Letters between J. A. May, sheriff of Houston County, Alabama, and John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.

Letters between J. A. May, sheriff of Houston County, Alabama, and John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.

In the first letter, written April 23, 1917, May asks Bankhead to support the proposed selective service legislation rather than relying on volunteers to fill the ranks: "If...it is left up to the people of this country to volunteer to win this fight, the very best people will join and leave th...

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Bibliographic Details
Format: Electronic
Published: Alabama Department of Archives and History
Subjects:
Alabama documents
Online Access:http://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3836
format Electronic
collection Alabama Textual Materials Collection
building Alabama Department of Archives and History
publisher Alabama Department of Archives and History
topic Alabama documents
spellingShingle Alabama documents
Letters between J. A. May, sheriff of Houston County, Alabama, and John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.
fulltopic Alabama documents
Bankhead, John Hollis, 1842-1920; May, John A.; Legislation--United States; World War, 1914-1918--Military personnel; United States--Politics and government--1865-1933
description In the first letter, written April 23, 1917, May asks Bankhead to support the proposed selective service legislation rather than relying on volunteers to fill the ranks: "If...it is left up to the people of this country to volunteer to win this fight, the very best people will join and leave the low grade of white and black people here to keep living while possibly a million of our best young men lose their lives for their protection. For the sake of the good people of our country, stand by President Wilson and force this non-productive element to the front and if they will not fight, they can be used and should be used for breastworks; the country would be better off without them." In the second letter, written April 27, Bankhead agrees with May, though he did not originally support the draft: "Conscription lays its hand equally upon all alike" and is the only way to "raise an effective army." The Selective Service Act, which required men from ages twenty-one to thirty to register for military service, was passed in May 1917. At the time these letters were written, Bankhead was representing Alabama in the United States Senate.
spelling Q0000032460 - Q0000032461Q32460 - Q32461Letters between J. A. May, sheriff of Houston County, Alabama, and John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.In the first letter, written April 23, 1917, May asks Bankhead to support the proposed selective service legislation rather than relying on volunteers to fill the ranks: "If...it is left up to the people of this country to volunteer to win this fight, the very best people will join and leave the low grade of white and black people here to keep living while possibly a million of our best young men lose their lives for their protection. For the sake of the good people of our country, stand by President Wilson and force this non-productive element to the front and if they will not fight, they can be used and should be used for breastworks; the country would be better off without them." In the second letter, written April 27, Bankhead agrees with May, though he did not originally support the draft: "Conscription lays its hand equally upon all alike" and is the only way to "raise an effective army." The Selective Service Act, which required men from ages twenty-one to thirty to register for military service, was passed in May 1917. At the time these letters were written, Bankhead was representing Alabama in the United States Senate.1917 April1917-041910-1919Bankhead, John Hollis, 1842-1920; May, John A.; Legislation--United States; World War, 1914-1918--Military personnel; United States--Politics and government--1865-1933TextCorrespondence; TelegramsBankhead, John Hollis, 1842-1920John Hollis Bankhead Sr. papersLPR49, Box 31v3944Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama 36130EnglishThis material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though ADAH has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.600 PPI TIFFhttp://cdm17217.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3836
title Letters between J. A. May, sheriff of Houston County, Alabama, and John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.
titleStr Letters between J. A. May, sheriff of Houston County, Alabama, and John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.
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