New Britain herald., 1918-08-11
MARRIED MEN ID GO
 IN DEFERRED GLASS
S0Cy. Baker lntimateS Their
 Status in New Draft

Washington, Aug. 10.-Marriage is to be automatically a cause for de- ferred classification in the draft. This was indicated late yesterday by Secre- tary Baker, who said he had the matter under consideration and that it would be decided when the new regu- latiOns are given out.
 New regulations are in course of preparation, MT. Baker said, to govern classifying the millions who will regis ter when the sO-called man power bill extending the age limits to IS and 45 inclusive becomes law. Important changes affecting the majority of families in the country will be made in the regulations as they now exist
 Two probable changes will affect the relationship which marriage au- tomatically bears to deferred classi- fcation and also the present require ment which calls on the individual to state whether or not he claims de- ferred classification. There has been a general opinion that both these phases of the present draft law should be reconsidered by the war depart ment, and the reason for change is all the more apparent when it comes to extending the age limit up to 45 in elusive.
 Under present regulations marriage does not necessarily constitute a cause for deferred classification. The uues- ton on which it is decided is depen- dency. Will or will not the families of the registrants suffer. not in a sen timental but in a practical financial way, if the men are among the first to be called to the colors This, it is ex- Dl9lnn6 Ina hono tho t1 eide and the boards have had the au- thority to decide it.
 In one locality where there is doubt as to whether a real question of de- pendency is involved the head of a family is put in a deferred class by the board. In another locality he is put in Al class, subject to call un- der the same conditions which apply to the man with no family and no responsibilities, In the great aiority of cases the boards ruling is proba- bly, fair, but the registrant never knows until he has been up before the board whether or not he is going to be placed in a deferred class or in Al.
 With the age limits 21 to 31 this question of dependency concerning married men was easily decided in the majority of cases because it is rare that a young man has sufficient financial means to insure his family against want regardless of his future labor. But in extending the age limit up to 45 a different condition is found to exist. There are many men between 40 and 45 who by their diligent say ing and their life of hard work have laid aside enough to guarantee sup port for their families regardless of what happens to themselves. Secre- tary Baker realizes that thousands of heads of families are in this pOsition The question at once arises as to what they are to do when called on to answer the question of whether they claim deferred classification on the ground of dependency. These heads of families throughout the land cannot claim that their families are really dependent upon their labor for support, Under the present regula- tions each and every one of these men might be put in the Al class by the board and sent into the service un- der precisely the same conditions that would apply to\ men with no depend- ents and with no responsibilities
 To Preserve Family Units.
 As Secretary Baker indicated he does not propose to have a wholesale breaking up of family life if it can be avoided. He is of the opinion that enough man power can be mar shalled without going to this extreme
 Likewise MT. Baker does not ap- pear to favor the idea. of these heads of families being called on to say whether or not they claim exemption or deferred classification on the ground of dependency. He believes that thousands of patriotic heads of families would refuse to claim de- ferred classification in these circum- stances and that an unnecessary dis turbanCe of family life would result
 What appears Ike a probable solu- tiOn-thiS is merely SpeCulatiOn- is that the War eDpartment will ma ke the marital state automatically a cause for deferred classification, except in specific and well defined cases, such as those involved when the husband does not contribute to the support of his family, when the husbands daily labor or future labor can be dispensed with by the family and Government alike or when marriage is contracted for the obvious purpose of avoiding service.
 There have been and will be cases where the married man can better be spared by his family and by the Gov ernment than the average single man, and it is necessary to hold a. club over these cases. That is why Gen. Crowder was against making the marital state as such a. cause for de- ferred classification in the present regulations. But these men, it is point ed out, can be reached just as well un- der new regulations which will make deferred classification for married men the general rule, and g set rule which will work automatically except in unusual cases to be specified in ad-