Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-11

WASHINGTON, D. c., October IA new plan
wv for using conscientious DIRECTORS as attend
w ants in prisons, insane asylums and reform
schools, is now being considered by the war de-
partment. This is practically last resort all
other attempts make use of their service having
failed. And in justice to the conscientious oD1ector
it must be stated that this is not wholly his fauIt
partly the fault of his elowcitizens who consclen
tiously object to having him about.
The war department is having as much
trouble with American patriots as it is with the
&C Os" Just as it established a splendid sys-
tenn for transferring conscientious DIRECTORS from
training camps to farms, many indignant farmers
farmers with sons in France-rose up and an
nounced that they would not take them. were
short on labor declared West Virginia farmer
but we amt going to have bunch of slackers
working for us Well take the gals first.
Of all the problems that have cropped up in
this war has been more perpleXlng imam
that of the conscientious director. None has been
more Irritating There is no precedent for deal
ing with fanaticism in the army, and one has yet
to be established The ordinary Stacker is easily
dealt with, for the ordinary Stacker Is usually a
coward, and a few days in the guard house are
enough to render him submissive and eager to go
to war. But the conscientious objectOr can be
kept in the guard house for a month, and emerge
with his conscience unaltered. 1t is this inexor-
able quality of the fanatic, who welcomes crown
of thorns as a crown of laures, that has made the
&c. o. after four years of war. as great rlddIe
as he in the beginning.
While the number of conscientious DIRECTORS
is relatively insignificant in this country 1t is much
larger than most people believe. Conservative es-
camp. Most of them are members OF relglous
sects such as the Dunkards, MennOnites and
Quakers; few are socialists and pac1tlsts, and
few also belong to unnamed sect which holds
that love, not force should rule the world
The conscientious objector raises very little
disturbance He is quiet and serene; he seldom
seeks to proseyte and he does not lose his temper
But he does not participate in the war The case
of Tobiah c. illustrates how the &c. o." conduct
ed himself in the first draft Tohiah faithfully
registered on the appointed day, was put in the
FIRST
port. He Immediately sent word that he could
not report, but that he could be found at his adj
dress Accordingly, a messenger from Tobiahs
local board appeared the next day and escorted
him to the draft headquarters.
In the hands of the military, Tobiah equal
Iy conscientious He politely, but firmly declined
to obey military orders. When it became known
about the camp that he was a Mennonite, he be-
gan to have difficulties. private in his company
caane up and stamped his foot; another stole
his boots, and another made it his duty to knock
Tobiah's hat off every few minutes. You'll fight
before you get out of here" one private told him.
But the private little understood the power or
Tobiah's will To every species of insult that was
inflicted upon him Tobiah persistently turned his
other cheek, so to speak At last, he was called
before the board of inquiry, put through a psyche
logical test, and pronounced a conscientious OBJ
iector There were -101 others besides himself,
and some of these, scattered through various COM
panies, had come to the court OF inquiry from the
guard house.
As soon as a man is definitely labeled
scientous objector, the military authorities are
place he is a constant source of disturbance in
camp where the always trying to demon
strate the weak points of his theory. In the sec
ond place, to keep him in camp is to support him
in idleness he is willing to be shot rather
than do ANYTHING to aid the But what to do
with him?
In attacking this problem the United States
had the example of England's failure before it.
England has over 1000 conscientious DIRECTORS,
and she made the mistake of putting them in
prison. Recently it has dawned upon her that this
was an expensive and useless practice and she is
irving to find some way of getting them out The
United States, under the guidance of the president,
pursued a more tolerant policy. 1t has given the
conscientious objector the privilege of entering
certain non-com Blatant units, including nearly all
branches of the medical corps; the quartermas
ter's corps and the army engineer service. They
can be assigned to work in remount depots, veteri-
nary hospitals supply depots, bakery companies,
the bathing service the laundry service the salvage
service the coth-renovating service, the shoe re-
pair service in transportation repair shops Or
in the army engineer corps, they can build roads,
Notifications, docks, wharves storehouses and rail-
ways. According to the law, that is, they can do
these things According to their consciences, they
cannot
large number of conscientious DIRECTORS have