Evening star., 1942-07-10

which have disagreed with him
sharply are now accusing him of
being a draft dodger." This Is
conspicuous instance of how the Sc
lective service law can be misrepre-
sented and the individuals drafted
hereunder subjected to grave in
Justice.
Mr.. Ingersoll has been unfairly
treated by his opponents, and the
facts of his case have not been prop
erly presented to the public. He
himself did not assist the matter
by accusing the local draft board of
prejudice. The Ingersoll case is
really no different from that of any
other that Is being considered by
hundreds of draft boards every day.
The issue of whether an employe
Is or is not indispensable is one that
does not primarily concern the reg
istrant or his opinions. He cannot
be deferred on his own testimony.
His employer claims deferment and
must make the case, proving indis-
pensability. The registrant may be
asked pertinent questions concern
ing his work, but the final decision
made by a local board turns on
whether the employer makes out a
persuasive case. If the decision goes
against the employer, he has the
right of appeal to the administra-
tive boards above the local board
and so on through the machinery of
the draft board to the President.
Must Be Irreplaceable.
What is meant by Indispensable?
The rules or instructions given to
local boards state that the employer
must prove that he has tried to re-
place the employe or that the nature
of the work done makes the employe
irreplaceable. In some instances,
employers have frankly said they
would have to abandon the particu-
lar unit or business If the employe
were not deferred. But the test,
after all, is whether substitute can
be found. In the case Of an editor
who directs publication and makes
its policies. an individual with
particular flair for the expression of
particular point OF view, 1t would
not seem difficult to make out q
simple case Of irreplaceability.
The fact that the publication may
be disliked by many citizens in the
community or that 1t may have itself
dispensed considerable injustice in
its attacks, such as, for instance,
this correspondent has from time
to time experienced at the hands
Of Mr.. Ingersoll's paper, has sb-
solutely nothing to do with the
matter.
Mr.. .Ingersoll's radical publica-
ton is entitled to be considered as
Just as essential to the morale
building OF the Nation In wartime
as any other newspaper, and 1t is
being conceded that the press is an
essential means Of communication
between the Government and the
people in war time and in the up
building Of morale generally.
Any key employe on one essential
enterprise has as much right as
the key employe Of any other busi-
ness to objective consideration by
the draft boards. Personal, political,
economic or social views cannot
properly have anything to do with
1t. The claim by some Of Mr. 1nger-
soils defenders that the local draft
board was influenced to consider his
radical views has not been proved
and in all probability is unfounded,
because the case has not yet been
decided, as it ultimately must be, on
the basis of testimony offered by
Marshall Field himself, who alone
can tell of the nature Of the work
done and the impossibility Of finding
another person with exactly Mr..
Ingersoll's fair for radicalism.
Critics are making much of the
fact that Mr. Ingersoll was an
avowed interventionist before the
United States entered the war and
that now he would be withheld
from the Army by his employer.
This is as irrelevant as the fact that
Mr.. Ingerson Is IL years old and
served in the last war. The only
thing that matters is whether Mr..
Ineersoll is or is not irreplaceable,
and on that point the local board
or the appeals board doubtless will
ask testimony from Mr.. Field.
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