Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1917-06-15
Who Will Be Exempt ?

question that many are asking today and
they will have to continue asking it till
the answer comes from the War Depart
ment at Washington. Over there is an
old chap named Crowder. General Crowder
he is called. He is the Judge Advocate
General Of the United States Army, and
for the purpose of the selective draft he
has been made Provost Marshal General
He is the law officer Of the Department,
and when moot question comes up he |
makes the ruling. He has been making
the rules as to the army registration, but |
he has not yet announced any rules about |
the exemptions.
The law authorizes" the President as
the COMMANDMENT Chief Of the Army to give
certain exemptions. but does not say that
he must do so. An exemption is, how
ever, made in the case Of persons whose |
religious creed prohibits them from active
warfare, but even these may be drafted
for service other than fighting. They can
be put in the hospital service, employed as
drivers Of ambulances and be required to
do many other things to help the army.
The law creating the new army provides
that the President shall name boards to
sit in exemption cases and these boards
have not yet been named. There is to be
one for each county and one for each
10000 Of city population. In Baltimore
city there will doubtless be one for each
ward. as for the registration. These boards
will hear and decide all cases except those
who claim exemption because they are
engaged in industries, including agricul-
ture, found to be necessary to the mainte-
nance Of the military establishment, or
the effective operation OF the military
forces, or the maintenance Of national in
terest during the emergency"
This class will have to 20 before another
board to be named by the President. There
will be one Of these boards for each Federal
judicial district. which means that there
will be one in Maryland, but there may be
more II the President 50 elects. These
Federal district boards will pass on the
cases mentioned and they shall also have
power to review on appeal and reverse.
modify or affirm any decision of the ward
or county boards.
Now 1t is for the President, speaking
through the War Department, to say
whether the "a ward boards named for
Baltimore city and the 23 county boards
appointed for the counties shall sit as ex-
emption boards or whether new boards are
to be named. The expectation is that II
the registration boards are to so sit they
will be enlarged from three members each
to five or seven. There can be no less
than three, but it is thought by many that
larger boards may be better.
1t has not been stated in Washington
when the exemption boards are to be
named nor when they are to 90 to work
before the draft is made or after The ex-
pectation. however. is that as the first ca
is not to come until September the exemp-
ton boards will do their work and sift the
list in the meanwhile. That would be a
BiOut ouNliiB VI NltliC.
In the registration there was made
great showing by those who are claiming
that they are exempt from service. 1t
appears that though the registration did
not require that persons registering should
answer any questions relating to registra-
ton nearly all did so. and as a consequence
the claims for exemption mounted hish.
In some places they went up to so per
cent Of the total registered. Most Of these,
doubtless, come under the dependent fami-
ly claim.
Here are the exceptions allowed by law
in addition to the religious exemption.
The Vice-President Of the United States,
the officers, legislative, executive and Judi
cial Of the United States and the several
States, Territories and the District Of Co.
lumbia; regular and duly ordained minis
tiers Of religion, students preparing for the
ministry in recognized theological or d.
vinity schools. and all persons in the mill
tary and naval service Of the United
States. county and municipal officials, Gus
tom-house clerks, persons employed by the
United States in the transmission Of the
mail, artificers and workmen in armories,
arsenals and navy yards, such other per-
sons in the employ of the United States
as the President may designate, pilots,
mariners. persons engaged in industries
including agriculture found to be necessary
for the maintenance Of the military forces,
those with dependent families and those
physically or morally deficient