New-York tribune., 1918-01-23
Charles F. Phillips,
Draft Evader, Put
At Top of the List
FIX Columbia Student a
"Foolish, Conceited Boy"
Says Appeal Board
Has Refused to Fight
Youth To Be Examined,
Despite Assertion He
Will Not Serve

Charles Francis Phillips, former
Columbia University student, who
thinks Ill Of the draft, was 'yester-
dsv certified for military service by
the District Board here. The higher
hoard concurred with Local Board 129
in deciding that Phillips's fve-day
sentence fer violation of the sclectivc
draft law failed to render him "mor
sllv unfit" to be a soldier, as he urged.
Neither did the appeals body show
sympathy for Phillips's parallel plea
that he was conscientious objector"
TO war. nor 20 his claim that his war
marriage was Stacker proof" In fact,
,he draft body, ever which Charles <.
Hughes presides. even refused to give
Phillips the satisfaction Of disagree
ING with him. Unanimously the Dis
trict Board stamped him as "a foolish,
ronceited youth. who may be rectified
be- the experience that comes with
.encthening years and ripening knowl-
edge" Lewis l.. Delaficld reported on
the case. and wrote the decision, which
reached the local board last night
Phillips will get an official notitica-
ton this morning He is tenth on the
list of those to be sent to camp on his
board. He will be summoned imme-
dately for physical examination, and
this IS hardly likely to postpone his
career as civilian. as he was found
physically ft during the first draft.
Phillirs can carry his case no further.
as appeals TO the President are allowed
only when the decision of the District
Beard fails OF unanimity.
"Only Foolish Youth
Philips has persistently announced
that he viii refuse to answer call
to the colors. Recently he wrote to his
local board: 1T is an abuse of state
mower to force man to Kill in def
snce Of his conscience. And So l ask
YOU to discharge me as a conscientious
objector 1t is only justice. But 1T is
we'll to remember that, in the last an
alysis, Will not fight. You cannot force
me to it. | have argued the matter
out with my conscience, and l have de-
cided to keep my hands bloodless."
To this assertion Of scruples against
armed conflict, the district board said:
"This self-sufioient boy disclaims
membership IN any recognized relig-
or principles forbid their members to
participate in war and seeks to justify
his attitude by the assertions that his
own principles forbid him to fight or
to kill His claim amounts to no more
than an assertion that because he
does not believe in them he should not
be required to obey the laws of his
country
After reviewing Phillps's adventure
in the Federal District Court on ac-
count of his refusal TO register and
his participation in a conspiracy to
defeat the draft the opinion remarks:
"As respects the claim that he is
morally unfit to be a soldier, we are
not disposed to fasten upon this foolish
boy, who is a member Of a respectable
family, the opprobrium which in his
ignorance he claims for himself More
over. we are in entire accord with the
opinion of the local board, in which
1t is pointed out that the very object
og the penalties visited by the selec-
tive service law upon violation of
its terms would be defeated if the
conviction of such a violation could
result IN freeing the offender from the
duty of military service"
In regard to his marriage to Miss
Eleanor Parker, former Barnard stu
dent, who was arrested with him last
May fer anti draft activities, which
took place on October 10, 1917, the
district board held that his question
naire contained no evidence to dis
prove the local boards finding that he
married for the purpose of evading
service. The district board will resume
Its session to-day.
Destroyed QUESTIONABLE
George Dekan, a woodcarver, of 614
last Fifth Street, yesterday admitted
when brought before United States
Commissioner Samuel NJ. Hitchcock
that he had destroyed his question:
nalre. He was held in $1,000 bail He
Is a registrant in Local Board 1O3, and
asserts he has three brothers fighting
in the Austrian army.
Miss Gladys Wirtheim, twenty-five
Years old, and Miss Roberta Johnson,
eighteen years old, both of New Lon
don, Conn, were disappointed when
their offer to enlist as cooks in the
Naval Reserve, at 2S0 Broadway, was
called unacceptable. They had been
turned down at home and hoped for
better luck here, they said