The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-12-04
Provost Marshal General
Crowder Emphasizes This
Feature of Situation
NO NEW CLASSES TO
BE CALLED TO WAR NOW
For Present Armies Will Be
Made Up From Present Reg
istran,s-Men With Depend
ents Last, However

Washington. Dec. s,--No man win be
granted exemption from the draft be-
cause he has dependents
|. I'm a review of the situation at
fectiug registered men, Provost Mar
shall General Crowder made that plain
today. He clearly and coneisely dehp-
ed the governments position in the
| following words:
war must bring Inconvenience and
sacrifice TO all. The seieeffye service
law exempts no person frofn military
service on the sUpuud Of dependency.
The Redistribution scheme il designed
to defer the induction. into the army
OF registrants upon whom ether peg
sons are mainly dependent t0r support
ts.atA altar persons ~ sftFJEt s5v=tati d.
psndents have been called.
Despite the agitation in COMPRESSION
al and other governmental circles to
bring under the draft the class OF men
who have reached the age OF twenty
one since june last and to make ae-
csss!ble the classes OF twenty and
nineteen years ~ age. thereby guar
anteefng the practical exemption OF
married men with dependent families.
II was Indicated officially today that
the war department would oppose any
Ser sion ~ The draft until the pres
registered men have been used
up"
firing In No New Classes Now.
.a bring in one or more new classes
would completely upset tae present
machinery and the new classification,
both of W hich ware carefullX- DEepAIed
and worked ot@, IL was stated Fer
example, zach registered mRn now has
number and position on the list
subject te cali To bring in news
class would entail new registration
,a.F-. a tAza.~ H. Ex sx
emit machinery ii would be practically
| Impossible 10 arrange just method
OF distributing the newcomers Ia ref
erence to liability TO call.
The practical decision of the war
| department to oppose any attempt to
Issxtend the draft age makes IL nAees-
aarg that the army he built mp out Of
the men already registered and pTacti-
eally guarantee that the present list
Of approx n7ateIy 100000 will be ex-
Aansted before any new classes are
called iu The length OF the war Is
thereby made the determining factor OF
when the married men shall. be order
3tf out,
In MS review ofsihe situation, which
In in reality a forsword 10 the reclasst-
ncation unaer the Questionnaire sys-
tenn which becomes effective Deem Der
| liz. General Crowder says
Crowa~r Reviews situation.
THE great RfUbkHEt OIL the GAass iiGkA-
ton Of the manpower OF the nation Is
upon us
.'rae. military needs of the nation re-
auire that there he provided in every
community lIst Of names OF men who
shall be ready to be called into NerY-
ice at any time The economic needs
OF the nation, while deferrtng TO tire
paramount military necessity. require
that men whose removal would inter
fere with the ciyic family. Industrial
| pnd Agricultural Institutions of the ma
ticn shalt be taken In the order in
which they can best be spared, For
This reason the names OF all men liable
to selection are to be arranged in i've
classes In the Inverse order OF their
fmpnrtan to the economic interests OF
the nation which include the main
. tenance nj necessary industry and agri-
culture and the support Of the de-
pendents,
section ~ the selective service
sav, exempts no person from military
aerytce on the ground OF dependency.
The present scheme ia devised. by the
creation OK several classes. arranged
IN the order OF their availability for
military service, to defer the induction
into the army of registrants upon
wnoIn other persons are mainly de-
pendent for support until persons with
out actual dependents have been
called.
Linereas Form. OF Dependency.
while an actual dependency must be
established before any kind of dis
charge can be granted. there are GER
| tain conditions OF dependency which
| II IL advisable to recognize to- fuller
| extent than others. The present elias
| sifcation is designed to afford the
maximum of protection to dependent
| relatives consistent with the military
necessity Of the nation.
Ell is to be recognized that war
| must bring Inconvenience and sacri-
nee to all. No person has a right 70
\ refuse to sacrifice Injuries. On the
nther hand II Is not the intent of the
| law to deprive the dependents, whom
the law and regulations are designed To
| protect. of reasonably adequate sup
mort No definite degree can be given
IN the meaning OF the term reason
ablv adequate support as used i'm the
classification rules and schedule. The
| adjustment of these relations must be
| Taft to the local boards, who have
| ahundantly shown that they will APP
| nroach each case with sympathy ana
| common sense, and while defending tho
| interest of the nation from selfish and
thoughtless claimants on the one hand,
| will afford the decent protection here
| designed for meritorious claimants on
he -ether--=-