DISINCLINED TO FIGHT.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15612, 9 June 1916, Page 11

DISINCLINED TO FIGHT.

quaint ceremony at the bbitish tribunals.

~ The "Liverpool Post," referring to a largo number of appeals reviewed at the week's sittings of the West Derby Hundred section of the Lancashire County Appeal Tribunal, ovar which tho lord Mayor presided over the proceedings in the Liverpool Town Hall, says: Several conscientious claims were

' heard, and an unpleasant surprise awaited a man "who had not been conf t en t Tnth the certificate for non-com-batanfc duty that had been given him, but pressed for total exemption. He ■ tras ordered to serve in the fighting ranks of the Army! PRISON THE ONLY THING! "I cannot under any circumstance's join the ranks of those who make war, or take part in any form of military service," pleaded a Christadelphian. : "All wars, fighting, and lleshly strivings - arc contrary t 0 the letter and spirit . of the Lord Jesus Christ, as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount and amplified by the writings of the Apostles. ' Aly allegiance to Christ makes it iin- : possible for me to enter any service or employment necessitating tho military oattL or affirmation, or any service which ; might involve the nae of force or resort to arms." v Hlb appellant added that he was the :■* oniy member of his family holding these i: opinions. One of his brothers was in > vtno Royal Marines, and another was in V; tho Liverpools, while a brother-in-law t was serving in the Canadian Mounted Rides.

y The Lord Mayor remarked that the | local tribunal had exempted the ap- • plicant from combatant service. / Appellant.—l cannot accept it under any circumstances, becauso we neither i rote nor tako part in politics. We be- | lievc that we are in the world,, but not "[ of the world. » i But you are willing to save a man's i lifo rather than see him die?— Not if with tho military, i, Would you let a soldier die rather 1 than save him? —We are told w© must i put our trust in God, not in man. %: It was decided to confirm the deol' the local tribunal.

. Appellant: I refuse to take my part, whatever tho consequences may be. ■ "That meanß imprisonment," exrlaimcd his father, when it was stated that there could be no further appeal. "Yes," added tho appellant himself, "imprisonment is tho only thing." WOULD NOT SHOOT GERMANS. The Xowton-le-Willows' tribunal gave a locnl clerk, who was engaged at an , industrial school and had conscientious i objections, exemption from combatant ; duty. He now appealed for total ex-

emption. ;'> lhe Lord Mayor: Have you got a mo--ffier? If she yras attacked -would you . " 'stand bv and do nothing?—l muet ob- ; ?ject to'that. If my mother was at- ■ I should endeavour to protect aa far as was in my power. .'tS&iWould you go for the man?—rTo a extent. I should endeavour to >_protoct my mother. / You would knock him down, wouldn't .Kyou P—l could not tell you what I might kdoi It is purely hypothetical. , i-i lf some man came and tried to muryour father would you defend him ? . —I object again to what is a pure supposition. It is hypothetical altogether. If tho Germans landed here would f-fiou twiddle your thumbs P—Certainly • • < '-Tfou would go for them?—lf I •were

a oombatant I would. You would shoot them if yon could? —If I could I certainly would not shoot them. Would yon let them take your father and mother?— Yes, I would. Leave to appeal further wa s refused, and after vainly endeavouring to argue the question with the tribunal, the appellant finally remarked: ''I absolutely refuse to serve, and I shall take the consequences, whatever they may be." "POOR CREATURES" USEFUL. Although an applicant at Brentford Tribunal was said to be suffering from angular curvature of the spine, a bad heart,_varicose veins, and hammertoes, the military representative .opposed exemption. Ho agreed that the man was certainly "a poor creature," but he could bo made use of by the military authorities, even though he couid nev tube sent to France. , As tho man was contributing to the support of his aged parents, however, the tribunal granted him four months' exemption.-

At Nantwich Rural Tribunal, following the granting of many exemptions to farmers' sons and their employees, Mr C. I'\ Young, a member, and one of the Cheshire representatives on the Central Chamber of Agriculture, and himself a farmer, said he could r.o longer sit on the tribunal, and should send in his resignation to the authorities. He then left the room. Mr Young had previously protested against the exemption of eo many farmers' sons. A DEFIANT TEACHER. At the Liverpool district division of the Lancashire County Appeal Tribunal, a St. Helens school-teacher took up such a defiant attitude that tli9 Lord Mayor of Liverpool, who presided, made this pointed comment: "All the members of this tribunal would agree with me that .the Education Committee at St. Helens should take into serious consideration whether a gentleman who has such" views in regard to honouring the King is a_ proper person •to teach the young people of St. Helens." f

"The local tribunal reported that tho appellant belonged to a group which approachod men of military ago and urged mon to object to military duty. He had wo religious convictions, and would see his sister ravished and tho war lost rather than do anything, though ho was willing to take local money as teacher. He considered himself first and only. Appellant disagreed with tho statement that he had no religious conviotions, and explained that ho regularly travelled twenty "miles in order to -attend Hope Street Church, which was the only church where he "felt comfortable."

The Lord Mayor: You havo got conscientious objections ?—Most decidedly. How long liag your conscience troubled you?—My conscience does not trouble me at all. lam rather proud of it.

So I suppose. _ Bufc how long havo you had a conscience ?—I have had a conscience as long as I havo befen ablo to think.

