Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-09-26

sldcreu on appeal 10 the PreSldent.
"While district boards are not
courts, their functions in passing on
claims. and the function of the Presi-
dent in examining their decisions is
quasi judicial. Since the general
i rule must be that nothing which was
not presented to the district board
can be considered on appeal to the
President, ii would be subversive Of
the spirit of the law and violative of
| the judicial function that is being ex-
ccutcd, TO make exceptions in indi-
vidual cases and receive suggestions,
urgngs or statements from individ-
uas concerning particular cases
pending here on appeal. The Presi-
dent, therefore. has directed the War
| Department to decline to discuss
cases pending on appeal or to enter
tain any communications. sugges-
tions or additional evidence or state
ments concerning them.
"No appeal to the President ex-
cept in claims Of discharge based on
engagement in agriculture or indus
try:
Administrative authority in
Washington forbidden to address It.
self to particular cases within the
jurisdiction of local boards.
Exemptions and discharges from
draft on all grounds except engage
ment in industry and agriculture are
placed within the jurisdiction of To-
cal boards. From the decision Of
local boards in these cases there Is
a right Of appeal to the district
board, whose decision on the appeal
is final, There is no appeal from the
decision Of a local board to the Presi-
dent, nor Is there any appeal to the
President from the decision OF the
district board on a case appealed to
a district board from local board.
"'rhe only cases in which there Is a
right Of appeal to the President are
cases Of claims for exemption or dis
charge based upon engagement in in
dustry or agriculture.
1T would be a practical imposs-
bflity for any central administrative
authority to attempt to scan the de-
cisions Of local boards in the mil
lions of cases that are befor~ them.
Furthermore, the law and regula-
tions place the matter of discharge
those based on engagement in indus
try and agriculture. in the jurisdc-
ton Of local and district boards.
There is no power in administrative
authority to interfere with these reg
ulations in particular cases. TO so
interfere would be subversive of the
letter and spirit of the selective draft
law and the regulation Of the Presi-
dent prescribed hereunder. If local
boards have made mistakes in indi-
vidual cases resulting in hardship,
there is an appeal to the district
board. Also both local and district
boards may reopen cases in which
| they are In error up to the time the
claimant is actually ordered into mil
itary service. If a local or district
board is in doubt as TO Il particular
case it may apply to the Governor Of
the State for Information concerning
the meaning OF the law, and if the
Governor cannot answer the question
from information at hand. he will re-
quest instructions from Washington.
AN individual who believes that
| 4; k,,t.,x
ously interpreted the law may call
the attention Of the Governor of his
State to the case. Where it Is clear
that the decision Of the board Is in
error the Governor may inform the
board of the law and request it to re-
open the case. BY these means it Is
thought that a substantially uniform
execution of the law can be had
throughout the United States and
that few cases of individual hard
ship resulting FROM uniform or un-
lawful decisions Of the various
boards may be corrected.
'Further than this it is admins
tratively impracticable to go. If any
of the millions Of individual cases
within the original jurisdiction OF
local boards are to be considered in
Washington. then all ought to be
opened to consideration here. This
manifestly is impossible. Therefore,
administrative authority here cannot
and will not address itself to partlcu-
| lar within tho IN nj
local boards. The President, there