The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1917-10-09

ANoi0N ans Shouiu bC tA6Aipltu lIOnl
service, and General Crowder's direc-
tiOns to examining boards that mar
riage should from any aspect be pre-
sumed a ground for exemption were
difficult to harmOnize. The local as
well as the appellant boards were in
doubt as to what standard of selec-
ton to adopt. As consequence wide
ly different standards have governed
the decisions of boards in different
sections or in the same section. Some
have seemed to consider any posi-
bic makeshift to provide for a wife
rarely with children, to be sure,
though there have been such cases
sufficient economic provision for
her. Such decisions will undoubtedly
work hardships, which President Will
son explicitly pointed out should be
avoided, until need might make it
imperative. er
There have been other forms of in
consistency and OF deviation from the
spirit which President Wilson ex-
pressly, and undoubtedly the Ameri
ern the decisions of the boards. A
man exempted at the first eXamina-
ton is in no sense finally dismissed
from liability to service. He is still
available under the draft to fight for
his country. Why, then, at this first
examination Of all registrants, or for
so much of it as remains, select mar
ried men at all-that is, those who
are supporting their wives? If the
entire 10,000,000 OF registrants were
examined, with the regulation that
married men supporting their wives
be exempted, without regard to what
economic provision there might be
for a wife ii the husband were taken,
out other dependents and physically
those 100000 would undoubtedly
Weld 10000 0G0 men, unmarried, with
qualified. Let those be the first. 1t
is perfectly fair Otherwise, and SO
it will be with this first contingent,
married men, taken possibly at the
expense of hardship to their families,
will find themselves in the field when
thousands OF unmarrioG registrants
have not yet gone into training
camps,
The sum and substance of it is that
there is no necessity at this stage to
give local and appellant boards such
wide latitude of opinion in the deter
mination Of the economies Of each
case; that there should be laid down
for married registrants at this first
examination the fiat regulation that
if they are, in fact, supporting their
families, or even to such an extent
as to entirely alter the circumstances
Of their families if they are called,
they are to be exempted. Thousands
of these have not been exempted hith-
erto. And there has been a@1otorious
variation in this matter among the
boards that has resulted, in effect, III
discrimination and unfairness.
When the necessity arises let there
be at a second examination of all pre-
viously exempted registrants a close
combing of married men or men with
other dependents to determine which,
from an economic standpoint, should
be taken. 1T there is no necessity
for that at this stage.
Theoretically it may have been in
tended that these variations in the
attitude and standard adopted by the
different boards should be harmon
izcd by the right given in the dr2f,
law to reopen all cases Of exemption.
But it will be readily seen that to re
view the exempted cases Of all local
boards throughout the country and
determine which are to be reopencd
would be d colossal work that could
not be done thoroughly
Consistency and uniformity in the
determination of the cases of the re-
manning 100000 registrants in this
first examination viii be difficult to
obtain unless some regulations are