Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-06-06
Editors Letter Box
In Justice to MIR. Mays
I<ennebec Journal:

Editor Kennebec Journal:
General Prcsson in lis interview
published in the Lewiston Journal of
June 4th. the substance CT which YOU
reprint today, is quoted as comment
ing upon statment pIt, lished in the
Bangor Commercial as an attempt
TO defend the action Of Henry W.
Mayo Of Bangor in refusing to per-
form his duty as an Appeal Agent"
1t is a serious thing to charge Mir.
Mayo with refusing TO perform his
duty as an Appeal Agent" To those
who know Henry w. Mayo it would
to perform his duty in any capacity.
That is not his record. SO it is but
fair to see just what il was that he
refused to do. and whether it was his
duty to perform it.
1t appears that what re refused to
do was to obey an order of the Ad-
jutant General that he appeal all
Glass IVA cases.
If the law makes him subject to the
Adjutant Generals orders, he was
clearly failing to do his duty when
he refused. Docs the law make him
50 subject? A very careful exami-
nation of its discloses positively that
it does not. Thu duties of an APP
peal Agent are fully Sc: forth in Sec
lations, which are law by virtue of
the authority conferred upon the
President to make them. under the
Selective Service Law approved by
the President in May. 1917 Section
AZ contains the following:
The Governor shall designate for
each Local Board, person to take
appeals for and in behalf of the
United States. The duties OF the
persons SO designated a"e: To appeal
from any deferred classification by a
Local Board, which in ne opinion of
the Appeal Agent SHOULD be reviewed
by the District Board; ID care for the
interests Of ignorant registrants, etc.
etc"
None of the remainder of the sec
ton relates to the matter under dis
cussion unless it he the last para
graph. which is:
EVERY registrant, ami. to a certain
extent, every person in each COM
munity, is interested in the action Of
the Local Boards in each particular
case. There will be many eases in
which Local Boards have been i'm
posed upon, but in which persons af-
fected do not desire to inform such
boards of facts within their knowl-
edge. 1t shall be the duty of the
Government Appeal Agent to receive
such information and to prepare
such appeals in cases where he con-
siders appeals to be to the interest
of the Government
1t will be noted THAI an Appeal
Agent has a duty to appeal cases
which in his opinion SHOULD be re-
viewed. In Mr. Mayo's opinion all of
the Glass IVA cases did not need to
be reviewed. Therefore there was no
duty imposed upon him to appeal
them all. The law nowhere gives the
Governor. the Adjutant General, nor
the District Boar DIS the light to order
Mr.. Mayo to appeal any case. nor
any class of cases. no. does il re-
quire that he should substitute their
opinion for his own. SO Mr.. Mavo
was entirely within his rights in re-
fusing to recognize an order from
any OF them.
General PTesson should Mt once re-
tract the words referred to. If he is
responsible for them. and if the ex-
preston was a misQuotatiou no
should declare it; for h.r. Nayo has
too high reputation fu: integrity to
he so treated in public statement
Leroy l.. HIGHT.
June 5, 1918.