Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-08-14
Exemption Claims Presented to
City Body Show Effort
to Evade War.
DISTRICT BOARD MEN READY
Behind Locked Doors, Mayor
and Colleagues Survey Ex-
cuses for Staying Home.

,
blotted by drafted men claiming eX-
! emptions upon grounds which Will
not stand the most rigid test
! Announcement was made last night
that the Tulsa police department
would be pressed into service within
the next week, and every member in
! structed to present before the ex-
empton board all persons who have
filed supporting statements for the
exemption of drafted persons.
! Ihe local board Is now engaged in
preparing u list Of all persons who
have filed sworn statements in sup
port of claims for exemptions, and
these persons will be sought out by
the police ana made to appear and
! tell, under oath their sources of in
! formation and all facts which may he
of benefit to the exemption board
members in arriving at a just decis-
ion of the cases.
Is "A Patriotic Duty.
! All persons having information
with reference TO the grounds claimed
by drafted men as cause for exemp-
ton also are urged to appear before
| the board and prcsen: these facts.
We are going to investigate every
case where "A claim for exemption has
/ been made declared Secretary Ken
ton last night. "and we solicit the
] aid of every loyal American to as
sist us in arriving at Il fair and i'm
partial decision on these cases 1t is
! the duty of everyone to see that jus
! tee Is done; that those worthy OF
exemptions are exempted, but IL also
! IS their duty To see that those who
, have claimed exemption and who are
. not worthy, should be placed in the
natiGsnal army"
Few Want 10 Serve Country.
Provost Marshal Crowder mus,
| have had Tulsans in mind when he
issued that all important order in
which he declared that unless the de-
! pendent clause in exemption qualifi-
! cations ceased to be the cloak behind
! which nearly so per cent Of the
| drafted men hid. he would eliminat a.
| the clause entirely.
Iuisans do not want TO go to war,
/ and they are grasping at every posi-
| hle ground for exemption to keep out
! of the combat, according to members
/ of the local city exemption board,
Last Monday the local exemptiU,
| board examined 172 men and OF this
! number l4O have filed claims for ex-
/ emption or have been excused from
/ the first call on account of physical
| inability TO serve in military capa-
! city. Tulsa's rate of exemption claims
Is more than rs per cent.
Behind Closed Doors.
Thruout yesterday Mayor Simmons,
Joe kcnton and DIR. s. DcZcl Hawley
/ members of the city exemption board
/ worked behind closed doors, survey
] nl "a 90, L. g.,h
had been presented from the major
| portion Of the men examined during
! the first three days OF last week
1 Wh.c they would not announce
/ how many of the claims they had ue-
cided To disallow, il is known that but
Il small number Of those presented 10
them Will be sanctioned, and in the
/ most of these an appeal will be taken
! by Attorney John b. Meserve to the
district exemption board. Mr.. Me-
serve has been ordered by the war or-
! partment TO appear as representa-
! tive OF that department at the sessions
Of the board. and appeal those cases
/ FOR exemption he thinks unworthy,
/ but which are sanctioned by the lower
/ board. He also will appear at the
appeal hearings OF these cases to be
! had before the district exemption
! board
As the members OF the city board
! survey the great number of claims for
/ exemption which have been presented
/ by the men already examined ana cer-
/ ufed as physically 1T for service. il
/ becomes more apparent that another
| quota for Tulsa viii of necessity bu
J issued A wholesale disregard for all
| exemption claims would be necessary
J To fill Tulsa's quota of 279 men. the
/ number called for by the war depart
/ mont
District Board Here.
Members OF the district exemption
/ board Of which Robert SciNallV is
president arrived in the city either
sunday evening or yesterday morning
and at once began detail work for the
opening OF their offices in the north
wing of the federal building. Third
and Boulder. Altho the board Will
/ probably not begin actual considera-
ton of claims for exemption appealed
TO them from lower boards, the mem
hors of this body will be busily en-
gagged for the next several DAYS in Sc
curing all data necessary for their
work either from the adjutant gen
erals office or from the war depart
ment, with whom they are in con-
stant communication.
Secretary IL. IL. Rogers was busy
I NNNANlAdN hlNAdAlllE ltNAtIS ana ltlC-
grams 10 the various local boards
thruout the district over which his
board has jurisdiction, and il was an
/ uounced that probably Friday would
| see actual work on exemption claims
! inaugurated.
! DR.. Fred $. Clinton. the medical
member OF the board, will be forced
to make a physical examination OF
every drafted man from any district
who appeals on grounds OF physical
disability, and IL was intimated yes
lterday that wltn actual consideration
of these claims began additional
physicians will be drafted" TO assist
in this work.
Decisions Announced.
Members OF the city exemption
board yesterday completed the sur
Vey Of the claims for exemption pre-
sented by those men examined on the
first two days OF the draft examina-
uons and this morning will begin a
survey of the exemption claims Of
fered by men examined last Wednes-
| day. AS soon as all OF these claims
have been viewed decisions VII be
given and the appeals taken, either
by the applicant or by representa-
tive OF the war department.
The district under the supervision
OF the exemption board Of which Mr..
Il