USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > District No. 15 of Allegheny County Pennsylvania in the Great War : a history of activities at home and abroad from the declaration of war in 1917 to the home-comings in 1919 > Part 2
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BOOK ONE
CHAPTER I
THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
One of the first problems that presented itself for solution in connection with the entrance of our country into the World War was that of raising an army. Since the military force is really the focal point of a nation's power, the war activities not only of the nation, but of the respective districts in the nation must center about the participation of each district in military activities, that is, in its contribution in men to the army. But without arms, ammunition, food, and trans- portation, an army is an absurdity; so that the marshalling of effective military power means far more than herding of men, and it was this larger problem that the Selective Service System must solve, and nowhere are greater difficulties presented than in an industrial community. Doubtless in a general way the procedure by which the forces were raised is familiar; it seems not out of place in connection with a history of this sort to refer briefly to procedure followed in the selection of men. The history of this is set out more fully and at large in the several reports of the Provost Marshal General to the Secretary of War.
During the first months of 1917 events moved at a rapid pace. It became more and more apparent to the thinking people as the days passed that a crisis was fast approaching in relations of our Nation to Germany and its Allies, but when the declaration of war came, probably few peo- ple, except those connected with the Military Establishment, had given serious consideration to the matter of raising an army; it would be safe to say that the majority of the people assumed that the military force of the nation would be gathered as had happened in the case of the Spanish War and the then recent Mexican Border difficulties, by means of the National Guards and voluntary enlistments. The inadequacy of this method was perfectly apparent to those in charge of military affairs and after the declaration of war and during the four or five weeks throughout which the discussion of legislation was in progress in Congress, the whole mechanism through which the Selective Service Law was to operate had to be constructed.
As soon as the trend of affairs was indicated by Congressional discussion and indeed nearly a month before the Selective Service Law was approved by the President, the general outlines of the Selective Service Plan had been worked out. Following what might be called the American System, it was originally intended that registration of men within the ages from which selection was to be made for service should be held much after the manner of voters' registration and by the municipal officers whose duty it was to make the latter, thus adopting and adapting the machinery which the several states had erected for selection of state and Local officials. So completely had the plan been worked out in its general features that after the approval of the Selective Service Law on May 18, 1917, it was arranged that the first registration should take place in this manner on June 5, 1917.
There had been much discussion and criticism of any system of conscription or draft on the ground that it seemed to be against the spirit of Democracy in so far as it put into the hands of the military authorities the right to enforce service from the ranks of the citizenry. Profiting by mistakes now apparent made in connection with the draft at the time of the Civil War, the general scheme contemplated by the Selective Service Law was to have the several states through
1
2
THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
their state governments fill up their respective quotas by way of voluntary contributions of men to the service of the nation. With this general idea in mind the various details were arranged so as to impress as far as possible upon each community the fact that it, through its own civilian officials, was being permitted to make its own contribution of men. This much being determined, unity and concentration of force required that the whole system be under the supervision of the national military authorities.
Each state was asked to act through its governor, the detail work being attended to by the Adjutant General on the Governor's staff. Since in nearly every state in the union, the county is recognized as the unit of subdivision, there was appointed by the President on nomination by the several Governors, a District Board of five persons to act for each county. The counties were then subdivided into local districts so defined as to include as nearly as possible a population of thirty thousand; it being assumed that the registration of men for service from such population would amount to about thirty-five hundred on the average, and that this would be as large a number as might be conveniently classified by any single board. In the case of cities containing thirty thousand or more of population, a separate Local Board or Boards were appointed and it thus came about that there were Local Boards for a city and other Local Boards for the rural or suburban districts of the same county, known and numbered separately. For instance in Alle- gheny County there were twenty-one local districts of the city of Pittsburg and besides these, eighteen local districts of the County of Allegheny with a Local Board for each.
The normal composition of District Boards, that is, of Boards appointed for the unit district of a county, was as follows: one member in touch with the agricultural situation, one member in touch with the industrial situation, one member in touch with labor, one physician, and one lawyer; five in all. The normal composition of Local Boards included two business or professional men and one physician ; three in all.
