Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1917 — A FEW CONSCRIPTION FACTS [ARTICLE]

A FEW CONSCRIPTION FACTS

Procedure for Those Who Wish to Be Exempted From Service. Attorney John A Dunlap of this city has furnished The Democrat with the following information regarding the conscription procedure: 1. There are three tribunals which are based upon claims for exemption from military service. In each county in the United States and for each city of over 30,000 there are one or more local exemption boards. 2. In eVery federal judicial district there are one or more district boards having appellate jurisdiction over a number of local boards and having original jurisdiction of claims for exemption on industrial grounds. The location of the district board having appellate jurisdiction over this local board will be, made known within a few days and will be most, probably located at some point in the northwestern part of the state. 3. Appeals may- fee ..taken from the district boards on industrial grounds for discharge to the President. These are the three tribunals

with jurisdiction to pass upon all Claims for exemption or discharge. The local board of Jasper county is composed of Ben D. McColly,. sheriff, Jesse Nichols, clerk of the cir-j cuit court, and a physician to be: appointed, (Dr. C. E. Johnson having been relieved by reason of hehimself being within the draft age limit.) This board has a list of all persons to be drawn for military service and arranged in the order in which they will be called. This list will be posted by the local board for public inspection. Therefore consult your local board as to the order of liability. As soon as the quotas are assigned to each state and each board, each board will call upon persons whose cards are in its jurisdiction, instructing them to present themselves for examination. This call will be posted at the office of the local board and the papers will be requested to print it. A notice will also be mailed to you but the posting of the list at the office of the local board will be deemed sufficient notice to charge you with the duty of presenting yourself. The law therefore makes it your duty to inform yourself when you are called. The mailing is for your convenience, but if the letter never reaches you,, you cannot make that an excuse. You must report for physical examination on the day named in your call. It is your duty to report for this examination whether you intend to file a claim for exemption or discharge or not. If you are found to be physically disqualified the board will give you a certificate which will explain to you what your further duties are.

If you are found to be - r ysically qualified and file a claim for exemption within seven *• » days after your call you will be given ten <)'>).. days after filing ybnr claim of exemption to file proof. in support., of your claim of exemytibm. The . proof can consist ■ entirely of affidavits, blank forms of which may' be had of the local board, un--less the board itself should require additional evidence. If you are found physically qualified and file no claim for exemption or if you. do not-.appear for al examination your /.name will be ■posted to. the"'district board as "--fie who. was called • for.-'military :service' and was not exempted or discharged. .On the eighth day after call or within two •2 • ' days thereafter, copies of the' list'. ofpergoSs so posted to the district beards, will he givdh to the papers with a'request i for publication, will be posted in a place 'in the office fi the local ■ board accessible to the public, view ; and notice will be mailed to you at [ the address on your registrytroii i card. Remember the local boards have no jurisdiction to pa-s upon , claims for exemption >n account of industrial or agricultural reasons. The following are the only groundof exemption passei upon by the local board: 1. That you are a, county or municipal officer. 2. That you are a custom house clerk. 3. That you are employed by the United States in the transmission of mails. 4. That you are an artificer or workman employed in an armory, arsenal or nary yard of the United States. - 5. That you are employed hr the service of. the United States. (under certain conditions. • €. That you are a licensed pßo* regularly employed in the pursaa of your vocation. 7. That you are a mariner act .

uallv employed in the sea service cf any citizen or merchant wlitiin the United States. S. That you .are a married man with a wife or child dependent on you for support. ' That you have a widowed .mother dependent upon your labor for support. That you have aged or infirm parents dependent upon your labor for support. il. That you are the father of a motherless child under sixteen dependent upon your labor for ..Aim-, 'port. -■ • .12. That you are a brother of mt orphan child or children under sixteen dependent on your labor for support. L fThat you are a member of • art- well recognized religious sect or organization organized and existent May IS, 19-17. and whose then existing creed or principles forbade its members to participate in wsr i a any form and whose religious convictions are against war or parj ticipation therein in accordance* with Sthe.creed or principles of said rel.gicus organization. Another person, can file a claim ■in'your behalf but must use different forms in . filing the claims. From the day . notice that you are called is mailed and posted, you have seven i 7 > days in which you may file a claim of exemption or discharge. -If you wish to file such Idalm you may procure the forms j from the local board or take them I from the pamphlet and copy those i applicable. The procedure is simIple but somewhat exact. Your affi- * davits must be filed upon the correct theory or your claim will be disregarded. After you have filed your claim for « exemp H on or discharge you have ten *ld) drys within which to file the proof consisting of the affidavit. You will not be allowed to make an argument or introduce any other evi- ' denee before the board than the

affidavits provide. Then in the event an appeal is prosecuted either by the government or by one called for military service, the affidavits submitted to the local board will be. reviewed mnd you are given an additional five (5) days time within which to prepare and present additional affidavits before the appellate tribunal. ■ Every Claim for discharge or exemption will be decided by the local board within three (3) days after your affidavits have been filed. If. your claim is allowed, a certificate of discharge will be issued to you but this certificate may be recalled at any time the reasons upon which it is based are removed. Remember that your case may be appealed to the district board by the government and on its appeal your certificate may be withdrawn at once. When so withdrawn you stand precisely as though you had been selected for military service by the local board. If your claim is disallowed by the local board your naihe will be certified and sent by the local board to the district board as one who been called for military service and not exempted or discharged. Within two (2) days thereafter if practicable a list of those so certified to the district board will be given to the papers with a request for publication, will be posted in the offices of the local board accessible to the public view and notice will be mailed to the address on your registration card. Claims of appeal may be made by a person within ten (10) days after the day when notice has been posted and mailed that such person's name has been certified to the district board as one who has been called for service and exempted or discharged. You have five days after \|he district board receives your notice that you have filed a Claim of appeal in which to file evidence additional to that filed by you in the local board but all such evidence must consist of affidavits. The decision on your appeal must be made within five (5) days of the closing of proof and you will be. notified by mail of the action of 'tlie . board on your appeal. Oply the district board can re-1 ceiye claims for discharge' on the ground that you are engaged in industry, including ' agriculture, found to be necessary to the maintenance of the military establishment, the effective operation of the military forces, or the maintenance of national interest during the emergency. . . ' _ Such* claims must be filed wi.th the district board on or before the fifth day after the mailing and posting of notice that von have been certified' by the local board as one who has been called for servic'd and not exempted or discharged. Only affidavits can be used in filing ’ proof before the district board of a claim for ’exemption on industrial grounds. All such affidavits must be filed with five (5) days after the filing of the claim. The paramount idea is the most efficient maintenance of the government in its military operations. Remember that the fact that you are engaged in agriculture is not sufficient cause for your exemption. You must, show that your agricul tural pursuit is in truth and in fact an industry of value to the government. In other words, if you are producing a crop of weeds you are not conducting an industry valuable to the government and you would be of more value in the army, but P you are contributing materially to the government’s products that you have brought about by your own individual energies, then you have a right of claim to exemption. Also as to dependents. Dependents must be supported by the aCtlral physical or mental labor of the applicant. If those termed as dependents are in fact supporting themselves, shile the head of the house is unemployed, no claim for exemption -will be recognized.