The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-08-30
Men With Dependents Should
Be Excused From Service in
National Army, Says Wilson

! Washington, Aug. 26.-At the direct
suggestion of President Wilson, Pro
vost Marshal General >Crowder tele
graphed to all governors tonight sup
Elemental explanation of regulations
governing the status of married me1
under the selective service law. Nc
change in regulations is made, and the
purpose of the new statement is tc
clear up misunderstanding which
have arisen in what General Crowdel
describes as "a few instances"
) In letter to Secretary Baker, quot
ed by General Crowder, President Will
son stated that the regulation direct
Ing local boards to establish the fact
of dependents in addition to the fact OF
marriage ought not to be abrogated.'
/! This leaves the regulations as they
are and the statement is designated to
make the application of the rules uni.
form among all boards.
Change Mobilization Plans
! While the statement regarding mar
ried men was in preparation new
/; orders were issued, changing entirely
the mobilization arrangements pre-.
viously made. Congestion of rail traf-
fic and the necessity of making better
provision for the reception of the men
at the environments dictated the
changes.
Under the new orders, 5 per cent of
the white men, preferably those with
military experience from each local
will ho cfo VITO nd RI %hn
camps Sept 5, inctead of 80 per cent.
They will go in five daily detachments
, of equal size and form a skeleton com.
pany organization and set up going
!, concern. into which the remaining of
the total quota can be absorbed with.
out confusion as they reach the can
tOnments.
Forty Per Cent Sept. 10
The next 40 per cent of the quota
will go forward September, 10, when
the second 80 per cent was originally
scheduled to go forward; a second 40
per cent will go forward Octobed 3, in
stead of the third 80 per cent, and the
remaining Is per cent will be called up
as soon thereafter as practicable.
Local boards are directed to disre.
gard order of liability numbers to
some extent in selecting the first S per
cent, as men of experience, such as
cooks and former soldiers, are desired
at that time. Warning is given, how.
ever, against getting into this levy by
reason Of his experience, any man who
might not otherwise have been in
cluded in the first increment of the
district at all.
Following is the text of the message
sent to the governors dealing with
the status Of married men, prepared at
a conference late today between Sec
rotary Baker and General Crowder:
As to Married Men
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 discharge
to a married man or to the head of a
family. The law under which local
boards act requires that before such
ia discharge can be granted, depen-
dency as well as relationship must be
established. The matter having been
presented to the president the follow
ing are his orders thereon:
I'VE ought, as far as practicable. to
raise this new national army without
creating the hardships necessarily en-.
tailed when the head Of family is
taken, and hope that for the most
part those accepted in the first call
will be found to consist of men who
mad not yet 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
yet whose accumulations or other
economics surroundings are such that
no dependency Of the wife exists in
fact. Plainly, the law does not con-
template exemption for this class of
men.
Wives Must be dependents"
'The regulations promulgated on
June 80, 1917, should be REGARDED as
controlling in these cases and the
orders issued under that regulation
directing exemption boards to estab.
slish the fact of dependents in addition
to the fact Of marriage ought not to
be abrogated."
The attention Of this Office has been
invited to the fact that in a few in
stances, 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 to
work and should be put to the neces.
s1ty 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
support available from relatives is
support partial or total previously ex.
tended to the applicant himself:
We do not concur in the view sug.
gested in some quarters that in case
OF wife and children actually depend
ent on applicants labor for support
and where there are no other means
OF support, the wife should be nut to
the neCeSSitv of pOino to uor, - -.