The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-09-28
government MOVES
TO RELIEVE HAROSHIPS
Of DRAFTED SOLDIERS
Detailed Instructions issued by Pro-
vost MARSHALL General Crowder
to Remedy Harm Wrought
Internationally.

Recognizing that there is urgent
relieving hardships in cases where.
either through ignorance in law of
local or district board or through the
non-culpable ignorance of the regis
trant. person who clearly ought to
have been exempted or discharged
Marshal General Crowder has issued
explicit instructions for the guidance
of the state authorities. a copy being
received yesterday by Governor Henry
c. Stuart
The instructions deal with two gem
eral classes where the men have not
been indicted into the service and
where the yhave been indicted into
the service. After entering the ser
vice they are out of the jurisdiction
OF the exemp tion officials and directly
under the war department. which ne
cessitates different procedure.
Where the man has been indicted
in to the military service, which
means from the day and hour speci-
Ned by the local board or the adult
ant-Eeneral OF the state for him to
report for military duty. the local
boards may reopen the case upon its
own m otion II the district board has
not certified the name back II the
district board has certified the name
back, permission may be secured from
the adjutant general for the reopen
ing of the case.
A man already indicted into mill
tary service cannot be discharged
therefrom under authority OF the
selective service law. bot he can he
discharged by the secretary of war
under his plenary authority to dis
charge men from military service In
cases of hardship. q discharge from
military service may he granted on
the ground that the exemntion or dis
charge from draft should have been
granted. The military authorities
cannot conveniently review the action
of the selective service sH.etn'1 on she
question Of exemption or discharges
and, II viii he % great convenience
for the military authoritiea ta have
the decision OF the local aud The dis
trtct boards on the question ~
whether the exemption OF DISCHARGES
SHOULD have been granted originally
wher@ the person has never re-
ported to the local board Mt all and
has been certified 10 the adiuiant-
general ~ the state and has been
ordered by the aajutent- general to-
report FIR military duty and FL thus
indicted ioto the military service the
ad3utan1 -au oral % the state may
withhold entry % the name or the
registrar ard NAV request the pro,
per local hoa rd to reopeH the case
The loenl board should then reopen
the case nase upon is merits. and
certify f. 10 the district board. which
viii then act n the claim Is denied
he viii receive q discharge from the
adiufaot~". neral Of the army
Wha~e the man hes been called 10
report f@r military duty hv a local
board ed sent to the mobilization
Camp either the local board or the
milttarv authorities al the mobil!za
tiou can'o NAV request Of the adult
snt-ven~rai 90 the state permission
for the local heard TO reopen the case
for the TslrpoSe ~ determining whether
or not the exemption or DISCHARGE
should have been granted. or the
adjutant general Of the state may re-
quest the local hoard 10 reopen the
case for the same purpose
IT IL - determined that she dla- I
charge should have been granted. the
commanding Officer NJ the mohlfiza-
tinu camp viii discharge the man from
military service
All concerned are cautioned that
great care must he taken to see that
this authority Is not abused or used
as a method Of obtaining rehearings
In cases where the only question is
one of the determine ton Of fact hvi
the boards, or in any other class OF
cases than those specified There are
relatively very few Of these cases and
neither the military authorities at the
mobilization camp nor the adiutant- !
general OF states are hereby consr itut- /
ed boa rds of review Of the action OF !
local and district boards.