The year of intensive recruiting for the regular army by volunteer
enlistment ended on March 30, 1918. A year previously the enlisted
strength of the regular army was 121,797 men, and to bring it to full
war strength 183,898 additional soldiers were required. These men were
obtained some months ago. The recruiting campaign, however, was
continued, and on March 30 the regular army was about 501,000 strong,
which represented about one-third of all the men serving under the War
Department.
Major Gen. Enoch Crowder, the Provost Marshal General, on April 6 sent
out a call to all the States for a total of 150,000 men in the second
draft. Instructions were given for the movement of these men to begin on
April 26, and for their mobilization to be complete five days later.
They were selected from Class Al of the registration lists and were to
replace the men who have been sent abroad from the training camps.
A resolution providing that all young men who have reached the age of 21
years since June 5, 1917, the first draft registration day, shall be
subject to military service was passed by the Senate on March 29. About
58,000 men thus become available each month, and in the year since June
5, 1917, about 700,000 will have been brought under the selective draft
law. The Senate rejected a proposal for universal military training for
all males between 19 and 21 by a vote of 36 against 26.
The number of colored citizens registered on June 5, 1917, was 737,626.
Of these 208,953 have so far been called up, and 133,256 rejected,
exempted, or discharged, leaving 75,697 certified for service and
inducted into the national army.