On this day in 1917 | Montana in WWI: “rounding up the draft duckers”

From The Butte Daily Post on this day in 1917 comes this article on men called for examination for the “national army”.1

I’ve transcribed some excerpts from the article, which began on page 1 of the paper that day, and continued on page 9.

“Here are some interesting figures gleaned from the
first two days’ examination of men for the national
army, as taken from the figures in the hands of the
county exemption board: Continue reading

  1.  The Butte daily post. (Butte, Mont.), 07 Aug. 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85053058/1917-08-07/ed-1/seq-1/>

On this date in 1917 | Montana in WWI

All Machinery in Silver Bow County Has
Been Prepared for Exercise of the Draft

The Butte daily post. (Butte, Mont.), 26 June 1917. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85053058/1917-06-26/ed-1/seq-1/>

The Draft for WWI

When only 73,000 men volunteered to serve in the “national army” after the U.S. declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, Congress passed the Selective Service Act. The law, which was passed on May 18, 1917, applied to all “male citizens, or male persons . . . who have declared their intention to become citizens, between the ages of twenty–one and thirty.” Continue reading