St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1917-09-21
A Waste Of Postage

1t is only a waste Of postage,
letter paper and time for a man
whose claim for exemption
from the draft on industrial
grounds has been denied by his
district exemption board, or
for any of his relatives or
friends to write to his Senator,
or his Congressman, or the Pro.
vost Marshal General, or the
President of the United States,
trying TO have the ruling of the
board reversed. Strange as it
may seem, a great many such
letters have been written. They
have poured in by hundreds and
thousands to officials at Wash
ington. Some of them have
come from Oregon. These let
ters will do no good whatsoever.
They will not even be consider
ed, but will be returned to the
sender. If a man having real
grounds for appeal wishes to
prejudice his case beforehand,
the surest way for him to do is
to write to his Senator, or Re.
preventative, or to see some
official in Washington to use his
Influence" toward fixing up
the exemption. There is just
one procedure whereby an ap-
neal may be taken to the Presi-
dent from the ruling of a dis
trict board. That is through
the district board itself, in the
manner prescribed by official
regulations. 1t must be re-
membered, however. that only
one class of cases can be appeal.
ed to the President from the
district board. These are cases
over which the district board
has original jurisdiction; that
is to say, cases that originate
before the district board, and
not with one Of the local county
exemption boards. The only
cases over which district boards
have original jurisdiction are
those involving claims for eX-
emption on the grounds of en-
ployment i'm "A necessary indus
try. including agriculture. No
claim for exemption on the
ground of dependency can be
appealed to the President under
any circumstances. The deci-
sion of the district board in
such cases. on which it sits as
an appellate board. is final.
There is no further appeal. The
following summary of regula-
tions made by the President to
govern procedure in all cases
appealed TO him. has been issu-
ed by the Provost Marshal Cen
cral at Washington. with the
request that il be given the full
lest publicity.
u. BY the regulations of
the President governing appeals
from the action of district
boards. the claim of appeal
must be filed with the district
board and cannot he received If
sent direct TO the President. the
Provost Marshal General, mem
bers of Congress, or TO any
other place than TO the district
board itself.
"2. Papers, evidence, and
allidayits not considered by the
district board cannot be consid-
cred on appeal from the district
board.
-. The only cases in which
there is nm appeal TO the Presi-
dent are cases i'm which claim
for discharge on the ground of
engagement i'm agriculture or
industry has been made in the
district board. There is no ap.
peal to the President from
the action of the local board
i'm dependency or other eases
whose determination is within
the jurisdiction of the local
board.
II. All attempts to appeal
eases other than those involv-
ing the decision of the district
board on agriculture or indus
trial exemptions from whatever
source received; all ailidavits.
letters, arguments. evidence,
papers or other matter not con-
sidered 10y the district board
all appeals made to the Presi.
dent direct. or sent To any |
other official or person in Wash.
ington, will have TO be returned |
To the sender - Adjutant Gen
cral, Portland. Oregon.