Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-26
EXPLAINS STATUS
OF MARRIED MEN
UNDER DRAFTLAW
Crowder Makes Statement
at Direct Request of
President.
PURPOSE is TO CLEAR UP
ALL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Regulations Unchanged, Supple
mentary Notice Being Designed
to Make Application Uniform.
MOBILIZATION PLANS ALTERED
Per Cent Will Start Forward to
Camps on September s, In.
stead OF 80 Per Cent.
MOBILIZATION PLANS ALTERED
lR. N,roci.t.d p1.a.l

O. I'D ASsoCl1IeQ PreBS.l
WASHINGTON. August 25.-At the
Provost Marshal-General Crowder tele-
sraphed to all Governors tonight a
supplemental explanation of regulations
governing tho status of married men
under tho draft law. No change in reg
ulation is made. apd the purpose Of the
statement Is to clear up misunder-
standings.
In a letter, to Secretary Baker. quoted
by General crowder. President Wilson
states his opinion that the regulation
directing local boards Ito establish the
fact Of dependents in addition to the
fact OF marriage ought not to be abro-
gated" This leaves the regulations as
they arc. and the supplementary state
mont is designed merely to make the
application Of the rules uniform.
While the statement regarding mar
ried men was In preparation orders
were issued changing entirely tho mo-
otlizatton arrangements previously
made. Congestion Of rail traffis and the
necessity OF making better provision
for receiving the men at tho canton
ments dictated the. changes.
Under the new orders. per cent of
the white men. preferably those with
military experience. from each local
area, will be started forward to the
camps on September instead of 80
per cent. They will go In fve daily
detachments OF equal size. and from
skeleton company organizations and SCI
up going concern. into which the
remainder Of the total quota can be alb.
sorbed without confusion as they reach
tho eantonments.
ORDERS FOR EQUALIZATION
~ OF FOLLOWING QUOTAS
The next 40 per, cent OF the quota
will go forward September 10. when
the second 80 per cent originally was
scheduled to go: second 40 per cent
will go forward october 8. instead OF
tho third 80 per cent, and the remain
ing Is per cent will be called UP as
soon thereafter as practicable.
Local boards are directed to disregard
order of liability numbers to some ex-
tent IN selecting tho first s per cent
as men Of experience, such as cooks
and former soldiers. arc desired at that
time. Warning Is given against get
ting into this levy. by reason OF his
experience. any man who might not
otherwise have been included in the
first increment of the district at all.
Following is the text OF the MESA &c
sent TO the Governors. dealing with the
status OF married men. prepared at a
conference late to-day between Secre-
tary. Baker and General Crowder:
"A feeling has been expressed that
in passing on claims for discharge or
the; ground OF dependents. local boards
ought. in no case. to refuse discharge
to married man or to the head OF
a family. The law under which local
boards act requires that, before such
discharge can be granted. dependency
as well as relationship. must be estab.
lished. .
PRESIDENTS ORDERS
CONCERNING MARRIED MEN
Tho matter having. been presented
TO the President. the following are his
orders thereon: I.
1--WE ought. as far as practicable
to raise this new national army with
out creating the hardships necessarily
entaiied when the head of family Is
taken, and I hope that, for the most
part, those accepted in the first cal
would be found 10 be men who had
not yet assumed such relations.
"'The seiective service law makes
the fact Of dependents. rather than
the fact of marriage. the basis fol
exemption, and there are. undoubtedly
many cases within the age limits fixed
by law of men who are married and
yet, whose accumulations or other eco.
nomic surroundings are; such that nc
dependency of tho wife exists in fact
Plainly. the law does not contemplate
exemption for this GLASS Of men.
1.-The regulations promulgated on
June 80, 1917, should be regarded as
controlling in these cases. and the
orders issued under that regulation di-
rectine exemption boards to establish
the fact OF dependents in addition to
the fact Of marriage ought not to be
abrogated4 d.
AGREES WITH OPINION
OF NEW YORK BOARD
'sThs attention Of this office has
been invited to the fact that, In. few
instances. local boards have certified
to district boards. as held for military
service. men whose families are actu.
ally dependent upon them for. support
on the theory that the wife is able tc
work, and should be put to the neces.
sity of going to work to support her
SELF and children. This situation 1,
expressed in tho following opinion 0,
the district board iot New York City
in which opinion this Office concprs
with the understanding that the phrase
support available from relatives I.
support partial or total previously ex
tended to the applicant himself:
1--we do not concur in the view tsus
gested In some quarters that in cas-,
Of wife and children actually depend
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