Norwich bulletin., 1918-06-18
SentpnCe of Military
 ObectOrs Approved
sEc'Y BAKER uPHoLDs FINDINGS,
 OF COURT. MARTIAL
20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT
Baker Recommends That "These un- desirable Citizens Be Returned to the Countries,of Their Preference at the End of the War'-Not in Glass With Conscientious. obieetors.

[. Washington, June r (by Associated Press.-Sentences ranging from eighteen months. to twenty years i'm prlsonment imposed by courts martial upon so-called conscientious objectors who refused military service at Camp Upton, New York, and Camp Gordon, Georgia, were approved today by Sec rotary Baker.
 Most of the men objected to fighting against Germany or Austria because they have relatives there Tn approV- ing the findings of the courts, the first or the kind ito reach the department, Asr. Baker went on record as favoring che return of such men ito the coun- tries of their preference" after the war.
 Sentences Imposed. Twelve objectors were sentenced as follows:
 Hyman Polkes, fifteen years; Will liam J. Seider. twenty years; Joseph 1 White, fifteen years; Anton ZsoIdak ten years; Julius Levinthal eighteen months: Louis Silverman ten years; ! Mayer Suffkind. ten years; Louis H. eiumenthal, fifteen years: Samuel Spire, five years; Paul Bauer, ten years: William Charles Schwab, twen- 1 ty years. and Michael Ciupa, ten years. "In my judgment" said Secretary 1 Bakers approval, "the sentences should be executed and if after this i war is over some process can be de- Tised by which these entirely undesir- ! able citizens can be returned to the i countries of their preference, it would be highly desirable from the point of 1 view of the United States.
 "I have not the least doubt as to the propriety of the procedure in these lts9S I foiy tx fta
 correctness of the results reached.
 Gave "shuffIing" Explanation. ;, "The soldiers Tn all these cases were
 either naturalized citizens of the
 United States or native citizens of the
 countries with which the United
 States is now It war. They were
 properly members of the army of the
 United States pursuant to the selec-
 tive draft law. =. They were sum
 moned before proper officers of the
 army and asked whether they would in fact fulfil their military obligation: ; by fighting. against Germany and Aus.
 tria in Europe. They all answered that they would not. zs3s z.3. < There wa. ' the same shufflfng on the part of som, of the soldiers as to. what they mean , by their answers. and some long winded def1nements were undertaken to the effect, that some of them swer
 willing to fight Germans and Austrian l in general, but would not fight thei own relatives. although they offered /. TO explanation of the process b.
 which they were going to discove whether particular Germans and Aus trians whom they were required t l shoot at from long range happened t ' be related to them.
 "In one of the records the soldie : claims to have an uncle. evidently to old to be in the military service o , Austria, whom he once saw. and h 5 had heard of ten or twelve other rel
 atiVes in Austria: some of whom h
 had seen photographs which mus
 have been of a very persuasive char , tacter, since they aroused in him emo , tions of blood kinship strong enoug
 to overcome the obligations of his oat If allegiance as an American citi
 zen.
 | Equal Rights, Equal Responsibilities f These men were full citizens of tn n United States. most of them by tn q voluntary act of naturalization. The r were full citizens in the sense ths :. they had equal rights and privilege " with all other citizens. They have al so equal possibilities. Among thes e duties and responsibilities is to pro ,+ tect the United States against all ii e enemies, domestic and foreign. N s right is extended to a naturaliZe M citizen to pick and choose"