Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-19
Clerical Opposition to Draft

eral tenor OF your editorial, Dangerous Ad-
vice" and to correct certain erroneous assump-
tions therein. You make = great mistake in
seeing no real distinction between the two
groups Of distinguished Protestant chrchmen
who have made public their respective posi-
tons relative to the peacetime draft act.
The first group, which includes many Of the
most respected clergymen in America, regards
military CONSUMPTION, in an age Of totalitarian
and atomic warfare, as so contrary to the
basic tenets of Christianity that, as leaders of
the church, they cannot equivocate or remain
silent. but declare that, in their opinion, serv-
Ice under such conditions is un-Christian and
immoral. They urge that sincerely religious
people shall not even give recognition to such
an iniquity by registering or by conformity to
the law in any way. Their position is that the
church must oppose contemplation of and
preparation for a possible mass slaughter such
as the atomic bomb provides. The state under
the pretext of majority rule, should not enjoin
evil-doing upon anyone and objection should
take the form Of rejection of that evil by reso-
lutte non-conformity. Americans in Colonial
days who deied the Townshend and Stamp
Acts, on political grounds, were acting on an
analogous principle.
pressive roster as the Church can provide,
take a different attitude. They deny the
necessity for or desirability of CONSUMPTION
and believe that Christians in this new age
should take the position of conscientious OBJ
jectors. But they do not counsel refusal to
register under the law. What they do assert is
that sincere Christians who feel unable to
register should not do so chat is, they recog-
nize the conscientious position of non-regis-
trants as Christians) and that conscientious
DIRECTORS who register but whose scruples are
overridden by draft boards have a religious
obligation to go to prison rather than bow to
secular compulsion in such matter. 1t will
thus be seen that the positions taken by these
two great groups of religious leaders, while
having much in common, are divided over the
Christian duty of registration for the draft
Your editorial also fails to make distinction
between moral and legal right These Christian
leaders speak throughout their statements Of
moral right, and assert that it must take prece-
dence over legal right in case of conflict.
Again, you are quite wrong In saying that
both groups counsel evasion Of induction.
Neither statement does so. Refusal to register
and conscientious objection for registrants are
recommended; but venture to say that not q
single Ngnatory to either statement would
counsel any young man to evade the law.
Fortnight violation and cowardly or hypo-
critical evasion are quite different
It is not anarchy to refuse to obey . single
immoral law; anarchy is denial Of all law.
Furthermore, your implied endorsement of
the principle Of "unquestioning obedience of its
laws from all citizens" might well have been
drawn from the words of q Stain, Hitler, or
a Mussolini; it is utterly repugnant to Ameri-
can thought. Our jurists in Germany and
Japan are condemning to execution men who
did believe and act upon that principle.
RICHARD LANGFORD.
CARE Non.Proft Agency
To the Editor Of The Star:
In a recent letter to the editor Of The Star
. statement was made by w. Orbach that
CARE Is not Government agency and CARE
does make a profit which it has to. like any
other business, In order to meet expenses and
keep going"
In case any Of your readers should be misled
by this statement, may say that CARE is .
Government-approved non profit organization
which was formed by n Of the leading over
seas relief agencies, all Of which compose the
governing board Of CARE?
CARES exact financial statements are on
record in the ONCE Of the Advisory Committee
on Voluntary Foreign Aid Of the Department
Of State.
During the past two years CARE has deliv-
cred more than five and half million pack
ages in Europe and surplus funds resulting
from the sale of these parcels have been used
to distribute 100000 free parcels to needy Euro
pean children and invalids who have no per-
sonal friends in 1.-THE United States to help
them.
While part Of CARES expenses include paid
personnel necessary in the operation of an
enterprise which has sent over $50 900, 900 worth
Of individual packages to Europe, I think
safely can say that CARES policy of dis
tribution of surplus funds in the form of extra
relief packages has attracted hundreds of loyal
volunteers all over the United States who
donate their time and energy to CARE and
whose invaluable work makes it possible for
Americans to assist needy European families
at the lowest possible cost.
tMRs) RUTH YoHN.
Assistant Director, Washington CARE Once.
'Propasanda' Against the South
To the Editor of The STAR
In last Sundays Star there was = story
Of an escaped convict, who had appealed to
the Governor Of Ohio to prevent his return
to the state Of Florida to pay his debt to
society, on the grounds that he would be
iniaumanly treated. Now, was this story, given
out by proven criminal, supposed to be
propaganda against the South?
It seems to the writer that the newspapers
take much liberty when they publish articles
pointing finger OF guilt at one OF our SOW
ereien States without first finding out II the
facts are true.
The statement Of this convict will be read
by many persons who in their preJudiced
minds will believe that any one confined to
prison camp in the South is subjected to
inhuman treatment
Those of us from the South know this to be
untrue, and we resent the fact that the news
papers are willing to lend their pages to such