The sun., 1917-08-01
527 SEEK DRAFT
EXEMPTIONS BY
RUSHING TO WED
All Records of Marriage Lii
cense Bureau Are Broken
for One Day.
SLACKERS GET WARNING
Conspirators to Avoid Service
Will Be Prosecuted, Says
CrOwder.
GET WARNING

IL TOOK 90, Drlde ana Dlue reg
istration card for a fine, outstanding
young man to get married yesterday.
The city got the So, Marshal McCarthy's
deputies the blue card. the young man
the bride-and the bride what one OF
the Marshars deputies described as
"one of them there slackers." .. ....
1t was besides a tremendously impor-
tant day in the history OF the greater
city's marriage bureau yesterday, for
the record OF 527 marriage licenses Is
sued breaks all known records. Prob
ably a few more than score OF the
bridegrooms were over conscriptable age,
but II Is perfectly safe to say that no
less than 500 young men between the
ages of 21 and 81 were married to secure
the benefit of a wife In the exemption
test. OF the 527 Manhattan furnished
292, Bronx county so and Brooklyn 10,
No better illustration of the reluctance
of men called in the draft to serve un-
der the colors is needed than the number
of exemptions that were claimed before
three examining boards yesterday. or
the eighty-one men examined by these
three boards forty-two we're found eligi-
BILE for service and of these forty-two
only two failed to ciaiin exemption.
Too Many Are "IndIspen ensabIeG."
The three boards sat. respectively. in
Wadleigh High School, the College OF the
City of New York and Hunter College.
At Wadleigh seventeen men were ex-
amined, five passed as eligible for SER
vice and all five announced they would
claim exemption. AT the College of the
City of New York ffty-hve candidates
were examined. Thirty-two OF these
passed as eligible and Of them thirty
claimed exemption. At Hunter Col
lege 100 per cent. exemption score was
registered. Here nine men were ex-
amined. Five were passed, but all nine
announced they would claim exemption.
Apparently a misconstruction OF Pro-
vost Marshal General Crow,ier's opinion,
as recently printed In New York papers
with a Trenton date line, caused the
impression TO spread that "onoe married
always exempt" with the result that
even the marriage record OF June 4, the
day before the registration date, has
been shattered On Friday only thirty
three marriages were performed In the
City Hall, but the next day. when the
Provost Marshars opinion became
known, the number jumped TO 109 and
then climbed to yesterdays record
breaking figure.
All Cases Will Get Attention.
But last night word from Washington
brought the news that both Secretary Of
War Baker and the Provost Marshal are
| laying special plans TO take care OF all
| these cases. The Provost Marshal holds
that the intent to evade service by mar
| riage will work against exemption, while
Secretary Bako will soon issue direc-
| tons to regard as invalid any claim for
exemption based on a dependent wife In
cases where marriage was contracted
after the passage Of the draft law last
May.
The exact wording of the Provost
Marshal's original opinion is as follows
In reference to marriage after June
| 5. 1917. 1t would seem in like manner
that The claim of discharge because OF
| dependency should be determined ut
| the date of calling IL the person
called Is then a married man and
has a wife at that time depending
upon his labor in the sense in which
that term Is used In the rules and
regulations. 1t would seem that he
could be discharged from the service,
II In the opinion of the board the
claim is substantiated.
Rush to Secure Exemption.
Adopting the theory that any old
! marriage In storm would exemp,
them, hundreds of young men madly
rushed forth, found a willing bride and
swept her into the bonds OF holy wed
lock. The big per cent. were drawn fol
the first draft and scores of them had ir
their pockets at the time the ceremony
was performed their official calls fol
physical examination.
In, one test made yesterday htty-twc
were interrogated and thirtynine oui
of the line showed the call for examina.
tion letters. or this thirty-nine only
three had apparent physical defects and
of the remaining thirty-six only three
claimed other exemptions than theII
prospective brides. We're going to make
II safe" was the comment OF these last
three.
In a ruling made last night at Wash.
ington Gen. Crowder took the view that
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