The registration throughout the country took place on June 5, 1917, a little |over two weeks after the approval of the law by the President. In the interim it was necessary to devise and print registration cards and see that they were delivered to the proper local authorities in each of some five thousand local districts averaging perhaps not less than five to eight registration divisions to each district. The total original registration for the nation was 9,925,751; for the District No. 15 of Allegheny County, 3,735.
After the registration came the call for men; the first quota having been fixed at 687,000. To this number, in order to allow proper credit for men already in the service under National Guards or enlistments, there was added the number of the latter 465,985, making 1,152,985. This total was then apportioned among the various states, and the state authorities apportioned within their respective jurisdictions the quota charged to each state upon the basis of estimates of population made from Census Bureau reports and other sources.
It may be interesting to note that the enlistments of the State of Pennsylvania credited to her in the First Draft amounted to 37.9 per cent of the quota then charged against her. This was below the national average of 40.42 per cent, and was probably due to the fact that our large industrial population included many aliens, who were part of the population upon which the quota was based.
The registration cards had been numbered consecutively the numbers in each local district running from "I" to that number representing the total registration in that district. In deter- mining the order of subjection to draft, a lottery was used by means of slips of paper numbered
3
GENERAL PLAN
from "I" to "10,500." The following appears in the report of the Provost Marshal General on the First Draft: "To prevent confusion each slip of paper was inclosed in a black capsule, and the 10,000 capsules were placed indiscriminately in a large glass bowl and thoroughly mixed with a ladle. The numbers were then drawn out publicly, one at a time, by blindfolded men, specially selected from among students at the various universities. The order in which any number was drawn from the bowl was recorded by six tally-men, and determined the relative order of liability of the man whose card bore that number in the sequence in which numbers had previously been assigned to the registration cards within the jurisdiction of each Local Board.
"The drawing took place at Washington, D. C., on Friday, July 20, in the public hearings room of the Senate Office Building. The first number, 258, was drawn by the Secretary of War, and it is interesting to note that one of the holders of that number was, before the end of the month, inducted into the military service of the United States and had reported for military duty at Wash- ington Barracks."
In the First Draft, the registrar in each division of the districts numbered his cards from "I" up. When the cards were received by the Local Board all the cards in the District were then renumbered in series from "I" up for the whole District without regard to the original registration number. In the later registrations, the cards were not numbered by the registrar and numbers placed on them by the Local Board were known as the "Serial Numbers." By the operation of the lottery, the order in which the Serial Numbers were drawn gave what was known as the "Order Numbers," which indicated the order in which each man was subject to call. For each registra- tion a different set of order numbers were drawn by lottery as in the first instance.
In order to coordinate the response to the needs of the nation, it became necessary to classify the men for service with a view, first, to the strictly military or army and navy service, and second, to home service in maintaining the necessary industrial and agricultural work. As far as possible classification was so ordered as to take for military service those who were free or com- paratively free of family obligations and to reserve for home service needs those who had dependents. The classification of men subject to service so as to work out these ideas was the special function of Local and District Boards. In arriving at the facts necessary for a basis of classification, the boards were assisted by means of questionnaires which were in effect classified interrogatories or lists of questions involving almost every conceivable item of information concerning the regis- trant, his personal fitness and mental and physical qualifications, and his family and industrial relations. The function of the District Boards was to determine the necessity of reserving a selective for industrial and agricultural service at home and also to hear and determine appeals from the decisions of the Local Boards on other questions of exemption or deferred classification according to physical fitness and other personal qualifications and relations, including character of employment and family dependence. Into class "one" were placed the names of those men liable to immediate service upon call. Classes "two," "three," and "four" were subject to service in the order of the number of their class, it being intended that members of the previous classes should be exhausted before the others would be called. Class "five" were those who for some reason, such as physical deformity or alien citizenship, were entirely exempt from service.
