS, STATES GEN. HARRIS
SIackerS Resort to Forgery to Escape Punishment. Miss Annie Wheeler
 Praises Soldiers

Ne'OSO SOlNfISi O
 Declaring that every man should perform his duty to his country ir it's hour of peril, and that those who fail to do should be punished Maj. Gen. Peter C. Harris, adjutant general of the United States aEny addressed a large crowd yesterday afternoon in Woodrow Wilson park on "The Stacker Lists" The affair was under the auspices of Birming- ham Post No. 1, American Legion General Harris said previous expe- rience had taught the government that the draft is necessary in time of war, and that the draft law to be ef- fective must be executed impartially and in exact accuracy with it's terms If it were not so executed, he con tended, it would be no more effective than voluntary enlistment.
 Stacker List
 As a preparedness measure for fu- ture wars. he said, the army depart ment had felt it necessary to publish the stacker lists.
 Army officials, stated General
 Harris, had been urged to pub
 fish the lists by the press, ex-
 service men, families of soldiers
 who had lost their lives In
 France and the public generally,
 but Immediately after 1t had be-
 gun publishing them, great criti-
 cism had been directed against
 the army department for the er-
 TOTS in the lists.
 General Harris stated that army officials had checked the original stacker list of 4S9,00 against the list of about 5,000,O0O men who had served in the army navy and marine corps, and as result had reduced 1t to 155,000 names. The department had experienced great difficulty in keeping the records correct. he said due to the fact that many men spelled their names in different ways He cited one soldier who spelled his in 3 different ways.
 "Thnt draft deserters will not
 hesitate to commit forgery to es-
 cape punishment" General Harris
 said, ..is proven by the fnct that
 one of them recently presented to
 the officer wbosattcmpted to ap-
 prehend him what purported to
 he certificate of release by the
 war department. The certificate
 was printed on Ietterhead pur-
 porting to be that of the adjutunt
 generals office and was for-
 gery. In fact, no such certih-
 cntes of release are issued by the
 war department"
 Concerning the criticism of the CT TOTS in the lists, General Harrls sala
 only 57 Removed
 "A systematic effort has been made to give the impression that the llsts as published, include the names O thousands of men who rendered ser vice during the World war, either II our own forces or in those of the al lies As matter of fact, out o approximately 60,000 names whici have thus far been published. 1t ha become necessary to remove tnose U only 59 registrants who actually ren dered service during the war. This most certainly is far from being E
 General Harris was introduced bl E Winslett, vice commander O inc legion, and was frequently ap plauded during the course of his re marks.
 Preceding Gen. Harris on the pro pramme were Miss Annie Wheeler daughter of Gen. cFighting Joe Wheeler, and Maj. John c. Emery national commander of the American legion. Miss Wheeler. who served 1T the army hospital, spoke of the valoi of Alabama soldiers as she had ob- served them both in the late wal and in the Spanish-American war
 Alabama Soldiers
 She said her faith in the youth ol Alabama was unlimited, and one ol the consoling things to her amidst the terror of war was the praises she heard everywhere in France oi the Alabama soldiers She said one soldier had told her thc 167th regi- ment was the "crackerjackest' bunch of soldiers over seas.
 Major Emery said IS he conceived it the purpose of the American leglof is the projection of the spi--- - l917-1S into civil life. He was loudly applauded when he< declared the le- zion saw no pidct lOl thS icu ii"s or even one which has shade oi pink, and was opposed to allowing unrestricted immigration which would permit the spread of hostile doctrines in this country.
 Service to Nation
 The legion now has over 100000 members, he said, but does not re- strict it's services to legion mem bers alone. It stands ready to helr all ex-service men alike, without ask ing for their membership cards. Tn his closing remarks he called upon his hearers to feel an individual re- sponsibility for service to the na- ton.
 In spite of rain. which mades the use of the open air auditorium Inn possible, large crowd was present in the covered .grandstand to hear the addresses.
 General Harris and Major Emery left yesterday afternoon to attend the convention of the Georgia depart ment of the >legion at Columbus While in the city General Harris was the guest of his brother. Dr. Scale Harris.