OFFICE OF LOCAL BOARD
JOHNSTON CO. NO. 1

Smithfield, N.C.
February 12th, 1918.

L. W. Young, Adjutant General,
Raleigh, N.C.

Dear Sir:-

This Local Board is writing you to learn if possible the status of the Local Boards of this State; in other words it wishes to know if this Board is to follow the Rules and Regulations and Bulletins that have been sent them for guidance, or is it to discard those instructions, and in place of them take the rules as promulgated by the Governor of North Carolina, T. W. Bickett.

Under the provisions of the Bulletin No. 143 as sent out from your office purporting to be from the Provost Marshal General, Crowder, the Local Boards are told to place in Class 1 married men without children if there were other certain sources of reasonable adequate support; this Board believeing that such was the desire of the Government has placed a goodly number of married men in Class 1; a letter from the Governor dated February 9th, 1918 has been received at this office which says that no married men are to be placed in Class 1 except those who do not support their families.

To this Board these two interpretations of the law are so radically different that it is unable to see any similarity. Personally this Board desires to see married men placed in lower classifications than Class 1; but it feels that it can not conscientiously do this when they know that no financial suffering will be felt by the removal of the childless registrant.

The Governor’s letter coming when it does-after all the registrants have been classified-is causing a great deal of dissatisfaction and complaint among the registrants in the jurisdiction of this Board. Every man in the jurisdiction has been disposed of according to the spirit of the law as this Board has been able to see it from Bulletins and other Regulations for its guidance.

Every complaint that deserved any consideration has been carefully considered. But since the publishing of the Governor’s letter this Board has been besieged with registrants and others in their behalf for change of classification. To carry out the letter of the Governor’s message means that the work of this Board has been in vain; it means that all married registrants in Class 1 feel that this Board has unlawfully taken advantage of them; it means that the irritation that follows has come because this Board had tried to do its duty to the Government by carrying out instructions given it from the Rules and Regulations as well as the Bulletins sent daily.

An early reply will be appreciated, since this Board is anxious to complete its work.

Local Board Johnston Co. No. 1

L. D. Wharton, M. D.
Member Board.