Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-01-28
CHAIRMAN OF DRAFT
BOARD SAYS JACK
DEMPSEY NO Stacker

Charging forth to the defense of
Jack Dempsey, who various posts OF
the American Legion and other peo-
ple have been eondemning as a slacs-
er during the war. John S. Hogan.
chairman Of the local draft board Of
san Francisco, in lengthy statement
which Is being sent to the newspapers
of the country. denies that the heavy
weigh champion is in any sense TO be
considered Stacker.
II is evident from the extensive man
ner in which the Dempsey adherents
are circulating the statement Of Hogan
mat they are more or less worried over
the charges which are being hurled at
the man who stole Jess Wizards crown
despite iheir early assertions that the
very idea was ridiculous.
III Jack Dempsey is a Stacker, then
I am Stacker and the man In the
first line trench was a Stacker" says
Hogan.
eAs chairman of tho local board
which passed upon his exemption
claims and placed him IN deferred
classification, am IN a position 20
make this unqualified statement.
Dempsey at no time Impressed ms
az man who would Willingly shirk
his ltary dnty. | do not believe he
knows the meaning of fear and ! was
convinced from what conversation |
haa with him. and from my own in
yestigation, that were It my duty to
have placed him in class Ia he would
have gone to serve his country with
out question OF appeal.
'''rhe exemption laws were clear
enough on the point Of deferred cias-
slfleation aud Dempsey had not merely
one valid claim for exemption from
military duty but three.
'The circumstances in the Dempsey
case, as they came under my obseWa-
tion were these:
Il had just returned from a visit to
san Jose one evening when my phone
rang. ] was told there was a regis
trant at tn. office in the Hall OF JUS
tlce who wanted to have his classified
tion made at once as he was leaving
for the east the next day. Requests
for immediate classification were fire.
auent then for It was Ut this time u
drive was on picking up non-regis-
frants Eyen II military eligible was
in 4-A ana did not have his card to
prove it ne would he lodged In jail
u investigated his claims thorough
~, though, az / have said, the estab-
lishing Of the validity Of just one of the
claims was sufficient TO force me as a
government official TO place him in de-
ferred classification
II was Yatisfied with Dempsey'sI
claim at the time and had no hesl-
fancy in placing him in class IA
nor have ! since been convinced that
his classification was wrong or that his
CLAIMS for exemption were 70 be dlsrc-
garded any more than the thousands
OF others who came under my jurisdlc-
tlon ms un exemption board chairman
kearns mentioned ut the time that it
was Dcmpscys intention to box
throughout the country for various
war stunts,
MY personal opinion was that man
who was able to earn thousands Of dol
lars for The Red Cross and the various
war charities was more valuable to his
government IN that capacity than car
rying q gun,
"Dempscy was waiting FOR me when
arrived nj the hail, Jack Kearns
who was With him, spoke up and intro
~ nj
ed to be classified. ! had never seen
either one before and did not know
Dempsey even by reputation. As a
matter Of fact, his puglistic record at
that stage OF his career in 1917 was
not such as would command attention
any more than that Of the average
four round boxer,
Dempsey explained that he was
leaving for the east the next day for
a war charity fund lie wanted his
local boards permission to go and
needed his classification card to pro-
tect him and from being picked up
and Jailed
"Dempsey said his QUESTIONABLE was
on file-he merely asked to be olassi-
fled so he would know whore he stood
IN the draft,
'I scured Dempsey's QUESTIONABLE
aud read Il thoroughly. He had set
forth three claims for exemption, hav-
ing been helped In making 1t out by a
member OF the advisory board, He
was married mamie was support
Ing his paren's-was also supporting
an invalid brother and sister and in
addition he was making payments on
ranch fof his parents, He made no
further statement setting
fnrth iha facts