Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-08-28
MEN WITH WIVES
 NOT DEPENDENT
 ARE NOT EXEMPT
Text of Telegram From Pro vost Marshal General, and
 Presidents Letter.

Little Rock, Aug 24-Thc follow ing is the text of telegram of Pro vost Marshal General Crowder to Governor c. H. Brough, making clear the purpose of the regulations rela- tive to exemption of married men with dependents and quoting letter from President Wilson on the subject:
 "A feeling has been expressed that in passing on claims for discharge on the ground of dependants local boards ought, in no case, to refuse discharge to a married man or to the head of a family. The law under which local boards act requires that, before such discharge can be grant cd, dependency as well as relationship must be established. The matter nav ing been presented to the president the following are his orders thereon:
 We ought as far as practicable to raise this new National army without creating the hardships necessarily en- tailed when the head of a family is taken and l hope that for the most part those accepted ins tile first call 1 will be found to be men who had not 1 vet assumed these relations.
 ""The selective draft jaw makes | the fact of dependents, rather than l the fact of marriage, the basis for eX- 1 emption, and there are, undoubtedly, many cases within the age limit fixed
 by law. of men who 2rc married and
 whose accumulations or other econ omic surroundings are such that no
 dependency of the wife exists in fact. | Plainly the law does not contemplte
 exemption for this class of men. l "'The regulations promulgated on
 June thirtieth, nineteen seventeen
 should be regarded as controlling i'll
 these cases, and the orders issued
 under that regulation directing ex
 emption boards to establish the fact
 of dependents in addition to the fact
 of marriage ought not to be apro-
 gated
 ",rhe attention of this office has been invited to the fact that in few instances local boards have certified
 to district boards as held for mill
 tary service. men whose families are
 actually dependent upon them for
 support on the theory that the wife
 is able to work and should be put to
 tho necessity of going to work to support herself and her children. rms situation is addressed in the follow
 ing opinion of the district board of New York city in which opinion this , office concurs, With the understand i, g that the phrase support avail, r. able from relative is support partial or total previously extended to the applicant himself:
 "'Wc do not concur in the view
 suseested in some quarters that Tn
 case of wife or children actually de
 pendent on applicants labor fol r support, and where there are no oth I er means of support, the wife shoulc he put to the necessity of gong t( s work to support herself and children , Bona fide dependency of wife anc l children on labor of applicant where Q in his absence they will be left W.,l . out reasonably adequate support, al
 ter duly taking into consideration sol
 dier's wage and support avalianl'
 from relatives. as stated in the rui
 ings of the provost marshal general T. is ground for discharge.'
 ; "This opinion clearly and adequate i- lv exnresses the intent of the law Il e this regard.
 y Paragraph B, compiled rulings T. this office. number 6, addressed T. state of affairs where the parents '. other relatives of the Wife or nus )f band are able ready and Willing aoe p uuately to support the wife ana chl ia ,sdren if any, during the absence of LII
 husband. This ruling was responsi'
 to class Of cases that had pee 7 brought to the attention of this offic
 where claims of discharge had pee ,i- made On the ground of dependenc ne on a husband who, as matter ol rae SC was not dependent upon h!mseif. I'll as ruling directed the attention or locs an boards to the fact that scrutiny r. cases of this kind might disclose tns 1t. no discharge was advisable. It ws
 not intended that paragraph B
 the compiled rulings should app Il. to case of the head of family "hos ld. family, at the <ime of his summon IT. and prior thsreto, were and had bes m. dependent upon his labor for su