Norwich bulletin., 1917-08-18

morning by the local exemption board. Secretary w. s. Allis said on Friday afternoon that any man who has been ordered to appear before the board and who fails to do so is automati- cally taken into the service and is subject to military rule. Failure to report for military duty constitutes assertion and offenders of this kind will be treated as deserters.
 A copy of the latest rulings Of the provost marshal general on the draft has been received by the local board from Washington, D. c. In regard to resistance to the draft the statement says:
 Press reports and other advices re- ceived indicate that on one or two widely separated districts. individuals, misinformed as to the purpose of the law and misguided as to its result, are threatening resistance to the draft
 There is nothing to resist at this stage in the execution of the law All male persons between the ages of 21 and 30 inclusive, have been enrolled for military service. A preliminary call has gone forth to some such per sons but the immediate and actual ob- ject or this call is merely to provide an opportunity for such persons. or for someone else. in respect of them to present to the government reasons why they should not be finally ordered to report for military duty. If such persons do not appear and present those reasons, they have simply neg lected to take advantage of an oppor- tunity that was offered solely for their advantage of this opportunity does not interfere with the raising of the army, and interests the government only al punishable crime of omission. If they do not desire to make any such claims or, if for any other req son they fail to appear. their names are automatically posted as having been called and not exempted or dis charged. Automatically also. they are inducted into the military service and made subject to military law. Failure to appear merely hastens this automatic process.
 When the time allowed for making these claims has elapsed, these per sons will be enrolled as in the mili- tary service. They will then be dered to appear as soldiers. From this point on, they will be under the swift and summary procedure Of court martial. Failure to report for milI- tary duty when ordered to do so con stitutes desertion. Desertion in time of war is a capital offense. Deserters may be apprehended by either civil military authority and, after the mandate of the federal government has gone forth. the whole strength of the military arm of the government Is available to apprehend deserters, If it IS necessary to use such force
 Demonstrations against local boards ire simply futile strokes in the air. All the records necessary to hold such headquarters and at the national capi tal. and since local boards have no occasion to use any force in simply offering a beneficial opportunity to registered persons: there Is no held tor resistance. If resistance is at- tempted later when the army seeks to apprehend deserters it will instantly encounter troops of the federal gov ernment
 Where men called to report to local boards for examination or service have not done so and where the mailed notices are not returned from the post office as unbelievable. local boards may request the postma ster for the address to which such mail has been forwarded. If postmasters refuse to give this information, the case should De reported to state headquarters for reference to the provost marshal gen. eral, whereupon the postmaster gen. eral has agreed to give specific orders directing that the information be fur aished.
 Dependency Cases.
 Section 2 of the selective-service law exempts no person from military service on the ground of dependency It only authorizes the president to exclude or discharge from draft those in a status with respect to persons de- pendent upon them for support which renders their exclusion or d1scharSe advisable"
 The controlling necessity is to raise an army. It is advisable to disturb dependents just as little as the neces- 5ity of raising an army will permit. To this end section IS of the regula- tions was compiled carefully and af- ter the most earnest consideration. If experience Is to prove that the gen. erous conditions prescribed by sec tion IS, or any abuse of them. will in H. then it is no longer advisable to dis charge so wide 8 class. and the con- ditions stated therein will have to be restricted until an advisable rule is reached.
 Nothing has happened to change the belief that the persons enumer- ated in section IS could be discharged without interfering with the raising of an army, but there are indications that abuses of section IS may render It's continuance TO longer advisable.
 Reports are to the effect that in some districts, as high as so per cent of persons called before local boards are filing claims for discharge on the ground of dependent relatives. Such percentage of claims, when viewed in connection with all available sta tistics indicates beyond question that advantage is being taken of the pro- visions of the law and regula tions which were intended to reduce to a minimum the misery at home nor mally attendant upon war
 There is moral certainty, in the extravaganza of this percentage, that hundreds of unfounded claims are in cluded in these totals.
 This state of affairs greatly in creases the burden of local boards for if so high a percentage of regis trants claim exemption, only the un- compromising action of local boards can prevent new regulation the subject of dependency which shall re- duce exemptions for dependency to a far more restricted class and to very necessitous and clearly defined cir cumstances
 In the absence of a stern repression by local boards of unmeritorious claims this result is inevitaD Dle. since any such percentage of exemptions as reports of claims indicate would null lify the law and prevent the raising of an army.
 It is thus apparent that the filing of these improper claims will react directly and injuriously on persons whom the present regulations were designed to protect. and that the well