The Lord Mayor warned tho appellant that, not only had the Court power to confirm the decision of tho local tribunal, but they had power also to grant him total exemption or even to order him to undertake combatant duty in the Army. Appellant: Whatever your decision is it won't make any difference to me. I shall not do . either combatant or non-combatant sorvice. I shall not do it. So it does not matter in the least what you do or say about it.

You teach loyalty, don't you?—lf you understand by loyalty adherence to nationalism, Ido not, and would not, teach that sort of thing. You teach children to fear God and honour the King?—l would not conscientiously include the latter phrase. I would honour the\King as a man and as a gentleman, but I would not teach or encourage anyone to honour the King as King. "I base my objection to war in this way," further explained the appellant. "I see in nationalism • the cause of war. If I were a German and this were a German tribunal the Germans would bo shocked if I disclaimed love of the Kaiser, and said ho was a bad, wicked man —"

Seemingly this last utterance tried the patience of the Court, who forthwith found that they upheld the decision of he local tribunal, which meant that he was certified for non-combatant servico only. CONSCIENCE A CLOAK? "His conscience objection is simply an excuso that he may go on making money," was tho retort of the local tribunal to an appeal by a young man to whom they had refused exemption. In his written statement he declared that he refused to kill a brother as long as he was in his right mind. Verbally he denied the right of any Government to overrule his conscience as a Christian. He must serve God before man. Tho. Lord Mayor: Do yon pray for the success of the British arms?—l am as much against English militarism as I am against German militarism. Do you pray for the safety of your brothers nad sisters?—l do not pray for my brothers. The appeal was disallowed. "DIDN'T CARE IP GEIWIAXY WON." At the Wallasey Tribunal, A Liscard man of thirty-fivo years of age, employed by a Liverpool firm of marine insurance brokers, applied for total exemption, his reasons being "A depth of conviction on the criminal futility of warfare amounting to fanaticism," and "to learn how to take human life would be unspeakably odious to me, while to actually perform such a deed would be an impossibility.'' Would yon go into the R.A.M.C. ? You know help is needed? My brt>therlv love extends to the Germans as well as myself. Is it immaterial to you who wins so long as you can live, your own life and go your own sweet way ? Is it immaterial to yon whether the Germans win or we win?—l really think rfc is ("Oh'O. The claim was disallowed. A Liverpool Post Office employee, m claiming exemption, said he did not claim on religious grounds, as the war had destroyed what few shreds of religion he ever possessed. He objected to taking human lire, the destruction of which' was a senseless method or settling disputes. He would rather be shot himself than take life. I The claim was disallowed. 1 An Israelite, the second to appeal on

conscientious grounds, sajd he was a labourer at Cammell-LaircPs, and ho urged that if he was taken into military sendee he would be asked to eat meat, and to handle dead bodies, and that he would have to havo his hair and beard cut. Colonel Hamilton remarked that hifl hair and beard would grow again. Applicant said if he took up apns itwould be a violation of the laws of God, one of which said. "Thau shalt not kill." Colonel Hamilton —But I cannot get over the fact that you are helping indirectly to build warships. Applicant was recoinmendod for noncombatant service, and he said he should appeal. A strong-looking yonng man of twen-ty-lour asked for exemption at Shoreditch on the ground that his sister was so cross-eyed that she could not go out to work.—Refused. THE LAST SON LEFT. When Mrs Merrott, of Sutton, was granted t'nc total exemption at the Surrey Tribunal at Kingston of one of her sons engaged in market garden work, she said that her husband was unable to take an active part in tho business owing to bad eyesight. She had three sons in the Army, and one was "gassed." and came home to die. The boy for whom she pleaded was engaged on munition work in tho evenings after leaving the market garden. Tlie Chairman —Wc grant him total exemption. Mrs Merrott—Oh! thank you. He is the only one I have left. If anyone could only have seen the way my poor boy was brought home "gassed" they would never have forgott-en it. The Chairman —I am sure we arc very sorry. Airs Merrott—Heaven only knows whether J Bhall see my other boys again. The Chairman—Oh. yes you will. WINDOW CLEANER'S EARNINGS. An applicant, aged twenty-four, a window cleaner, applied for total exemption. He had taken the business over from iiis father on the stipulation that he (applicant) kept tho family of four during their lives. His earnings amounted to £6 10s per week. The Military Representative said some of the ladies who were paying ni»plicant should know about his earnings. Exemption until June Ist was granted. A boy who had enlisted under age was granted a certificate of exemption. The father said his son was tall, and the military thought he was of age. Mr Mansfield —What about our 2s 9d? The father said the money would bo returned. REMARKABLE COMMENT. The hearing of the early appeals by attested married men was marked by a remarkable decision of the Market Bos worth tribunal. "If you had not been foolish enough to attest," said a member of the tribunal to a number of married applicants for exemption, "you would have been out of it. Married men have been hoodwinked and fooled bv< the Government, and it is the duty of the tribunals to help them all thoy can." The applicants were granted six months' exemption. There was a moving incident at the sitting of the Doncaster Tribunal. A young traveller asked for exemption. His appeal stated that his wife was dangerously _ ill —suffering from pleurisy, pneumonia, and phthisis. If ho was taken there were two little children, three and five, who would bo left unprovided for. Applicant was then called in. He appeared in deep mourning. The Mayor asked hini if he had any better news of his wife. Applicant (quietly)—My wife has passed away, sir! The applicant was exensed any further questions, and his case was immediately put back till May 31st.