Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-23
NEXT STEP WILL BE TO
PASS UPON CLAIMS
FOR EXEMPTION
ARE PRINTING LISTS
CORRECT NUMBERS NOW BEING
COMPILED BY U. S. PRINTERS
WILL BE SENT OUT TONIGHT
FROM CAPITOL.
BY DAVID M. CHURCH.
International News Service Staff Cor.
respondent.

respondent.
Washington. July 23-Federal juris.
diction over the operation Of the draft
ceases today
The fortunes of more than a million
American young men, called to the
colors in the first draft. will rest In
the hands of the local exemption
boards and the district boards when
Provost Marshal General Enoch Crow.
der mails the official lists of men call.
ed. late today.
The official lists are now in the
hands of the government printers
and will be ready for distribution to
the local boards by nightfall. The
lists will contain the entire 1O.6OO
numbers drawn, in the order in which
they were drawn. Each local board
will then have to eliminate the mum.
bers higher than the highest number
in their jurisdiction. 1t had been
planned to do this work of elimina.
tion in the office of the Provost Mar
shal General, but this was found i'm.
practicable because it would delay the
operation of the draft for several days.
Local boards on the coast will be
the last to get in action because the
lists will be mailed simultaneously
and western states will received them
later than eastern states. D@fn
| Once In operation local boards And
| district boards will be entirely Out U
the jurisdiction Of the federal govern
, ment. The next act Of the Federal
government will be the mobilization
, of the national army which probably
will not take place until early fall.
|, Every step has been made clear to
the local boards and there should be
no delay" said General Crowder to-
day. "The only possible snag the
local boards can strike is in the mat.
ter OF Industrial exemptions. There
Is no clear cut ruling of what indus
tries shall be allowed exemptions be-
cause we have been inclined to allow
the member of the local board to pass
judgment on this matter However, II
there arises a demand for a ruling
President Wilson will issue a procla-
nation naming industrial classes
which may be exempted.
'At the present time we rather let
this feature of the law work itself
out, Local boards know the local men
and the local conditions and we feel
they can act most wisely with regard
to local industries.
1T is certainty, however, that no
individual exemptions will be allowed
to employees unless sought by the EN-.
ployers"
Six of the civilian members of Gen.
eral Crowder on staff were drawn In
the draft, but "in order to set an ex-
ample for other government depart
ments," the General will not seek ex.
, emption for them. This is indica-
tive of the strict observance of the law
which will be followed In all govern
: ment departments. Only those abso-
lutely indispensable will be exempted.
Requests for exemptions are flood
p ing into the Office Of the Provost Mar
shal General today from every quar-
d ter The Department OF Justice Is
n swamped with requests of similar
@ character. The answer to all seekers
g of exemptions is simply:
d "Put the matter up to your local
n board"
n However, the great number Of ex
g. emptions sought has caused strict or
al ders to be issued to every local board
,e to follow the law most rigldly.