The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-03-01
.SLACKERS HAVE
QUEER EXCUSES
SOME CONTEMPTIBLE AND
SOME ARE AMUSING
FLIMSY TALES.


Louisville, KY, March Claims
for exemption presented to draft
exemption boards in l, uisyi'le have
varied only occasionally from the
monotony offered by demands for
relief because OF dependents or for
occupational reasons.
In this connection district cxemp-
ton board officials cali att.nion to
the very evident unwilinSHess OF
many parents or wives to make any
sacrifice in order to permit he man
upon whom they are dependent to
enter the military service. They in
sist, these officials say, on ihe man
being granted exemption ecause
his going will mean tnat they will
have to live on a somewhat less
elaborate scale than that TO which
hey have been accustomed. This
is true, they say even IN those cases
where the allotment that would be
made from the mans pay ard the
allowance from the government
would make it possible foT .hem to
live comfortably.
AS an illustration: The chairman
of one local exemption board told
of a woman who came to his office
and indignantly demanaed what
they meant by putting her brother
in Class / OF those eligible for the
draft when they had been told she
was dependent on his earnings.
Questioning developed thai she was
married, the mother cj tn:oc chill
dren with a living husband, who
had, however, but a modest income,
The brother, a good sort, who
earned mrch more than did the huS-
band, had been living with the sister
and had contributed the greater
part Of his income toward her
household. To take him into the
army would mean hardship would
he visited upon her.
Amusing Incidents.
In many cases claims for eXemp-
ton made on a flimSy basis have
brought amusing incidents il their
train
One man filed out his question
naire, claiming exemption because
Of a dependent wife and child
whose residence he gave as being in
another city. The qucst;onnairc
was ailcd to the wife by he board
with a request that she fill out the
affidavit which was necessary that
she s'gn before the husband claim
could e 2llowed.
A few DAYS later the question
nairc was returned unsigned. With
it came a letter thanking the board
for information they had given hei
which she had long been trying
to obtain" in regard 20 the where
aboutG of her husband. She hat
not heart from him, n51 had h,
contributed to her support !or scv-
eral years, she said, and she hat
been trying to find him in order
that she might have a Warrant
charging non-suppo't served or
him.
unfortunately" said the eNemo.
lion Loard official, "sh did not hav,
the warrant served and on physica
examination the man proved 50 pat
emily unfit that, stretch the require
ments as we would, We could no
get him INTO khaki where Ac nigh
have done some good for once ii
his worthless life, though if would
have been a shame to burden The
army with him.
Some Farmer, This.
Anc-her man wanted exemption
because he was engaged in an agri
cultural occupation. He W;s tolC
he would have to present It to th(
district board, but before making
out tire appeal for him he was asked
lust exactly what sort o. aPricul.
tural work he was doing. lie was
driving a wagon used to haul fertil.
izer rom the manufactocy to the
railroad station.
Another man claiming exemption
on the ground that he hat a de.
pendent mother was found tC have
a per.itcntiary record, having
served three terms; that tn,
mother supported him, ard that she
was the owner of several valuable
pieces of real estate.
The one case to attract the great.
est attention of any since the first
registrants were examined by any
Louisville board was probably thai
of a man, now serving a sentence Of
ten years in the Atlanta fedora
prison. This man had attempted tC
obtain entrance to the first officers
training camp, but failed.
When he came up on the draf
call he first offered l plea Ct con.
scientious objection to war, but wa'
unable to sustain this and il was re-
jected He then offered the pie;
that he had an aged mother depend
ent upon him for support. it was
found he had not been cont: ;butinl
to her support, though canning ;
good salary, and this plea was re
jected and he was ordered to repor'
to Camp Zachary Taylor among
the first Louisville men ser. there
He had intelligence and educa
ton, and was made a corporal. The
officers heard that the men were
calling him "the German spy" Al
investigation uncovered persons
who later at courtmarticl estiheC
The man had maligned the presi
dent, saying he ought to be sho'
and that if given the chatce ht
would do it himself. This testimony
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