The special function of the Local Board was to take charge of the registration cards, send out the questionnaires, classify the men according to their answers in the questionnaires, refer indus- trial and agricultural exemptions to the District Board, conduct physical examinations of men called for service, and to attend to the details of entrainment. To the fact that both District and
4
THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
Local Boards were representative civilians not only acquainted but intimately connected with the life of the respective districts, which they served, must be attributed in largest measure the success of the Selective System and its success in turn must be the fullest and complete answer to the proposition of those who would have had Local Boards uniformed and commissioned. The fact that they were composed of men from the community, familiar with the people, traditions, cus- toms, and needs of the community, themselves a part of the life of the District, enabled the Local Boards to act as intermediaries between people and military authorities and thus to satisfy sub- stantially all demands and at the same time to preserve the spirit of Democracy in a manner that was truly marvelous when all things are considered. The original idea of using the local authori- ties as members of the various Local Boards was modified to a large extent, so that in many states, as in our own, the personnel of the Local Boards had no connection with the machinery of the government, not even with civilian official life. This in itself doubtless contributed in no small degree to the success of the system.
We have anticipated our narrative a little in digressing to discuss the general work of the Local Board. The registration of June 5, 1917, throughout the states and territories, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico, totaled 9,925,751. Out of this registration, quotas were assigned to the several states and territories according to estimates of the population of each. It was discovered, however, that this method of assignment was not entirely fair, by reason of the fact that the census did not always indicate the number of men eligible for service. For instance in our own state and particularly in our own District, there was a large foreign population. In Pennsylvania out of the total registration, including September 12, 1918, there were 495,237 aliens constituting about 24 per cent of the entire registration. It will readily be seen that upon a popu- lation basis the burden of supplying the quotas from such districts would fall 100 per cent strong upon 75 per cent of the men. The system was subsequently changed so that assignments of quotas were made according to registration in class "one." Had class "one" become exhausted, quotas could then have been assigned according to registration in deferred classes in order.
The first desideratum had been the raising of an army as expeditiously as possible. Hence the necessity for hasty preparation and such defects as appeared in the regulations under which the first draft was made. By the early fall of 1917, however, the Selective Service Regulations had been prepared, questionnaires were being sent to all men not then inducted into service, including those previously reported as delinquents, and by means of the questionnaires and the scheme for deferred classification, it was possible to strike a balance between the needs of the strict military service and that of the industrial or maintenance service.
Mobilization of selectives began on September 5, 1917. By January 1, 1918, 516,000 men had been mobilized; by September 30, 1918, 2,552,173; by November 11, 1918, when mobilization was discontinued, the number of total selectives in the army was 2,810,296.
In the second report of the Provost Marshal General to the Secretary of War, the following language aptly describes the situation: "The quickness with which the American people adapted themselves to the Selective Service Law, and their ready cooperation in carrying out its provisions, were notable-and the most influential feature in bringing about this harmony was the fact that the Selective Draft System was mainly placed in the hands of men taken from the people them- selves-a civilian organization without previous experience except in the diverse civilian pursuits. It was essentially the people's institution, subjecting our form of government to the severest test and resulting in its triumphant vindication."
FIRST ENTRAINMENT
5
LOCAL BOARDS
The following table gives a general view of the registrations and classifications in District No. 15.
Class of September 12, 1918
Total
Class
June 5, 1917
Per cent
June 5 and Aug. 24, '18
Per cent
Age 18
Per cent
Ages 19-36 Inc.
Per cent
Ages 37-45 Incl.
Per cent
I
855
22.8
I2I
42.6
213
85.8
4II
19.0
Not
574
8.9
2
257
6.8
49
17.2
I
.4
267
12.3
classified
312
4.8
3
175
4.6
13
4.5
I7
6.8
IO7
4.9
1926
29.9
4
-II66
31.2
20
7.0
4
I.6
736
34.0
2015
31.3
5
I282
34.3
81
28.5
I3
5.2
639
29.5
Total
3735
99.7
284
99.8
248
99.8
2160
99.7
2439
6427 2439
99.7
Grand Total
8866
As indicating the alien nationalities represented in the District and the attitude of the in- dividuals toward declaring their intention of becoming citizens of the United States, the following table is significant.
