Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-07-17
TAKES EXEMPTIONS
. FROMLOCAL BOARDS
U. S. Plans to Appeal All Releases
From Draft.
ASKS INDIsPUTABLE PROOF
All Proofs Must BE Made in Writing
Personal Claims Because of De-
pendent Wives or Employment
Barred by Rules.

Washington, July lizard aad fast
lines are being drawn by the army au-
thorities to cut down the number OF
exemptions under the draft and to per-
NIT no man to escape military service
until his right to exemption shall have
been established by indisputable proof.
The burden of proof will be upon
the man who pleads exemption. In
every case in which exemption is
granted by local boards the govern
ment will take an appeal, and the man
who, because of a dependent wife or
mother or because he is needed in in
dustry, has been let off by the lower
board, will have to prove that he should
not be drafted anyway.
In these regulations, which have just
been decided upon by the officials in
charge Of the draft, the government
will reserve the well-established rule
of law which holds a man to be inno-
cent until his guilt is proved.
influence Is Disregarded.
1t will say to every man who pleads
exemption: you'll have to prove you
should not be sent to war;"
This arrangement will take from all
local boards the discretionary power it
was supposed they would be permit
ted to exercise in passing upon those
who appear before them in response
to the draft.
Decisions made by these local
boards in response to influential pres
sure or fearful pleading will be ut
terly disregarded by the government.
Every such decision will be appealed
by the government to the district
boards, the government thus appear
ing in the role of the prosecutor to ex-
act full military service unless there
may be cause appearing why this
should not be done.
And when these cases are brought
before the district boards upon the
governments appeal all proof will be
submitted by affidavit.
No Personal Appearance.
The personal equation will be ut
terly eliminated. None of the men
whose cases are to hang in the bal
ance will be permitted to appear be-
fore these district boards. Only the
cold and colorless words upon paper
will be there to speak for the man
to send him home to his family whose
dependence and support he claims to
be, or to dispatch him to the training
camps and then on to the trenches.
The announcement of these changes
in the regulations for the draft will
cause CONSERVATION and perhaps grief
to thousands of registrants through
out the country who had pinned their
faith upon being able to make good
showing for exemption before the local
boards.
District boards remote from the
community in which the registrants are
drawn will solidly and sternly pass on
all questions as to whether or not any
man who pleads exemption can be
spared from the army.
The regulations for the actual draw
ing have been finally drawn and are
now in the hands Of the president.
When they are approved by him they
will be made public by the secretary
of war, and the exact manner in which
the names are to be drawn will then be
made known.
1t is still expected that the drawing
will begin not later than the middle Of
next week. This would allow about six
weeks for the men who are drafted to
make their claims of exemption and
arrange their affairs for the beginning
of service about September 1.
Industrial enterprises throughout
the country have been besieging the
department with appeals for the ex-
emption of their workmen as class.
This cannot be done under the deci-
sion by the department to treat every
plea of exemption on it's individual
merits.
The machinery of the draft is at
temporary standstill by reason of the
delay in New York and other cities in
making return to the department of the
numbering of those registered. New
York city is far behind and is perhaps
the worst offender in this respect, al
though Chicago is also at fault.
A forecast of these rules makes 1t
certain that in some cases entire
classes would be exempted. This ap-
plies especially to industries engaged
in supplying the army