Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-12-07
LEGAL KNOTS
OF MILITARY
QUESTIONABLE.
HARD TOS0LVE[
Conference and Dinner Of
Board and Associate Mem
bers Held Today.

Lawyers. bankers and other business
men from this city and various parts
Of Grand Forks county a t'down at a
dinner in the Commercial club rooms
at noon today for the purpose of dis
cussing the various problems which
arise as a consequence of the ques-
tionnaire issued by the United States
war department to all military regis
trants. gf II
The dinner and conference was call
ed by T. B. Elton, J.. B. Wineman and
Dean Geo. w. Wells as members of
the legal advisory board appointed by
the executive of the state. The board
had authority to supplement itself
legal profession, and for this reason a
number Of the bankers and merchants
Of the county have been invited to aid
the lawyers in solving the multitude
OF problems which present themselves
to registrants when they are required
to s W the lengthy and complfcat-
ed QUESTIONABLE prepared for them
by the war department.
After partaking of the dinner the
members of the conference. altogether
about fifty, listened to States Attorney
Elton who gave a brief outline of the
work which the government has
mapped out for those who are APP
pointed or volunteer to aid the regis
trants with legal advice.
On the surface. the questionable
seems easy enough o-approach, but
it was found that a thorough exam
ination disclosed a number of in
tricacies which might occasion much
confusion were they not clarified at
the outset. In the questions propound-
ed by the government are to be found
various puzzles which will sorely tax
the intelligence Of the registrant If he
proceeds to understand them without
any aid by men who have given spe-
cial attention to the problems.
Typical Of the difficulties presented
is the mass Of questions which appear
in connection with this query in the
QUESTIONABLE: Have you ever been
convicted of a crime?"
There was much divergence Of opin-
ion among h lawyers present as to
what this really Did it mean,
1t was asked, that any one who has
been guilty Of exceeding the speed
limit for motor vehicles, has been
convicted Of a crime? ?" Or did it mean
than an offender, violating a city ordi-
nance prohibiting assault and battery,
comes within that stipulation? Some
lawyers contended that the govern
ment meant literally what it said in
l1AS 4u0SllONHdlIC Wnll0 OLNeTS man.
tanned that those who wrote the ques-
tons may have been thinking Of fell
onies and misdemeanors as much as
Of actual crime.
Another puzzler was: Who is the
nearest relative of a registrant: His
father or mother, brother or sister? If
he is married, it is taken for granted
but it was admitted that certain occa-
that his wife is his nearest relative,
sions may arise where that cannot be
said.
OF such bewildering questions there
were many, but in the course Of the
general discussion which took place
most Of the problems were cleared
considerably, and, for the rest, the adj
visors will be guided by specific cases
and aided by their own judgment and
common sense.
1t is planned to have advisors sta
toned at various parts in the county
where registrants can conveniently
ask for advice, and in the office of the
local board in this city it will also be
possible to secure legal aid in answer
ing the great number Of questions.
The majority of the lawyers OF
Grand Forks were present at the con-
ference and took part in the discus.
sion which dissolved itself into a RAPID
succession of questions ana answers