Country
Total Declarants
Total Non-declarants
Totals 1742
Austria-Hungary
301
Belgium
I8
13
France
2
2
4
Germany
35
Canada
3
20
39
England
19
Ireland
3
Scotland
6
4
86
Greece
3
287
339
Italy
52
I
I
Norway
6
Roumania
I
5
Russia
I62
968
1130
Servia
7
I
I
Spain
O
6
17
Sweden
II
I
I
Turkey
O
O O
2
Montenegro
2
Switzerland
0
Mexico
I
Central & South America
0
I
I
Other countries
29
4I
70
Total
655
292I
3576
24
59
8
5
6
3
IO
83
O
I4
2I
I HO
I
O
I
I44I
3I
1600
24.8
6
THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
It will be interesting in consideration of the figures for our own District to notice briefly some data as compiled for the state. Thus the total registration in Pennsylvania was 2,069,407, and for District No. 15 of Allegheny County 8,866, apportioned as follows:
Date of Registration
Pennsylvania
District No. 15
Per cent
June 5, 1917
826,187
3,735
0.45
June 5, 1918 and
August 24, 1918
76,809
284
0.38
September 12, 1918
1,166,4II
4,847
0.4I
The total inducted into service in Pennsylvania was 225,976.
The total inducted into service in District No. 15 was 899. Percentage o.3939
Total estimated number of men from the State in Army, Navy, and Marine Corps was 310,000; from our District 1,42I (not including about 100 Polish Falcons).
A comparison of the figures of the registration at different ages for the State and for District No. 15 may be of interest.
Age
State
District No. 15
Age
State
District No. 15
I8
73,53I
370
33
84,589
380
19
62,613
25I
34
82,954
370
20
64,414
206
35
73,538
343
2I
82,097
303
36
74,195
330
22
79,432
305
37
74,252
315
23
80,834
363
38
75,599
30I
24
84,625
396
39
66,064
303
25
83,554
364
40
61,547
242
26
80,659
356
4I
59,641
259
27
80,590
376
42
64,652
264
28
81,502
359
43
60,006
274
29
85,152
400
44
58,756
252
30
84,168
374
45
63,046
262
3I
91,04I
449
Not reported
32
44,104
199
12,253
Under the first levy Pennsylvania's gross quota was 98,277 upon account of which she was entitled to credit for 37,248 enlistments, leaving a net quota of 60,859 (of which District No. 15 furnished 351 men).
Such is the barest outline of the story of the Selective Service System employed in connection with the World War, and such are a few of the interesting general statistics relating to the State of Pennsylvania and to District No. 15 of Allegheny County. The practical workings of the system in detail in District No. 15 and the story of the contributions from the district in all their varied significance, it is hoped, will be made more clear and plain by this reference to the general outlines of the system and its general application.
CHAPTER II
THE LOCAL BOARD
The World War brought many surprises. It developed many novelties. The genius of invention was never so active and never accomplished more in an equal time. So far as the world is concerned opinion may be divided as to whether the submarine, the aeroplane, trench warfare, "Big Bertha," or their respective antidotes, were deserving of first and foremost consideration. Looking at the matter from this so short a distance, it is difficult to get a true perspective. Right in the foreground, however, in the field of democracy that stretches away toward the distant structure of war-craft, there appears a curious and interesting bit of machinery that bears the label "Selective Service System." It was this machinery that caught up the pulsations of the great conflict and communicated them to the people at home. It was this machinery that transformed the energy of boys and civil life into the ter rific forces of war. Simple as its mechanism appears, there was no more important link in the whole military plant, at least so far as our own country was concerned, than that of the Selective Service System with its various contact points as ex- hibited in the Local Boards and the assisting agencies.
