The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-10
U. S. TO WATCH IT
Government Will Appeal From
Draft Decisions.
Man in Every County for Ex-
emption Appeals.
ALLOW NO ONE To DODGE
Federal Right To Question
Every State Board Act.
Thousands of Cases To Be
Heard i'm Topeka.

The federal government. as we'll as
individuals, will appeal from draft de-
cisions by local exemption boa. DIS.
Announcement that the war depart
ment would place representative IN
every county to protect the rights or
the federal government in the dl aft
tests, was made today by the appeal
board in Topeka.
Formal consideration of appeals will
begin in Topeka early next week AL
ready some fifty notices of appeal
have been received from conscripts in
First Second, Third and Fourth dis
trict counties. The First district board
has jurisdiction over all appeals from
these counties. Several thousand APP
peal cases will be heard in Topeka.
Action by the federal governne nt
in directing appeals is eye opener
for the conscripts. This action Is
second only in importance to the an
nouncement of the war department
that it would give full publicity to
every exemption claim and appeal.
The plan as outlined here today means
that at least one man in every county
will direct appeals on behalf of the
government If the local board grants
an exemption because of dependents of
a conscript, the government represen-
tative may appeal and lay evidence
before the state board. The local rep
resentative will doubtless be a man
acquainted with local conditions and
drawn for army services.
Look Over Exemptions
The government will direct local
representatives to look carefully into
all exemptions granted by local ex-
emption boards. If an exemption
seems uniustified by the federal rep
resentative he will have the same
| right of appeal granted the individual.
No appeals will be granted where eX-
emption is granted for physical dis
ability. Neither will attorneys be per-
| mi.ted to appear before the appeal
board. nor will oral testimony or argu-
ment be received. All evidence will be
| in the form of affidavits.
Announcement by the state appeal
| board today was to the effect that
| local exemption boards would not pass
| on claims for relief thru industrial or
professional pursuits. Where a man
| claims exemption because he milkS a
COW, feeds a pig and plows a ten-acre
| farm plot, the merits of his agricul-
| tura1 claim will go directly to the ap-
peal board. A man who raises live
| stock, works in a coal mine or is a
student brakeman on a freight train.
must convince the appeal board and
| not the local exemption board that the
government will meet greater success
in the war by leaving the conscript at
| home.
No established rules will be laid
down. it is asserted. Each appeal will
go before the state board on merit. If
| additional testim ony is desired. it must
| be furnished when requested by the
| board. Conscripts shall not discuss
| their appeals with board mem bers and
cannot attend sessions or make oral
statements of their claims.
Appeals to Topeka.
Appeals to be heard in Topeka will
| come from Atchison, Brown. Doni-
phan. Jackson, jefferson, Leaven-
worth. Nemaha and Shawnee counties
| in the First district; Allen, Anderson,
Bourbon. Douglas, Franklin, Johnson
Linn, Miami and Wyandotte counties
| in the Second district; Chautauqua
| Cherokee, Cowley, Crawford, Elk La =
bette, Montgomery, Neosho. and Will
son counties in the Third district: and
from Chase, Coffey. Greenwood, Lyon,
Marion, Morris. Usage. Pottawat tonne
| Wabaunsee and Woodson counties in
| the Fourth congressional district
/ None of the members of the appeal
board will consider appeals from their
home counties. Board members stat
| ed today that they would spend the
remainder of the week assem- bling
registration files and would not con-
slider individual cases until early next
| week.