Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-06-23

DIRECTOR ARMY
WORK DECIDED
Heated Feelings Kindled by
War Prevent Conscien-
tious from Being Heroic.

correspondence of the Associated Press)
London, June 3.-The heated feel
ings kindled by war prevent the con
scientious objector" to military SER
vice from being as heroic a figure in
the perspective of the present times,
as he NAV be in some more idealistic
age Great Britain is the only nation
having compulsory military. service|
which excuses those whose con-
sciences: forbid them sto take human
life Notwithsta landing the parlia
mentary act which recognizes either
the injustice or the impolicv, of
forcing such men to bear arms. the
conscientious DIRECTORS" are objects
of general derision and suspicion.
The terms of the military service
act on this point are general and
rather vague 1t grants exemption
ION the ground Of conscientious OBJ
lection to the undertaking of combat
ant service This leaves the deci-
sion of what constitutes 'cohsci-
entious objection" principally in the
hands of the tribunals to which men
who wish to escape military service
must apply Naturally the decisions
Of different boards have been colored
largely by the personal views and
prejudices of their members. Some
of these courts have been very liberal
in accepting protestations of scruples
against fighting, while others subject
applicants to severe cross-eXamina
ton, or ridicule. and exempt very
few.
Members of the Society of Friends,
better known as Quakers, and of a
religious body called Christadelphi- |
ans, generally have been excused from
the army But others who cannot
prove that they belong to any reli
gious sect which is opposed to war. |
whose claims are based merely on
their personal scruples, have a hard
err time 1t is the popular belief. the |
claim of conscientious objection is the
chief loophole for towards and shirk-
ers, and this causes the ignOminy in |
which DIRECTORS are held.
Many Disregard Summons.
Many conscientious DIRECTORS have
dsiregarded entirely the summons to
the army. Then when brought before
the recruiting tribunals they have
been turned over to the military
courts. where they have been dealt
with practically as deserterS. Many
have been sentenced to prison, several
to terms at hard labor of two years, |
and others to lesser terms rangih. z |
down to two months of mere deten- |
ton, the mildest form of imprison- !
ment. The number of directors taken
into military custody up to the 31st |
of May was 769 Of these 1853 had |
been court-martlaled and 10 releas-
ed. The others were awaiting their
trials. The status of these men has
been the subject OF much discussion
in parliament and in the newspa pers.
and charges of cruel treatment have
been made freely by their friends.
These charges were made regarding
men who had claimed to be consci-
entious directors. and whose claims
were vetoed by the tribunals.
AS result OF the agitation, the
government has decided that men I'M
dergoing punishment for disobedi-
ence on account of alleged consci-
entious scrup!es shall be transferred
TO civil prisons and have their cases
reviewed by a judicial committee
which will have power to exempt
tnem from military duty or give them
some other work of national import
ance.
In the course of discussion in the
house OF commons Mr.. Rountree, a
Quaker member from York. said that
most OF the complaints of persecu-
ton and cruel treatment by the mill
tarv were levelled against non-com-
mlssioned officers. He believed that
30 percent OF the DIRECTORS had been
we'll treated The under secretary for
war, Mr.. Tenant, asserted that most
of the so-called persecution had been
mere horse play which it was off
fcult to deal with officially.
Some Severely Hazed.
Undoubtedly objecto-s who were
forced into the army have been ha=-
ed by their comrades. One OF the