Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-04-26
Compulsory Illlltarism.

| A Grand Island, Nebr., journal gives this
statement of case which came up in the
public school IN that city in February last,
involving the question of the right of a pub
lie school board to make military drill COM
pulsory upon the pupils. We give the sub
stance of the report made by this journal.
The pupils of the public schools of Grand
Island are exercised after school hours in
military drill. One of the pupils, E. c.
Hayman by name, refused to participate in
the exercise, having been instructed by his
father not to do so. For his refusal he was
expelled from the school. His father sent
him back the next morning. The professor
told him that he was expelled unless he
would agree to take part in the cadet drill,
and when the boy refused to leave, the pro-
fessor called in an assistant and went to
police headquarters and swore out warrant
for the boys arrest. The boy was taken
into custody by the chief of police, and the
case came up for decision in the court, where
it was argued before a jury.
For some strange reason not stated, the
Judge ruled that the cause of the boys ar
rest should not be stated at the trial; where
upon one of the jurors arose and said -
"Your honor, am father of several chill
dren; pay my taxes willingly, and I, as a
member of this jury, rise to ask for informa-
ton. Here is boy who is elected from our
public schools and traduced into police court
on a warrant which reads as though he was
one of the lowest criminals, and yet the tes-
timony of the State shows him to be a per-
feet gentleman in every respect; obedient
and of spotless character. Yet the jury is
prohibited from knowing a single point
which led 10 the boys arrest. l say it is an
outrage; that this jury has right to know
what this boy is arrested for. 1.-THE boy has
always been an exemplary scholar in the
schools, why should he be elected and ar
rested? l say, your honor, that this jury
has right to know what caused this boy to
be arrested"
Nevertheless the Judge still refused to al
low this most essential piece of information
to come before the jury.
The boy himself, when called to the wit
ness stand, "stated that he had never been
expelled from school before, neither had he
any trouble with any teacher and his deport-
ment cards were good; that on the evening
of the 8th of February he was expelled from
school, but here the court interrupted him
from telling what he was expelled for, stat
ing that if he referred to sthat matter dur
ing the progress of the trial, he would be
thrown into jail"
At the conclusion of the boys testimony
"attorney Glanville, for the State of Ne
braska, addressed the jury to the effect that
the orders of the school board should be
obeyed, be they right OF wrong; and that
the business of the case in question was no
concern of ours"
Then attorney Mitchell spoke for the de-
tense. "He stated that he anticipated that
and foolish ruling which would not stand in
court, and which was an attempt to take
away parental rights of the parents over
their own children; that he as father and
every other man of a family had rights over
their children which no board or Dictator
ship dare molest and advised those who
wanted forced militarism to go to Russia
where they belong. For his part he was in
this country for its freedom, and that if the
school board had right to compel school
children to take militarism against the par
ents' wish there was no longer freedom !;
that the board had just as much right to COM
pei the scholar to join the football club, the
skating club, or any other club, as they had
the 'cadets;' that many parents did not be-
lieve in monarchy, militarism, or Dictator
ship, but on the contrary preferred to train
their children for something good, something
more elevating and more honorable than
guns and swords; that guns and swords
mean blood; that blood means murder, and
that most parents have ahigher ideal of theiE