New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-26
Heads of Families Need
Not Serve if Labor Is
Only Support
President Modihes
Crowder's Ruling
Men Need Not Leave
Wives to Depend on
Their Relatives


Wilson has settled all differences OF
Interpretation of the selective draft
law relating to exemption of married
men. As a result Of the Presidents
decisions, transmitted to the Secretary
Of War, Provost Marshal Genersl
Crovder tonight issued a statement
which makes it clear that married men
whose wives and families have been
dependent upon their labor for sup
port shall be exempt from the draft
Il /. not within the spirit OF the
Law. the decision AYERS, that women
should 90 to work or De dependent
upon the support of wealthy relatives
In order that the heads Of families
should 90 to fight for the country
The decision undoubtedly Will re-
suit in appeals to the district eXemp'
ton boards in many cases where mar
,iod mon have been drafted for ser
vice.
While the statement regarding mar
ried men was in preparation, ne" OF
ders were issued, changing entlrey
the mobilization arrangements pre-
viously made. Congestion OF rail traihc
and the necessity of making better pro-
vision for the reception of the drafted
men at the cantonments dictated the
changes.
Following is the text of the message
sent to the Governors, dealing with
the status Of married men, prepared az
a conference late to-day between Sec
retary Baker and General Crowder:
"A feeling has been expressed that
in passing on claims for discharge on
the ground Of dependents, local boards
ought, in no case, to refuse DIS
charge to a married man or to the
head of a family. The law under.
which local boards act requires tnat'
before such discharge can be grant
ed, dependency, as we'll as relation
ShlD, must DC cSLdbiAShN"'
Presidents Ruling
"The matter having been presented
to the President, the following are his
orders thereon:
"'We ought, as far as practicable,
"a raise this new National Army with
out creating the hardships necessarily
entailed when the head of family is
taken, and hope that, for the most
part, those accepted in the first call
would be found to be men who had not
vet assumed such relations.
"'The selective service law makes
the fact of dependents, rather than
the fact of marriage, the basis for ex-
emption, and there are undoubtedly
many cases within the age limits fixed
by law OF men who are married, and
vet whose accumulations or other eco
nomic surroundings are such that no
dependency of the wife exists in fact
Plainly, the law does not contemplate
exemption for this class of men.
1.-THE regulations promulgated on
June 80. 1917, should be regarded as
in these cases, and the or
ders issued under that regulation di-
recting exemption boards TO establish
the fact of dependents, in addition to
the fact Of marriage, ought not to be
abrogated.'
New York Board Quoted
"The attention Of this Office has been
invited to the fact that, in few in
stances. local boards have certified to
district boards as held for military ser
vice men whose families are actually
dependent upon them for support on
the theory that the wife is able to
work and should be put TO the neces-
sity of going to work to support her
self and children. This situation is
addressed in the following opinion OF
the district board of New York City,
in which opinion this Office concurs,
with the understanding that the phrase
IS Ipport available from relatives is
support partial or total previously ex-
tended to the applicant himself:
"'We do not concur in the view sug-
rested in some quarters that in case
Of wife and children actually depen-
dent on applicant. labor for support
and where there are no other means OF
support. the wife should be put 20 the
n necessity of going to work 70 support
herself and children. Bona fide de-
pendency Of vile and children on labor
Of applicant where ir his absence they
will be left without reasonably ade-
uuate support. after duly taking into
soldiers wage and sup
mort available from relatives. as stated
in the rulings Of the Provost Marshal
General. is ground of discharge
"Instances in which local boards have
been in error in respect TO these two
classes of cases are rare. II was 70 be
expec.ed that with some 4,500 local
hoard, there would be some ununi-
formity of decision in this regard. To
provide against this ununiformity, See
ton 27 Of the regulations provides for
the automatic appeal Of all dependency
cases 20 the district boards.
District boards should scan the de-
cisions of local boards on questions OF
and wherever IL appears
that such decisions are Illegal (as in
the two cases just mentioned or rother-
vise) or where these decisions seem TO
be so ununiform as TO result in an un-
equal operation OF the law, the district
board should reverse or modify the
decision OF the local board