Submitted by Elaine Walton Lewis
Conroe Courier ‑ September 20, 1917
Montgomery, Texas
September 15, 1917
To the Provost Marshal General, Washington, D.C.,
To the District Board for the Southern District of Texas, Houston, Texas,
To the Local Board for Montgomery county, Conroe, Texas,
Gentlemen:
We, the undersigned, complaining of the action of the Local Board of Montgomery County, Texas, respectfully represent that in passing upon the claims for exemption from military service filed with said board, said local board dis-allowed the claims of some men who had wives and children dependent upon them for support, and who had no other means of support than the labor of the husband, and, allowed the claims of other men in better financial circumstances, who were married, but who had no children, and whose wives were not solely dependent upon them for support.
In view of the foregoing, we believe said local board abused its discretion in passing upon claims for exemption filed with it; that it did not apply the same test to each and every man similarly situated and has not fairly and impartially discharged its duties in said matter.
Wherefore, we respectfully ask that said action of the Local Board for Montgomery county, Texas, Conroe, Texas, be investigated and reviewed to the end that there be absolute, fairness and impartiality in the matter of passing upon the claims for exemption of each and every man within the jurisdiction of said local board who is called for military service.
Respectfully submitted,
H. W. Waters, M. D.
L. E. Jones, Druggist.
F. A. Talley, Farmer.
J. F. Davis, Farmer.
J. B. Martin, Farmer.
W. H. Bailey, Farmer.
Dolford W. Taylor, Farmer.
C. B. Lee, mail carrier.
F. W. Peynghaus, Farmer and Clerk.
J. M. Curry, Cotton Buyer.
J. W. Sanders, Justice of the Peace.
P. W. Davis, County Commissioner.
Stump Martin, Farmer.
J. R. Jackson, Merchant.
F. L. Gates, Farmer.
L. I. McGaughey, Merchant.
G. L. Scott, Farmer.
F. H. Sanders, Farmer.
N. B. Branch, Farmer.
T. H. Wren, Clerk.
W. W. Jernigan, Farmer.
N. H. Branch, Merchant.
In regards to allowing claims for exemption this board wishes to state to the people of Montgomery county that we have used our very best judgment in every case, according to the affidavits before us, and that we have not allowed prejudice of any kind to enter into any of our decisions. We have carried on the work given us by the government as best we could and with as much publicity as possible, and we invite the people of the county to inspect the records in our office at any time.
In regards to the petition above this board has asked the government for a special agent to come here and inspect our work. Many claims for exemption have been filed with the district board which were not sent through us, and in some cases these affidavits have differed widely from the affidavits of the same parties before us, and in some of these cases where the district board has allowed exemption if they had filed the same affidavits with us that they have filed with the district board, the applicants would have been exempted. Other of these may have to go into the service until their appeals can be reviewed by higher authority than the local or district board, if they wish to carry it that far.
Each applicant who has come before us for exemption has had his case passed on according to the facts of his case as presented to us.
We have done the very best we could in every case and we ask the cooperation rather than the opposition of the people of the county, to the end that we might raise our army quota from the ranks of the patriotic and self-sacrificing citizenship of Montgomery County.
County Local Board,
Peter West, Chairman
A. D. Coffman, Sec’y
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