The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1917-08-30
EASIER ON MARRIED MEles
Only Those With No Actual "A
Pendents VIII be Drafted.

Only Those WITH NO ASt0A ~
Pendents VIII be Drafted.
Washington, Aug. 25.-Marrie
men with actually dependent wive
and children will not be drafted inc
the new national army, Provost Mi
shall General Crowder ruled tonight
Acting upon the suggestion .
President Wilson for amelioratinl
the lot of certain families, Genera
Crowder held that boards ought no
to force a wife to go to work fol
herself and children where the sol
dier's pay or his pay plus relativel
contributions did not suffice to NEE
the family needs.
President Wilson wrote that suct
hardships should be avoided as far u
possible. General Crowder CON.
Cured, but reiterated that there
ought not to be exemption in cases
for instance, where the wife i
wealthy, or where her relatives are
| willing to take over the task of sup
porting her.
General Crowder's opinion on the
Presidents letter follows:
II. A feeling has been expressed
that, in passing on claims for dis
charge on the ground of dependents,
local boards ought, in no case. to re-
fuse a discharge to married man
or to the head of a family. The law
under which local boards act requires
that, before such a discharge can be
granted, dependency as well as rela-
tionship must be established. The
matter having been presented to the
President therefore it is ordered
that:
1--WE ought as far as practicable, to-
raise this new national army without
creating the hardships necessarily en-
tailed when the head of family IS
taken, and l hoped that for the most
part those accepted in the first class
would be found to be men who had
not yet assumed such relations.
"The Selective Service Law makes
the fact of dependents, rather than
the fact of marriage, the basis for ex-
emption, and there are undoubtedly
many cases within the age limits
fixed by law of men who are mar
ried and yet whose accumulations or
other economic surroundings are
such that no dependency of the
wife exists in fact. Plainly the law
does not contemplate exemption for
this class of men.
"The regulations promulgated June
80. 1917, should be regarded as con-
trolling in these cases and the orders
issued under that regulation directing
exemption boards to establish the
fact of dependents in addition to the
fact of marriage ought not to be
abrogated.
"2. The attention of this office
has been invited to the fact that, in
few instances, local boards have GER
titled to district boards as held for
military service men whose families
are actually dependent upon them for
support on the theory that the wife
IS able to work and should be pushed
% the necessity of going to work to-
support herself and children.
This situation is addressed in the |
ollowing opinion of the District
Board of New York City, in which
opinion this office concurs with the
that the phrase sup
,ort available from relatives is sup
,ort partial or total previously ex-
ended to the applicant himself.
eve do not concur in the view sug-
rested in some quarters that in case
# wife and children actually depend
mt on applicants labor for support
nd where there are no other means
# support the wife should be put to
he necessity of going to work to
Import herself and children. Bona
ide dependency of wife and children
N labor of applicant wherein his abb
ence they will be left without rea-
onably adequate support, after duly
aking -into-co consideration soldiers,
,age and support available from rel
tives, as stated in the rulings of the
rovost marshal general, is ground
or discharge.
"This opinion clearly and adequate
y expresses the intent of the law ia
his regard. |;
-. Paragraph B, compiled rulings
f this office, No. E addressed state
f affairs where the parent or other
elatives of the wife or husband are
Bile, ready and willing to support the
rife and children. if any, during the
bsence of the husband. This ruling
,as responsible to a class Of cases
hat had been brought to the atten-
ion of this office where claims of
ischarge had been made on the
round of dependency on husband, .
rho as a matter of fact. was not de-
endent upon himself. The ruling
irected the attention Of local boards
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