The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-17
Redistribution Conclusion Is
Causing Trouble Now.
Huffman and Appeal Board
Getting Complaints.
NEAR FIGHT AT OSKALOOSA
Sheriff Threatened To "Clean
Up" at Hearing.
Rural Districts Are Causing
Greatest Annoyance.

Confusion over Redistribution or
ders are today causing the district ap-
peal board and the adjutant generals
office all manner of trouble. Hun
dreds of letters were received today
from all sections of the state. and it is
believed that the flood of mail from
district boards, as we'll as protests from
registrants and their relatives will
swamp the departments before the end
OF the week. Reclassification work
began today in practically every coun-
ty in the state.
1t is probable that scores of special
investigations of agricultural and in
dustrfai~ claims will be made as re-
suit of the new war department or
ders. Less confusion is expected in
the classification of the new regis
trants under the new form of ques-
tionnaires. They cover more fully the
details of claims for agricultural and
Industrial deferments and are expect
ed to block repetitions of the present
trouble.
TO Replenish Class 4.
Between 5000 and 10000 new class
1 men are expected as a result of the
reclassification now under way in
various counties. An additional 5000
front-rank7 men are expected to be
added under regulations issued last
week automatically reclassifying men
married since the passage of the Sc
1ective draft law.
Much of the trouble before the local
and district boards this week will
doubtless come from the rural dis
tricts. In a number of instances where
Investigation has been made, several
members of a family have won de-
ferred classification thru individual
@1z ell Nf1f Tn
a number of cases two and even three
and four brothers have been deferred
on farming showings when facts
showed that each man filed claim for
responsibility of running the same
farm. These claims automatically
went to the district boards, and in the
absence of a complete record, many
men who should have gone to class 1
were deferred. The new order is ex-
pected to readjust this trouble.
Near Fight at Oskaloosa.
representative of the district
board nearly refereed a free for-all
fight in Oskaloosa Saturday when he
heard a claim for deferred classifi-
cation of G.. E. Shultz, a jefferson
county farmer. According to reports
which came to Topeka today, Sheriff
O'Brien and number of his friends
threatened to clean up on the father
of the registrant and witness dur
ing the investigation. 1t was the first
case where the reconsideration has
threatened bloodshed in Kansas.
Scores of registrants and relatives
will appear before the district board
this week in order to prevent reclas S.
ification orders which will advance
men to the front rank. The plan of
the board calls for a careful combing
of the entire state in order to pro-
perly list all registrants. One report
today was to the effect that an entire
section of a Kansas county had not
sent a man to the war under the selec-
tive service act. Three men entered
volunteer service. All others are said
to have been deferred under agricul-
tural claims or exempted under early
orders of the local board.