El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-08-25
NATION CAN HAVE MEN WITH
IF 1T WILL PAY

4 VISITOR at the headquarters Of any local draft
a board must have been impressed by a long line OF
L men awaiting their turn to confer with member
Of the board They are men who have passed ther physical
examination and are making claims for exemption
The number of claims for exemption from military duty
under the draft law has caused painful impression IN
many quarters but the TACT that the government has made
no provision for the support of wives and children, fathers
or mothers of the drafted explains many Of these
The government has the power under the draft law to
impress into every able bodied man between the ages
Of 21 ard 81 Thousands of those liable for service wage
or salary earners or propstos Of small businesses which
be conducted TO advantage IN their absence 1hey
were married years ago and the sole support OF de-
pendent families 50 long as the government mas mace NJ
provision their care is but natural that they should
think of the support Of their loved ones Their acton
Goes not e1tlte them 10 be CONSIDERED LACKING eneI III
bravery or patriotism It certain that If congress were
TO enact bill making definite allowance for the wives and
children OF dependent fathers mothers Of Of draft
age claims exemption the Of dependency would
drop off largely If they did altogether and many
~ have rccrssfv established exemption claims would
waive them and offer themselves for military service
This would undoubtedly be true If the allowances were
made large enough provide with such as the sol
der could assign from his pay living for the dependents
war insurance Oil Is now Penang Out us eA10' I-o
visions have not been related the press dispatches The
bill the support Of the administration Il IS
and the especial backing OF secretary OF the treasury NJ
kdco who IS firmly OF the opinion that the government
cannot DEPRIVE and children Of the support Of the
wage Garner by forcing him into the military service OF the
country unless the government substitutes llse as lne
# K useless to propose separation allowance Of lit
tie as $40 month for wives and SO month each tcT
children and three children would receive 500
month plus SIS month assigned from the pay OF the sol
der making total Of S95 which not enough 70 pay
en and buy even the planest focd for family OF four
TO saw nothing Of clothes Il would be starvation allow
ace with no regard taken for keeping Obligations suc
as payments homes premiums for lie insurance anu
re insurance policies and taxes As matter Of TACT a
soldier ordinarily alo S25 month or his $50 pay
without discomfort and embarrassment to himself N the
midst OF his fellow soldiers The British war office found
early IN the war that soldier IN active service requires
at least SO month of his pay and very definitely izes
the amount he may assign
A fair separation allowance would be $50 month Tor
wives and s25 for each dependent child Thus the allow
ance for the child would be t half that Of the mother
Notwithstanding that the expense Of supporting child IS
ordinarily more than half, and sometimes fully equal 10
that of z adult.
e IS some doubt whether the country needs to incur
su1b IN enormous expenditure the payment or ample
e0araton allowances would entail; whether there are not
uIentv Of men available for duty without taking me
supporters Of dependents Certainly the people Of the IA
non must realize by that any shortage OF men were
TO exist after counting the physically rejected, the
aliens and those with dependents II must be because me
age limit was fixed 81 years, thus barring from the
draft thousands Of physically fit unmarried men up 10 me
military age limit for volunteering, IS years
Congress could save money for the country Il, when