TREATED BETTER NOW

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 150, 3 September 1941, Page 2

TREATED BETTER NOW

WAR OBJECTORS MORE HUMANE VIEW JJFE STILL NOT AN EASY ONE Sometimes a nation does learn from experience. The British record in the treatment of conseierf tious objectors during the last war is not the pleasantest page in the history of this island; it could have oeen a great deal worse, but it ought to have been a great deal better, writes H. N. Brailsford in the NeAV Republic. This time it is j very much better, and the credit belongs to Neville Chamberlain, avlio showed in this matter a humane commonsense that Mr Lloyd George lacked. Chamberlain understood that if a man is compelled to make a show of fighting in violation of nis conscience, not only Avill he light poorly, if he fights at all; he will demoralise all around him. From the start he resolved that this lime there should be no coercion of rebellious consciences, and he said so bluntly. What is more important, he used thq experience painfully won in the last Avar; this time the law Avas more far-sighted and elastic, and it provided not merely local tribunals to hear pleas for exemption from military service, but a'so four appeal tribunals iO check their decisions.

Gradations of Principle The problem is not simple. Conscientious objectors are always by temperament or tradition individualists, but they have nothing else in common. Some draw the line ■ mly against taking human life •vith their own hands, but they are vvilling to Avork Avith a pen or a spade in uniform in the army. Others refuse to take the military oath, but they Avill gladly sen 7 e the community as agricultural labourer?. Some are men of spirit Avho volunteer for the most dangerous tasks open to them; they "will SAveep mines at sen., fight fires in an air raid, or attend the Avounded on the battlefield. Seme Avill serve under military discipline in the Royal j Army Medical Corps, others only in a civilian Quaker ambulance unit. For all these gradations of principle, some of them resting on casuistical niceties, the IaAV has tried to find a solution, and commonly AA T ith success. The tribunals may exempt a resolute "absolutist" unconditionally from any form of service Avhatever, but if a man fails to convince them that he has a "conscientious objection," they may send him into the combatant ranks of the army. But tAVO compromises are open betAveen these extremes; the tribunals may place the objector in the non-combatant ranks of the army, or they may prescribe for him civilian Avork of "national importance," such as agriculture, forestry or the merchant marine.

Local Tribunals' Difficulty The grave difficulty is to measure the urgency and sincerity of u man's conscience. Here, as one would expect, the local tribunals differ widely in toleration and cornprehension. Fortunately the four appeal tribunals have often corrected their mistakes: of the appeals, 41 per cent were successful. Even conservative Englishmen - feel a deep respect for Quakers and in general are tolerant toward religious pacifists. But along half of these belonged to the Cihurcn of England or the Methodist iChurch: it was often difficult for a very young man to prove that he had long held unorthodox views about war. The more eccentric sects raised some odd problems. Johovah's Witnesses, for example, if X grasp their views correctly, are eager to fight under the Lord of Hosts at Armageddon, but ihey will not fight under any less distinguished general in any premature campaign. Those who had an ethical objection to war fared rather worse, especially if they were agnostics, and the political objectors worst of ail, especially if they were Socialists. Tribunals would usually give a man some relief if he could prove that he objected to all wars, whatever his reason might be. The trouble began when he wanted to choose his war? that, it was commonly held, was a matter not of "conscience" but of "expediency." In other words, conscience in the tiaditional English views speaks in categorical imperatives. The law gave no guidance here, for it included no definitions. Communists do not lay claim to, the liberty of

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private judgment, but the independent Labour Party does, and some of its members failed to convince iheir tribunals that their distaste for "imperialist Avars" is a case of conscience. Hut a few were fortunate. I know of *one case where a man who had fought in the International Brigade in Spain received exemption. But the political objectors Avere a small minority—about 9 per cent. 55,000 Seek Exemption A few figures that give the dimensions of the problem may be of interest. The total number of men who claimcd exemption on the score of a conscientious objection to Avar amounted up to January, 1941, to 53,000. The proportion varies in the different age groups; the highest percentage is tAvo; not a large figure Avhen one remembers that pacifists haA r e had for several years i:i the Peace Pledge Union a very active organisation. The local tribunals dealt Avith objectorsi as ToIIoavs: 6 per cent received unconditional exemption; 37 per cent Avere required to perform some civilian work of national importance, and >0 per cent Avere sent to non-com-batant ser\ T ice in the army. Thai fs to say, 73 per cent AA'ere held to 6e genuine cases. The remaining '21 per cent failed to com r ince the tribunals. some submitted: some resisted and others attained better terms Avhen they appealed to the oatir.nal tribunals. What happened to those Avho iinsisted? They do not appear to be numerous. The latest figures obtainable slioav that only 37 objectors spent Christmas in prison. One. wishes that there had been none tit all, but this modest to>tal serves to slioav hoAV relatively Avell the system has Avorked in this Avar. Last time 6312 men AA'ere arrested and of these 816 spent more than tAvo years in prison. Nor is that all. [n the last Avar a systematic attempt Avas made to break the will of the more obstinate objectors by brutal and humiliating punishments Some Avere even sent to France and there subjected to the notorious "field punishment" commonly knoAA'n ms "crucifixion." SeA-cn Avere sentenced to oe shot, though this martyrdom Avas promptly commuted to 10 years' imprisonment. Such stupidities are a thing of the past. In very feAV instances, so far as is knoAvn, Avere they attempted this time: seven objectors Avho had been sent into the army Avere beaten up and otherwise humilitated at Liver, pool: for this exploit one officer And six non-commissioned officers were court martialled. But the reader must not conclude that even Jn England pacifists lead an easy life Avhen they choose to defy a nation fighting for survival. Social ttnd economic penalties aAA'ait them, even if the IaAV is lenient. Civil J»erA r ants are not penalised, but many municipalities, many business firms and the British Broadcasting Corporation, dismiss their pacifist employees.