The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-11-19
RULES OUT ALL
DRAFT APPEALS
Exemption Claims Before Boards
Voided by New Order From
CroWder.
BACK TO ORIGINAL STATUS
Secretary Of War Authorized to Draft
Into Immediate Service for Special
Duty Any Man Qualified for
Such Duty.

Washington. Nov. 10.-Men who
have been drafted and have appeals
from the decision Of their local board
pending will have their cases auto
matically thrown out by ruling Of
Provost Marshal General Crowder In
connection with the revision of the
draft regulation.
Major Easby-Smith. legal expert of
General Crowder's staff. who. with Col.
Hugh johnson, did most of the work
In revising and reorganizing the draft
system, explained that all such appeals
Will automatically cease to exist. as
theh man will be returned to his orig
inal status-that is to the position he
was in before being called before the
draft board.
He will be sent questionable. II
his replies to the queries In that hook
let indicate that he should be grant
ed the deferred classification-for
which his present appeal will be made
he will be so classified by the board.
Can Appeal Decision.
Should the board decide. however,
that he belongs In Class 1, subject to
immediate call. he will be so notified
and will have the right Of appealing
to the district board for such deferred
classification.
Subject to Immediate Service.
The text Of the new rule whereby
the secretary of war Is authorized
to draft into immediate service for
special duty/any man believed from
the record to be qualified for such
duty. no matter what his classifica-
ton or his order number In the draft.
Is couched in the widest terms. As
given out by the provost marshal gen.
eral It follows:
1.-THE deferred classification of ex-
perts and men highly skilled In indus
try or agriculture ts intended to pre-
vent the waste incident to Induction
into military service of men whose spe-
cial qualifications render them more
valuable to the national interest In
some other capacity.
War Need Can Reverse Plan.
There are. however. circumstances
In which the need Of the military es-
tablishment for expert men Is such
that the national interest is better
served by Inducing such men into mill
tary service than by leaving them en-
gagged In industry or agriculture. In
such circumstances neither deferred
classification nor the ground of en-
gagement In industry or agriculture
or the order numbers heretofore as
signed by lot can be permitted to defer
the call Of such men into military serv-
Ice"
clear today that because the new reg
ulations provide that men not com-
pletely crippled may be held subject
for special army service, and will not
be exempted, this does not mean that
the army proposes to fill up its ranks
munication with semidisqualified men.
Such men will be put practically in
q special class, and can be called only
under a special and specific summons
for men disqualified for general mill
tary service but qualified for special
service.
Would Admit Minor Defects.
This ruling applies to thousands of
men suffering from fiat feet, and
all minor deformities which would
disqualify them from field service. but
which would not interfere with them
operating any motor cars and such 9TH
er work, or on line Of communication
duty. 1t also applies to men under
weight. or whose health would render
them unavailable In hard weather.