Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-02
WAR OBJECTOR
STATES DEFENSE
Issues Must Be Thought Out, Not
Fought Out, Conscientious
Pacifist Urges
To The Editor Of the Evening Ledger:


Sir-Beyond a shadow of a doubt Ger
many is the worst international brigand
the world has ever seen. Today she stands
justly condemned by all civilized nations;
the world is almost united in it's effort to
defeat her by means of war. II there was
ever a just war. if there was ever war
prompted by high idealism and unselfish
purpose, this is such war.
Nevertheless. we have in our midst a
group of men and women who absolutely
refuse to aid i'm the prosecution of this
war. 1t Is incumbent upon this group to
show cause why its members should not
be regarded as a menace as serious to the
nation as Germany herself. l am one or
that group, and l ask you to permit me to
explain why 1 am pacifist and con-
scientious objector in wartime and why 1
cannot aid in this war.
/ am not ignorant OF the crimes Ger
many has committed / neither deny them
nor see any legitimate reason for doubling
the reports circulated concerning them. To
attempt to defend them is absurd. l
have the greatest admiration for the
men who conscientiously feel that the
only way to restrain Germany Is to wage
war upon her. When / see these men who
have Joined the army, men who are willing
to make the supreme sacrifice that an ideal
of world peace, freedom and democracy
may be realized 1 cannot but admire them
Yet cannot join them because feel that
the method they have adopted can never
bring a9out the result they seek. In fact,
think that war must indefinitely post
pone the realization of world democracy
rather than usher it In. Such a world
order must rest upon mutual understanding
and good will. War does not create either
understanding or good will. The problem Is
how can these forces be brought to bear
upon the present situation.
For years the German people have been
taught that the other European nations
threatened their very existence, and the
rNsople doubtless believe this. Strange as
II seems to us, the German people think
they are fighting defensive war Strange
as II seems TO them, we think we are fight
ing a defensive war. In this war both
peoples see a justification for their belief.
our problem then is simply thls-to con-
vince the German people that We do not
wish them i'll and to convince ourselves
that the German people are not fighting
for the pure love of carnage. This can
be done only by creating some basis for
mutual understanding. There is, think,
only one way by which such an under
standing can be created, and that is by
doing something that will convince the
German people Of our unselhsh motives.
The German people will judge of our
motives by our actions, not by our words.
They will Judge us exactly we Judge
them To wage war upon them will not
convince them that we desire for them
equal opportunity for national development.
we must adopt a method that will adver-
| tise the motives which animate us, and
point to the ends we see.
do not now and never have advocated
an active obstructionist propaganda. That
| is a method which / must condemn as much
| as do war itself. 1t creates neither under-
| standing nor sympathy between the con-
| tending factions. Nevertheless when I am
| told that now the question must be fought
out. / cannot but believe that eventually
| the problem must be thought out, and until
| then it will not be solved. Serious nterna-
tional problems cannot be properly con-
| sidered in time of war. Does war aid IN
dispasslonate thinking on international prob
/ lems2
believe that we can never hope for a
solution of international problems excepi
BY negotiation after some bonds of sym.
pathy have been found or created. These
\ negotiations must result In the establish
ment Of some degree OF voluntary co-opera.
tion among the nations The very nature
| OF war makes II ineffective In the estab-
| lIshment Of voluntary cooperation. This
| sort OF cooperation Is a matter OF will and
| war Is ineffective when used 70 coerce the
will. II may gain an Apparent. but not 4
real, victory. We must win Germany 10 our
ideals, not force her 70 adopt the forms n
which we clothe them while rejecting IA
spirit which gives than life
am told that this 70 impractical, deny