The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-28
E xE MPTIoN BOARDS
These VIII be Important cogs In the
Main Machine-Appeal
Boards to be
Created.
WASHINGTON, D. c..
June 2S.-Now that we have
registered for selective serv-

~ vice, what next?
This question is in the minds Of
about 100000 young men and their
100000 relatives.
The answer in some of its details
will be delayed for several days. It
is contained in regulations now being
worked out by Provost Marshal Gen
eral Crowder and it must have the
final approval of the secretary of war
and the president. Il
Some of the questions, however,
can be answered. For instance, how
are the men to be chosen? What are
the chances of being selected by. lot
terry and by exemption boards?
In round numbers million and a
half names will be taken by lot from
the ten million registered names. The
chances are about one in seven and
a half Of being selected in this lot
terry. Then will follow exemptions on
the ground of occupation, dependent
relatives or physical defects. This
will cut the number down to 100000,
so that the chance is one in three of
being selected from the list chosen by
lot.
Will married men be excused? At
this writing this question is unan-
swered. 1t may be covered by the
regulations which will before long be
published. Probably it will be left
largely to the judgment of the local
exemption boards.
VIII sons with dependent mothers
be excused? Again the answer is to
be found in the regulations and the
judgment of the local exemption
boards.
Broadly speaking. it may be said
that those having dependent relatives
will be excused. Not all, however,
will be excused. They are more like
ly to be excused, however, if their oc-
cupation is important to industry, for
instance, il they are in mechanical
trade or farming.
II ut should happen that the man
with dependant relatives be law
yer and have no regular profession he
might still be selected on the theory
that the $50 month to be paid him
supporting his dependent mother
than casual earnings in industry or
his profession.
1t is expected that about one man
in three will measure up to the physi- |
cal requirements. These requirements |
will necessarily be relaxed from the |
severe tests applied to the regular
army and will come nearer to those
applied to the state militia.
If it should happen that exemptions
for occupation, physical defects and
dependent relatives reduced the num-
Der in any community below the num-
Der required from that community an
other drawing would be made from
the registration list and new candi-
dates would appear before the ex-
emption boards.
These exemption boards will be In
many cases the same officials who
did the registering. 1t is not neces-
sary, however. that they be the same
officials. Nominations for exemption
board duty are now being sent to the
president and by him forwarded to
the war department where they are d
to discover their quail
fications to serve on such boards.
Appeal is allowed from the decision
Of exemption boards, and one of the ]
big jobs now faced by the war de- 1
partment is the creation of these ]
boards of appeal. one in each federal
judicial district Judicial districts {
are quite large and such appeal boards Il
will be very busy after the exemption /
boards have done their work, hearing F.,
cases brought to them on appeal. It
1t is not necessary to have lawyer Il
to make this appeal. The purpose is '
to have everything informal. If a t
candidate feels that he is not being
fairly dealt with by his local exemp- I
lion board and thus he has a proper t
ground to be excused, he might come F,