The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-11-09

the Wayne county history of the war.
BY WILLIAM DUDLEY FoULkE
During the summer of 1917, the gov
ernor of Indiana asked me to act as
government agent to take appeals
from our local CONSUMPTION board to
the district board at Fort Wayne in
cases of exemptions and discharges.
| accepted and served in this capacity
for nine months and thus had ample
opportunity to see the practical work
ings of the CONSUMPTION law.
Considering the immense number
of men who had to be drafted by
means of an organization thus sud
denly created and composed of men
who had no knowledge of military al
fairs must say the system finally de-
veloped by Provost Marshal General
Crowder was quite admirable. There
were many mistakes, especially in the
beginning but the work as whole
was done far better than we had a
right to expect.
The personnel of these boards was
generally good. This was true of our
local board and of our district board
at Fort Wayne and | know that in
indianapolis where Lucius B. Swift
was chairman, a better man could not
have been found in the entire state.
Motives Were Good.
In many places the members not be-
ing lawyers and being often influenced
by their own opinions of right and
wrong. rather than by the rules pre-
scribed, made some curious plumbers.
They were like juries whose verdicts
are often mistaken, but yet who are
generally actuated by desire to do
The Richmond local board invited
me to be present and act as an ad-
wiser was there at most OF the
meetings. and together we went over
the CONSUMPTION lists deciding VINO
should go and who should stay. | had
no vote IN the board, but | concurred
in nearly all OF it's conclusions. | was
at first directed to take an appeal in
every case so as to give the district
board at Fort Wayne jurisdiction. but
naturally the bulk of these appeals
was merely formal.
7 selected a few of the cases where
doubted the conclusions of the 10
cal board and brought them to the at
tention of the board above. But near
" all these cases too were also al,
firmed. Between the local board ana
myself there was the utmost harmony.
Method of Procedure.
In city like Richmond, of only
o. oOo inhabitants. and in the rural
community roundabout, where every
one knew his neghbor, there was
less likelihood of fraudelant claims
for exemption than in large city.
Still in lists, which ran into the thous-
ands, the board could not know every
one and good many such Cases
might slip in. ,.u,,
The lists were given to the dally
papers as they came up for consloerd-
lion and l published notice gl'lns
an abstract of the law and the deciS-
ions in respect to the KIND OF oepenu-
ency which entitled a man to exemp-
lion and calling upon all citizens as d
PATRIOTIC duty to give information Oh
ANYTHING showing that an exemption
made nv the local board was lmprop-
or in order that the case might DC
called TO the attention of the dlstrlct
board at Fort Wayne when the ap-
peals were heard.
Few Charges of Fraud.
7 received some letters IN answer
~ this publication but in proporloti
10 the entire number. the cases d..
legged to be fraudulent were Nel
small; | also went over the l!9ts ~. -,
those who had been dlSchalSeu WIN
the chief of police and o'her itpie
sentatives of the force anu wiz 10 g
number of persons who Iao d Mite
acquaintance throughout the counti1o
and | examined the TAX ouplio are
soc whether the persons VINO "eie
lid to he dependent, had other due
Ouate means OF support. =:
- first the local board was III
cIined TO be too strict in its cohs'ruc
son of cases where there was vile
hut no children for before aiio" III
IN exemption, even where lhe WIZ
was actually dependent we requireo
nroof of i'll health. pregnancy or othei
facts showing why the wife couio ho'
or should rot support herself.
Errors Corrected.
Rut a subsequent order from the
nresident indicated that THIS conStruc
lion Of the law was a mlstdhe an
,Eat exemption should De ailo"eu a -
cases of actual dependency ever
tbouoh the wife were able to earn mel
own living. | accordingly prepared
Ic+ of all these cases, and submitted
il to the district board on appeal, tht
nvemntions were granted and the er
rOr corrected.
Richmond was originally QUAKER
community, and there were stlil man!
Friends living there and in the ad
Joining country. Naturally one woul'
exrect that there would be large mum
hers of persons who would claim eX
emption on the ground that they De
1onped to a society whose tenets tor
babe taking part in war.
The number of these cases, how
ever, was extremely small. not more
than Il score in all | should say. ant
when these men were assigned Il
non-combatan duty there was littl'
difficulty.
Many Quakers Volunteered.
Indeed many Friends volunteered
for general military service, and Their
was an active propa uganda in the sc
ciety for doing reconstruction worl
in France Many went abroad ant
took part in it and others contributes
literally. Despite the occasional hard
ships of conscientious directors else
where | cannot but believe that tn