The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-26
CONSCIENTIOUS DIRECTORS.
War DEPARTMENTS Attitude Toward
Them Is Explained.

4hSAu 40 LA PloiHSHs
The war departments policy regard
ing conscientious directors has from the
beginning been based on the provisions
of the federal draft law and subsequent
executive orders. Ii has been the liberal
American policy OF according a measure
Of self determination to few who in all
sincerity have not been able to adjust
their minds TO the needs Of the present
sudden and desperate emergency to
whom direct participation in the war
would violate religious convictions, a.
we'll as sense of seh-respect and in
tegrfty of character
In dealing with obiectors the Difficult.
ties have not been primarily those of
policy. but Of practical procedure. First
Of all the insincere have had TO be diff
ferentiated from the sincere. The Sec
ond difficulty has concerned the DISPOSE
ton OF sincere directors in ways that
would conserve the man power of the
nation. This has been complicated by
MISUNDERSTANDING and by peculiar To-
cal situations; but with growing expert
ence Rlany complications have been elm
mated as requisite governmental ma
chinery to this end has been perfected.
The usual procedure as thus far de-
veloped is as follows:
A draftee is certified as a conscientious
objector by his local board on proper
presentation of facts. On call he goes
to a cantonment as does any ether
drafted man. He there has hearing
before board of inquiry on conscien.
tious DIRECTORS, made up Of Major Wal
ter G. Kellogg Judge Julian Mack and
Dean Harlan 4. Stone Of the Columbia
law school.
Pending hearing directors are segre-
gated in camp as a special detachment
under control OF military officer, and
live under the same conditions as an
ply to soldiers in training, except that
no military duties are expected. La.
Dor is usually required, and in notable
instances this has had considerable nom
etary value At Camp Sherman, for
instance. the c. o. detachment has
hauled manure and fed hogs on large
adjoining farm, the owners of which
have contracted for disposing of the gar
bage Of the camp. There has been reg1.
lar compensation for these services and
resulting proceeds are on deposit in
1ull1ttDlHt bhilh hhhitit W b4AueANt W
the treasury Of the Red Cross.
The board Of inquiry passes on the
sincerity of directors. Those adjudged
insincere are required to perform regu.
lar military service, in default of which
they are subjected to court martial and
remanded to the disciplinary barracks of
Fort Leavenworth Those adjudged sin
cere are encouraged TO enter non-com-
Blatant, military service; and many have
done so. But those whose convictions
prevent this are furloughed to various
forms Of service under the jurisdiction
of a civilian commissioner of the de-
partment who has supervisory and rec
ommendatory powers. The vast majority
Of objectors have been lifelong members
of religious scots, the tenets of which
forbid participation in war. Most prom
inent among these are the Society Of
Friends, the Mennonities, the Dunkards,
the Christadelphians and various minor
sects such as True Lights, Holy Jumpers
and others little known outside of re-
stricted and isolated areas. A large
proportion of the Friends have been fur
Laughed by the board Of the Friends
Reconstruction unit, an organization OPP
Grating under the American Red Cross in
the work Of rebuilding devastated areas
in France. Others are furloughed main
ly into agricultural service. In instances
one or more objectors have been placed
out on small farms on the recommends.
tion Of county agricultural agents, who
know local conditions and maintain gen
eral oversight of furloughed men. These
are paid the prevailing local wage-rate
for men Of their degree of skill; but
they are allowed to retain only a pri-
Yates pay, any surplus above that
amount being paid to the Red Cross.
In other instances directors are fur
Laughed in groups to harvest apple, corn
or other crops in danger of loss because
of local labor shortage; to undertake
work of land reclamation, to carry on
large4scale farming operations in the
west, or to reduce the labor shortage in
state institutions for detectives, which
are often in dire straits because their
regular forces have been cut down by The
army draft or drawn off by the high
wages current in outside employments
In the early future, detachments Of con-
scentious directors will in all likelihood
be sent to France to render forms Of
service, agricultural or otherwise, not
directly connected with the prosecution
of military activities.
in short, every effort is being made to
respect the sincere scruples of small
minority of our people, at the same time
that their power TO contribute to the ma
tions efficiency is turned to good &C.
count. There is PROFESSIONALLY strong
sentiment in many quarters against the
granting Of immunity from military
service to any group in our population,
however small But many DIRECTORS are
not without the courage of their con-
victions. They would resist compulsion
to the end. We might iinprison or
shoot them. But Prussian practices
such as these would hardly appeal in
democracy. On the other hand, a meth
Cd which conserves the man power Of
the nation, and accords to furloughed
directors q lot that is endurable and
serviceabe, but in no sense pampered,
will, it is believed, commend itself to
the common sense and practibility Of the
American people.