South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-08-26
MUST PROTECT
DEPENDENTS
SAYS WILSON
Suggests Boards Inquire Care
fully Into All Claims =
Change MObiIiza-
ton Plans.
Associated Press Service

| Associated Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25.-At the
direct suggestion of Pres't Wilson.
Provost Marshal General Crowder
! telegraphed TO all governors tonight
a supplemental explanation of regu-
| lations governing the status Of mar
ried men under the selective service
| law. No change in regulation is
] made. and the purpose of the new
statement is To clear up misunder-
standings which have arisen in which
Gen Crowder describes as "a few
! instances"
In a letter TO Sec'y Baker. quoted
by Cen Crowder. Prest Wilson
states his opinion that the regula-
ton directing local boards 20 estab
Z lish the fact Of dependents in addi-
/ ton 10 the fact of marriage ought
not to be abrogated." This leaves the
1 regulations as they are and the sup
Elementary statement is designed
merely to make the application of
1.-THE rules uniform among all boards.
! While the statement regarding
married men was in preparation new
orders were issued changing entire
! " the mobilization arrangements
previously made. Congestion of rail
traffic and the necessity of making
better provision for the reception Of
the men at the environments dictated
/ the changes
60 i'm Five Per Cent Quotas.
! Under the new orders, five per
cent of the white men, preferably
those with military experience from
each local area. will he started for
ward 10 xl1e camps Sept. instead
of 80 per cent. They viii go in five
daily attachments of equal size and
form skeleton company organizations
and set up a going concern into
which the remainder of the total
louota can be absorbed without con
fusion as they reach the canton
ments.
The next 40 per cent of the quota
wiz go forward Sept 10, when the
second 30 per cent originally was
scheduled TO go: a second 40 per
cent will go forward oct. 3, instead
of the third 80 per cent and the re-
naming Is per cent will be called
as soon thereafter as practicable.
Disregard Liability order.
Local boards are directed To dis
regard order of liability numbers to
some extent in selecting the first five
per cent as men of experience such
as cooks and former soldiers are de-
sired at that time Warning is Civ
en-. however. against getting 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 mes
sage sent to the governors defining
the status of married men. prepared
at a conference late today between
Sec'v Baker and Gen. Crowder:
Must Establish Dependency.
a feeling has been expressed that,
i'm passing on claims for discharge
on the grounds of dependents. local
boards ought. in no case, 10 refuse a
discharge to a married man or 10 the
head Of a family. The law under
which local boards act. requires that,
before such a discharge can be
granted dependency as well as reia-
tionship must be established. The
matter having been presented 10 the
president the following are his orders
thereon;
We ought as far as practicable
10 raise this new national army with
out creating the hardships necessa-
rilv entailed when the head OF a fam
lily is taken and I hope that for the
most part those accepted in the first
call would be found 20 be men who
had not yet assumed such relations.
The selective service law makes
the fact of dependents, rather than
the fact of marriage. the basis for
exemption and there are, undOubted-
lis. many cases within the age limits
fixed by law. of men who are mar
ried and vet whose accumulatiOns
or other economic surroundings are
such that no dependency Of the wife
exists in fact. Plainly, the law does
not contemplate exemption for this
class of men.
The regulations promulgated on
June 30. 1917. should be regarded as
controlling i'm these cases and the or
ders issued under that regulation di-
! recting exemption boards 70 establish
\ the fact Of dependents in addition 70
/ the fact Of marriage ought not TO
be abrogated.' 80.
Wife Need Not Go To Work
The attention OF this office has
been invited 70 the fact, that in few
instances, local boards have certified
20 district boards AS held for military
service men whose families are ac-
tually dependent upon them for sup
/ CONTINUED on PAGE THREE)