- Transcription
H. P. WHITEHURST
ATTORNEY AT LAW
NEW BERN, N.C.
September 21st, 1917
Hon. T. W. Bickett, Governor,
Raleigh, N.C.
My dear Governor:
I am enclosing herewith petition and affidavit of Elbert McDonald Dunn, of Pamlico County, which petition is supported by affidavit of two citizens who are not related to the petitioner by blood or marriage.
This petition is presented for the purpose of obtaining a re-hearing of the claim for exemption filed by the petitioner with the Pamlico Board, which claim has been denied.
I will appreciate it if you will give this matter your careful consideration for I am convinced that in failing to grant the claim in this case the Local Board of Pamlico is doing a great wrong and working a great hardship on the dependant wife and child when as yet there is no necessity for such action.
There may come a time when men in this condition will have to be called into the service, but under the rulings that I have been able to find it is the intention and spiret of the draft law that such men with dependants should be exempted.
I wish also to call your attention to the position which seems to have been taken by the Local Board of Pamlico County with reference to dependants. The County’s quoter was 102 and in the first number called there were fifty-seven white men, all of whom were married with the exception of eleven. Out of this number there have been only seven exemptions granted on account of dependants. Exemptions have been refused, as in the case I submit herewit, where there was not only a wife but several children. It seems to be the opinion of all to whos attention has been called to the matter, that a great wrong was being done. Numerous citizens of that county have made efforts to have the Local Board re-open such cases but without success.
I am quite confident that should the Board re-open these cases after being fully instructed as to the spirit of the act that a great number of these men would be exempted.
I also call your attention to the fact that a great number of these people are farmers, as is the case with Mr. Dunn, and their crops are yet in the fields, and it seems to me that in any event they should not be called until they have had an opportunity to gather and market them. I am quite sure that there are a suffucient number of men to fill up the army for the present who could be called without them having to make so great a sacrifice.
If you should take this matter up, and I trust you will, kindly treat this letter as confidential.
Will you be kind enough to let me hear from you at once in reply to the petition enclosed herewith, and oblige,
Yours very truly,
