Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-08-31
Continued Efforts Being Made To Have Them All
 Granted Exemptions.
MAY MEAN DELAY
 IN ORGANIZATION
Provost Aershal Generals RNIinr On Regulations, and Presidents Letter. Greeted With Varying Interpretn.
 tiens By Officials.

Contlnueo effCrt on the part of married men. and on the part of , their wives anG other relatives. is Bringing increasing worry and diffi- culty to the authorities in charge of the work of selecting the men for the new National army, and has all ready brought a state of near confu- sion among the officials, which makes it appear that serious delay, at least, i is likely to result, m the organiza- 1 ton of the first army of 6S7,00O men, which is expected to be in camp early in October.
 1t is known that the president has expressed an opinion on tho manner 1 in which married men should be i treated by the selective and exemp- |, tiOn boards, and it is known also that senators and congressman and others in public and private life have been prevailed upon to use their influence for ono or another married man, who is not desirous of answering the call to the colors.
 The Graphic of Tuesday morning printed in full communication from { Provost Marshal General Crowder, bearing on this point. and which quoted from a letter from President Wilson, showing the attitude of the president on the matter.
 Hard Fight Expected. Publication of this communication has not brought about any cessa- tion of the efforts of some Pine Bluff and Jefferson county men to obtain their exemption on the claim of de- !, pcndents. and through the influence of friends at Washington. Several cases of this kind have come to light, although known only to close friends of tho men themselves. Several county men did not obtain an exten- sion of time. that they might har- vest their growing crops CT arrange other business affairs.
 That determined fight in behalf of Certain married men on the draft list is. to be made, is admitted. In fact, it is understood tho fight al ready has been started. Members of the selective boards here will not dis cuss the matter, nor will any of the , men interested make any statement relative to it.
 The Presidents Opinion. l President Wilson's opinion, as quoted by Provost Marshal General i Crowder, is as follows:
 "We ought as far as practicable to raise this new National army without creating the hardships necessarily on ! tailed wlen the head of family Is taken and I hope that for the most part those accepted ill the first call will be found to be men who had not yet assumed those relations, | "'The selective draft law makes the fact of dependents. rather than I the fact of marriage. the basis for OK ,emption, and there are. undoubtedly many cases within the age limit fixed !! by law of men who are married and whose accumulations or other econ omic surroundings are "ucn taat no dependency of the wife exists in fact, Plainly the law does not contemplate exemption of this class of men.
 "'The regulations promulgated on
 June thirtieth. nineteen seventeen, should be regarded as controlling in these cases, and the orders issued
 under that regulation directing ex-
 emDtion boards to establish the fact of dependents in addition to the fact
 of marriage ought not to be abro-
 gated
 General Crowder's Ruling. Provost Marshal General Crowders
 communication contained his ruling on this particular matter, as follows
 Paragraph B. compiled rulings of
 this office, number 6. addressed a
 state of affairs where the parents or
 other relatives of the wife or hus- band are able. ready and willing ade quately to support the wife and chil
 dren if any. during the absence of the
 husband This ruling was responsive to a class of cases that had been brought to the attention of this office
 where claims of discharge had been
 made on the ground of dependency : on husband who. as matter of fact
 was not dependent upon himself. The
 ruling directed the attention of local
 boards to the fact that scrutiny of cases of this kind might disclose that no discharge was advisable. It was , not intended that paragraph B of the compiled rulings should apply
 to case of the head of family whose
 family, at thes time of his summons
 and prior thereto. were and had been
 dependent upon his labor for sup port"
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