The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-11-01
Secretary Baker Says None
of Numerous Requests
Will Be Granted
DECISION OF WAR
DEPARTMENT FINAL
Large Number of Applications for
Extended Burroughs or Releases
Makes Action in Any Case
Impossible
Alabama boys on the border, every
one of them, must stay there.
The Secretary of War says so.

The Secretary of War says so.
With thousands of men in service
he has been bombarded with requests
that many be relieved. In many cases
Secretary Baker has seen where the
retention of these men in the army
has worked severe hardship upon
them or their families
But despite these crying needs the
Secretary of War has just written
Congressman George Huddleston stat
had been found and that Alabamians
in the service could not be discharged
no matter how pressing the need
H. p. Mccain, adjutant general OF
the war department wrote: II am di-
rected by the Secretary of War to in
form you as follows:
The whole situation on the Mexican
border is one of great complexity
Hundreds of applications for dis
charge or for an indefinite furlougf
are being constantly received in the
cases of men who are restless at not
having more active service; of mer
taken from many lines of professional
and business activities. whose private
interests demand their personal atten-
ton and of soldiers who have serious
illness in their families.
MANY CASES URGENT
Moreover. thousands of students
and teachers are seeking their dis
charge, either in person or through
friends to enable them to resume theil
educational work. One of the most Sc
rious and perpleXing problems thai
confront the department is the formu-
lating of some plan that will render
it no longer necessary to continue the
embarra ssments which students ant
teachers and professional and business
men are now experiencing by reason
of retention in the service.
"The department is not unmindful
of the urgent necessity that prompts
many of these applicants. a large num-
Der of cases involving peculiar hard
ship having been brought to the at
teniton of the department in each OF
which there seems to be something
that arouses ones sympathy and con
Germ; and yet were the department tC
favorably consider all of these appli-
cations for discharge it would result
in the disintegration of the forces
that have been brought into being fol
the national defense. seriously impair
the efficiency of the entire service anG
break up the guard on the border.
NO SOLUTION FOUND
I'm order that some of these num-
be released from service and relief
extended in the more pressing cases
the whole subject was given the mos
careful consideration by the depart
ment but no basis for discrimination
was found and thus far the department
has been unable to make an exception
in any of them. or to find theory
upon which it may discriminate in ia
vor of some of them as against 9TH
ers
"Where a soldier is physically dis
qualified for the performance of mil.
itary service. the local militia authori-
ties may be relied upon to take the
necessary steps to discharge the soldier
upon surgeons certificate of disa
bility. If any member of the Nationa
Guard has serious illness in his fam
lily the Secretary of War is anxious
that such member shall receive fur
Tough to enable him to visit his fam
lily. 1t is contrary to the policy of the
department to repeatedly extend fur.
Tough or to grant an indefinite fur
Tough that would be equivalent to s
discharge from the service"