The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-19
NOW FOR EXEMPTIONS AND SELECTION

)NS AND SELECTION
to any one Of the very many of the re-
Hgious denominations recognized in
this country. had established faith
and set up a tabernacle of their own
in the village they adorned, and had
decided to be known as the Travelling
Evangelists, or some such unusual and
appealing title. The appellant, pos
sessfng apparently the gift of fore
sight in an extraordinary high degree,
had caused himself to be appointed
minister to this unique flock the year
before the war. and when not actively
engaged in peripatetic evangelism he
was wont to occupy himself as gro
GER and exc as a baker, while his
place of workship alternated religious
services with dressmaking, and the
cult of chiffon. The counsel for the
appellant actually suggested that any
two persons nigh decided upon any
novel principles of faith, and that the
one might ordain the other as its
minister, the chosen one then becom-
ing happily immune against the I'M
welcome attentions of those who adj
minister the military service act. We
rejoice to learn that those views did
not commend themselves to the JUS
tices of appeal, that the conviction
was upheld, and that the appellant can
now add soldering to the many other
activities in which he has been con-
cerned, whether as layman or as d.
v1ne."
Exemption Regulations out Soon.
1t is hoped that President Wilson
will issue proclamation, defining the
exemption regulations, before the end
of the week The war department
feels that it would be a mistake to
postpone the announcement until next
week, believing that it is unwise to
keep the young men of the nation on
the anxious seat any longer than is
absolutely necessary. A tentative
draft of the regulations, covering the
presidents views on the subject has
been submitted to the president for
his final approval. Whether recent de-
velopments have necessitated revis-
ion is more or less question. State
ments made at the white house, how
ever, indicate that few minor
changes may be made. One addition
may be mace to the general exemp-
ton classes which have been outlined
previously and which are quite gen
orally understood. That is, If admin
istration officials are to be believed,
the government has no desire or in
tention< of drafting married men with
persons solely dependent upon them il
it possibly can be avOiueu. The gov
eminent does not want to draft man
who has wife and one or more small
children solely dependent upon his
weekly pay envelope for food and the
roof over their heads.
Waste Time in Picking Camp sites.
Valuable time has been lost in pre-
pairing for the construction of the six
teen great environments at which The
first national army will be quartered
during the initial days of training.
With the middle of June here, only
seven of the sixteen camp sites have
been selected and the construction
work has not started at single camp.
In little more than two months these
camps, large enough to quarter 40, 900
men each, must be completed. In
stead of delegating this task to one
man or one board in supreme author
ity, it has been given to many men
and many boards, with the result that |
tACI iistS pSSh III Htdu VI tdll W Tic
start of the work and it is next to i'm
possible to place responsibility for the |
delay. When it was decided to con
struct sixteen camps, the commanders |
Of the various military districts were
instructed to select the site in their |
district The commander appointed |
board which submitted report after |
making the selection. The command |
ar reported to the war college, the war |
college to the assistant chief Of staff, |
he assistant chief of staff to the act !
ing chief of staff, the acting CHER OF |
staff to the secretary of war, who |
took the final action. Had the report !
been made direct to the engineering |
officer or an engineering board, all of |
he sites, instead of only seven. would
nave been selected long before this
line. Ae least this was the opinion
today by high department
official who said that the task
night have driven the man in supreme
authority to a sanitarium, but never
heless would have been worth the
'rice.
cost More Than Years Work In
Panama.
The time for criticism. however, Is
lot the present 1t will come on
sept. /, if the camps are not ready for
he drafted regiments by that time.
officials, doubtful as they are, hope |
hat some human dynamo will be dis
covered to direct the work. Perhaps,
o far as actual time is concerned, this
S a bigger task than ever before at
empted. To make comparison, in
wo months and half more money
will be spent on the camps than went
nto the Panama canal in any one
ear. Each camp will have one thou
and buildings, ample water supply,
he best of sewerage, streets, rail-
Dad, etc. Thirty-eight hundred car
Dads of materials will be required for
ach cantonment. Thirteen hundred
ars will carry the 2s,000,000 feet of
nmber needed to build each camp.
The only thing that can be said now
, that If seeing next tO impOssfhlo RI