The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-11
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ATION
BURE AU
FREDERIC J, HASKIN. Director.
THE &C. or PRoBLEM.
Washington. d. c.

washington ~. ~ III
THE sc. O." PROBLEM.
Washington, D. c., Oct. IA new |
plan for using conscientious directors !
as attendants in prisons. insane |
asylums and reform schools, is now
being considered by the war depart |
ment. This is practically last resort, |
all other attempts to make use OF !
their service having failed. And in
justice to the conscientious objector it
must be stated that this is not wholly
| his fault, but partly the fault of his
| fellow citizens, who conscientiously
object to having him about
The war department is now having
as much trouble with American patri-
| OTIS as it is with the &C. O's." Just as
| it established a splendid system for
| transferring conscientious ob1ectors
from training camps to farms. many
| indignant farmers-farmers with sons
| in France-rose up and announced
| that they would not take them.
Were short on labor declared q
West Virginia farmer, but we amt
working for us. Wen take the gals
| first
OF all the problems that have
cropped up in this war. none has been
more perpIexing than that of the con-.
| scientious director. None has been
more Irritating. There is no prece-
| dent for dealing with fanaticism in
! the army, and one has yet to be estab-
1ished- 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
month and emerge with his conscience
unaltered. 1t is this ineXorable quail
| ity of the fanatic, who welcomes
| crown of thorns as a crown of laurels,
| that has made the &C. o." after four
years of war, as great a riddle as he
| was in the beginning.
| While the number of conscientious
DIRECTORS is relatively insignificant in
this country, it is much larger than
most people believe. Conservative eS-'
Inmates place it at approximately 200
per training camp. Most of them are
members of religious sects such as the
Dunkards, Mennonites and Quakers;
few are Socialists and pacifists. and
few also belong to an unnamed sect
which holds that love, not force,
should rule the world.
The conscientious objector raises
very little disturbance. He is quite
and serene; he seldom seeks to prose-
lyte, and he does not lose his temper.
But he does not participate in the
war. The case of Tobiah C illus
trates how the &C. O." conducted him
self in the first draft. Tobiah faith
fully registered on the appointed day,
was put in the first class, and in due
time was called upon to report. He
Immediately sent word that he could
not report, but that he could be found
at his address. Accordingly, a mes
Isenger from Tobiah's local board ap-
| peared the next day and escorted him
to the draft headquarters.
In the hands of the military, To
bah was equally conscientious. He
politely, but firmly. declined to obey
military orders. When it became
known about the camp that he was a
Mennonite, he began to have difficult
ties. A private in his company came
stole his boots, and another made it
. his duty to knock Tebiah's hat off ev-
cry few minutes. you'll fight before
you get out of here" one private told
him. Bat the private little under
stood the power of Tobiah's will To
every species of insult that was in
flicted upon him Tobiah persistently
turned his other cheek, so to speak.
At last, he was called before the board
OF inquiry, put thru a psychological
, test. and pronounced conscientious
objector. There were 101 others be-
sides himself, and some of these, scat
tered thru various companies, had
come to the court of inquiry from the
guard house.
u AS soon as a man is definitely label
~
tary authorities are extremely anxious
to get rid of him. In the first place.
ne is constant source of disturbance
In camp where the men are always
I ! trying to demonstrate the weak points
OF his theory. In the second place, to
keep him in camp is to support him
in 1dleness. because he is willing tc
l be shot rather than do anything to aid
the war. But what to do with him?
= states had the example of England's
failure before it. England has over
1000 conscientious DIRECTORS, and she
made the mistake of putting them ir
i prison. Recently it has dawned upor
her that this was an expensive and
useless practice, and she is trying to
find some way of getting them out
: The United States, under the guidance
" OF the president, pursued a more toler.
= ant policy. 1t has given the con.
scientfous objector the privilege of en-
It tering certain non-combatant units
|. including nearly all branches of the
medical corps; the quartermaster'l
corps and the army engineer service
They can be assigned to work in re
it mount depets. veterinary hospitals
# supply depots, bakery companies, thu
!, bathing service, the laundry service
= the salvage service, the cloth-renovat
: ing service, the shoe-repair service ans
e IN transportation repair shops. Or, ii
the army engineer corps, they cal
build roads, Notifications, docks
wharves, storehouses and railways
e According to the law, that is, they cal
do these things. According to thei
g consciences, they cannot.
If A large number of consideration
=. DIRECTORS have objected to entering
A. the non-comb Blatant service designate,
p for their special benefit by the presi
1t dent for two reasons: First, becaus
- most of the work was considered to b
aiding 1.-The accused thing" as the
% term the war; and second, becaus
,e both in the quartermaster's corps an
in the army engineer corps fighting il
self-defense is often a necessary duty
drilling for such a contingency bein
he mart of the training There fI,ir