When the conscription law was passed by Congress, the people of the land had visions of military draft, such as that which obtained during the Civil War, visions of groups of men in uniform invading the households of the land, and taking away the youths and the strong men into military service. There was no other precedent in the world's history. No compulsory selection had ever been made in any other way and when government officials began to talk of selection to be made by civilians in their own communities, there was almost universal doubt of the possibility of realizing success by any such method. But another dreamer had grasped the psychology of the situation more accurately than past experience had ever demonstrated and the speed with which the organization was completed and the efficiency of its work was a new and startling demonstration of the strength of democracy under capable leaders. The general plan of the Selective Service System has already been presented.
The nation was divided into states, the states into judicial districts, judicial districts into divisions, and divisions into local districts. There were in Allegheny County, outside of the cities of Pittsburgh and Mckeesport, eighteen districts. That with which this narrative has to do was known as Local District No. 1 5 of Allegheny County.
The act of Congress which established it was approved May 18, 1917. On the 21st day of June, 1917, Messrs. H. M. Brackenridge, of Harrison Township, W. L. Walker and Dr. S. F. McComb, of Tarentum Borough, received notification through the office of the Provost Marshal General of their appointment as members of the Local Board of the District.
Under the law the Board was required to organize within five days after its appointment. Organization was held at the Allegheny Steel Company's Office on the fifth day of July, 1917.
In order to avoid any delay through inability of Local Boards to organize, the first registration in Allegheny County, as elsewhere, had been conducted through the agency of civil authorities, in this instance through the office of the Sheriff, the incumbent at that time being George W. Richards.
7
8
THE LOCAL BOARD
After the registration was complete, the cards were taken to Pittsburgh schools, where dupli- cate copies were made. For this District there were over 3700 of these cards.
Upon the organization of the Board, the first task that confronted it was that of numbering the cards according to their so-called serial numbers. In the short time that intervened between its appointment and its entering upon the work, there was little or no opportunity to perfect plans or make definite arrangements, nor would this opportunity have availed much, since the entire proposition was a new one and it was impossible for the Board to know in advance what it would have to meet. It is safe to say that no member of the Board had even the faintest idea of the magnitude of the work to the accomplishment of which he had been appointed. Upon organiza- tion and discussion of the question of immediate procedure, plans were laid by which the regis- tration cards and duplicates were taken to the offices of the Allegheny Steel Company, at Brack- enridge, where temporary headquarters were established. The cards had to be shuffled, drawn, and numbered serially. Cards and duplicates were pinned together, placed in a large receptacle, thoroughly mixed, and then drawn and numbered and listed in the order in which they appeared. A large force of volunteers enlisted for this work from among the clerks in the office of the Steel Company, and made copies of these lists, no light task when the requirements of accuracy and the length of the lists are considered.
One of the initial problems to be solved now arose. In so cosmopolitan a community as District No. 15, it is not surprising that there were many foreign names, nor is it surprising that the registrars in the different parts of the District exhibited different degrees of discretion and judgment in copy- ing names. A name written in Polish, Slavish, Greek, German, or other script does not always lend itself readily to an English transliteration, and in the absence of a corps of competent inter- preters or persons familiar with the several races represented, the results were interesting, and in many instances somewhat disconcerting. For example, a registrant from Harwick, a mining village, came to the office of the Local Board to secure a permit for a passport. He had never received any notice from the Board to report for examination and he wished to return to Russia to enter the Russian National Army. He gave his name as Frank Lapensky, but there was no such name upon the Master List of the District. Recourse was had to the registration list from Harwick, where among the names of those who had not responded to notice and were classified as deserters, his was discovered, but spelled, if you please, Auerceuipe Aceniugrick. His identifica- tion, through the information on his registration card, was a matter of some considerable difficulty and to this day no one has been able to explain satisfactorily how the error crept in although it is true that his signature, as it appears on the registration card, approximates in appearance the name on the Master List. It was probably a case of inability on the part of any one who had seen the card to read the Russian script.
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