Evening star., 1918-06-17
Dozen DIRECTORS
ARE SENTENCED
Secretary Baker Would Send
Them to Country of
Preference.
ALL FULL u. S. CITIZENS

Sentences ranging from eighteen
months to twenty years imprison-
ment, imposed by courts martial upon
so-called conscientious objectors. who
refused military services at Camp Up
ton. n. Y. and Camp Gordon. Ga.
were approved today by Secretary
Baker.
Most of the men objected to fight
ing against Germany or Austria be-
cause they have relatives there.
In approving the findings Of the
courts, the first of the kind to reach
the department. Mr.. Baker went ON
men "to the countries of their pref
erence" after the war.
Twelve Are Sentenced.
Twelve objectors were sentenced. as
follows:
Hyman Polkes. fifteen years; Will
liam j. Seider, twenty years; Joseph
White, fifteen years: Anton Zsoldak.
ten years: julius Levinthal, eighteen
months: Louis Silverman, ten years:
Mayer Suffkind, ten years; Louis II.
Blumenthal. fifteen years: Samuel
Spire, FIVE years; Paul Bauer, ten
years; William Charles Schwab. twen-
ty years. and Michael Ciupa, ten
years.
In my Judgment" said Secretary
Baker, THE sentences should be ex-
ecuted If after this war Is over
some process can be devised by which
these undesirable citizens can be re-
turned to the countries of their pref
erence, it would be highly desirable
from the point of view of the United
States. / have not the least doubt
as to the propriety of the procedure
in these cases. nor am l uncertain as
to the correctness of the results
reached.
All Are Full q. s. Citizens.
The soldiers in all these cases
were either naturalized citizens OF
the United States or native citizens
of the United States born OF parents
of countries with which the United
States is now at war Tney WS
properly members of the Army OF the
1ective draft law. They were
summoned before proper oficers OF
the Army and asked whether tney
would, in fact, fulfill their military
obligations by fghting against Ger
many and Austria in Europe Ine!
ali answered that they would not
There was the same stunning on
the part of some Of the soldiers as
to what they meant by their answers
and some lOng-wln0ed reuuc"C 70
we're undertaken to the eject tina.
some of them were willing 70 n9nt
! Germans and Austrians generaily. poi
would not hght their own ret@ttses'
| Although they offered no explanation
Of the process by which they were go
| inr to discover whether parficuiar
Germans and Austrians whom the.
we're required to shoot at from long
range happened to be related to them
Have Relatives in Austria.
"In one of the records the soldier
claims to have an uncle. evidently too
old TO be in the military service OF
Austria. whom he once saw. and ne
had heard of ten or twelve other rela-
t;ves in Austria, of some Of whom he
had seen photographs which must
have been of a very persuasive char-
acter. since they aroused in him emo
Tions of blood kinship strong enough
to overcome the obligations OF his
oath of allegiance as an American
citizen.
United States, most of them by the
voluntary act Of naturalization. They
were full citizens in the sense that
they had equal rights and privileges
with all other citizens. They have
also equal responsibilities. Among
these duties and responsibilities is to
protect the United States against All
its enemies, domestic and foreign:
No right is extended to naturalized
citizen to pick and choose.