CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1918, Page 3

CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS.

CIRCULAR TO MEMBERS OF 1 PARLIAMENT. iTlie following letter has been sent t<; every member of Parliament: I Sir, —Without the smallest desire ol J embarrassing the Government, but ) on the contrary, a strong wish to facilitate its efforts towards winning the war, wo who are none of us anti-militarists, beg to solicit your careful attention to the following considerations of that part, of the Military Service Act which deals with the conscientious objector.

I. —lt cannot he denied that this part of (lie Act is not working smoothly. Numbers of men claiming to he con- | scientious objectors are at this mom in prison; numbers more are, in consequence of the “ martyrisation’’ of those men, infecting their fellow-citizens with anti-militarists views. In addition, many thoughtful and responsible, citi-

zons regard this part- of the Act as' unj just; and their number is daily i 11cmein g, now that details of certain cases are coming to hand, details of which specimens can readily be forwarded ro you if you desire (on application to Miss IL E. Baughan, Clifton, Sumner, near Christchurch). 'Pile Churches are seriously uneasy at the way in which the working-out of this part- of the Act

tends to deny liberty of conscience. a»'/’ to discriminate unjustly between sects; while others, who value liberty of thought as one of the most precious assets of British freedom, view with extreme disfavour the failure of the Act to guarantee this liberty to men who are of no Church or sect. Again, the military authorities are embarrassed by this way of dealing with these objectors; and their fellow citizens who have accented military service dislike intensely the grave risk of odium incurred by 11m National Government in endeavouring to effect- them—n detail whieli the consideration of figures in the recent, election for Wellington North may fairly lie held to give point.

2.—We therefore beg lo suggest that an amendment of this portion of Act is extremely desirable; and to ask whether von do not think that it- could

he usefully amended along the following lines:—(a) Abolish the present so-called “conscience test,” demanding that eneli appellant shall furnish satisfactory proofs of general trustworthiness in the conduct- of his doily affairs. No man, we feel, can accurately judge his fellow’s conscience; hut whether or not a | man makes conscience his daily guide ( can lie ascertained from competent wit- j nesses; and proof of this «nu reason- j ably bo held to constitute sufficient | proof of conscientiousness on the point | of military service also. ft must he | remembered that- it requires courage bv this time for a man to declare himself, a conscientiojus objector; also that! hostile witnesses can he invited. j ■But, whether this suggestion com- i mends itself to your judgment- or not. J we would go on to suggest that yov— j (h) Put; all approved cases altogether I under civil instead of military control, ; and give them work to do in New Zen- I land which will benefit the State, a.' j such reduced rate of pay as commends | itself to the. judgment- of the House. It j is important to understand in his oon- < nexion that the crux of the obstinate conscientious objectors’ objections, in any control whatever by military authority. As they consider every act of • Warfare wrong, so t-h ey consider every act that aids and abets warfare wrong; this is their reason for refusing even non-combatant service which such service is still under military control. It”'

very many would consent- to serve mni country at once, and in any capacity, if given the work under civil authority, and the more eagerly if it were work which would not otherwise get done—a consideration which mity avoid undesirable conflicts with Labour as to alleged unfair competition. Extremists who will not oceept this relief will probably remain, and will have t-o be dealt with, either under civil or military law. Em, the majority of these genuine conscience cases, we are assured, will have their

difficulties met by the solution proposed ; and in this way will be made an efficient help to the State, instead of, as at present, an occasion only of continual embarrassment and waste.— Yours, etc., JESSIE MAGKAY, Box 107, Christchurch. blanche e. baughan, Clifton, near Christchurch. MARY MASON, Monck’s Bay, Sumner MINNIE HAWKER, New Brighton. GEORGINA MACKAY, 169 Cambridge Terrace, / Christchurch.

AN OUTSPOKEN REPLY. To this communication, Mr J. T. M. Hornsby, M.P., has returned the following reply:— i Miss Jessie Mackay and the other ladies signing.

Dear Alesdames, —-Your circular-letter has just reached me. in it you deal, from your standpoint, with the, matter of conscientious objectors and the Military Service Act. In reply, I may say at once that 1 am unable to work up the slightest feeling of sympathy for the class of person whom you say some people regal'd as “martyrs.” My thoughts go back to sumo of the more devilish of the deeds done by the troops of the German Kaiser, a,.d more especially to those of lust and blood in Belgium, and France, and Seroia. I think also of the Lusitania, and of the murder of school children by air-raiders, of the wholesale deportation of girls from Belgium ami Northern France, torn from their home's, 'outraged and done to death by worse than brute beasts who call themselves men. 1 recall with horror one instance which will never fade from my memory—an instance vouched for and publicly referred to bv a former member of our New Zealand Parliament, Mr Wason. In that case a woman, just upon the eve of her downlying, in that state which calls for tenderest sympathy, and most loving care, was outraged hv the beasts referred to, and then died raving mad. And yet you ask mo to sympathise with the animated bipeds in this country, who also call themselves men, who whine about their conscientious objections! One of these precious beings has written a letter (a letter used during the recent by-election in Wellington North), in which he tells of his haring '“given in” so far as to don

the uniform and. do non-combatant work. In that letter (referred to with unction by Mr Holland), one of your, conscientious martyrs, gives away the whole position when he declare.tlial ho is to do non-combatant work and adds:—“So you see, 1 am not likely to have fny head blown off. ’ Need I pursue that part of the subject further But now let me ask you, and I require from you an answer: What you think would have happened supposing that millions of men, hating war and all its attendant horrors as much, or more, than you all, had refused the call of duly? What, if wo had, as a nation, succumbed, would have been the position in our own New Zealand to-day? T am ready . and willing to admit that we have paid and are paying a terrible price in order that tve may preserve to the nations of the World that freedom for which our dearest and bravest and best: have fought and died. What answer can you ma 1 ' to the mothers who will never again look into the eyes.of those whom they gave so gloriously and so self-sacrifie-inglv in the cause of Freedom and Right., when they ask you to tell them why these creatures, who are more concerned about their heads ,;bejnc blown off than about the presentation of the race they disgrace by their poltroonery should be permitted to shirk i Will you give me your answer, tint I niav tell it to the brave and devoted women whom I know who have given their sons, and will give again for the freedom of man and the honour ot

"in' the iinmo of decency, 1 demand of von that you desist from the wretched task von have apparently yourselves to defend and uphold disloyalty to our race and dis' mnour o our cause We must go on, terrible though the task, overwhelming tlmnuh the, sacrifice. He or she wlio hindeis the work : lie or she who would paltu with words about the consciences freedom of those who know not the meaning or Value of either, is gui > of the blackest of crimes against every one who has made sacrifices for our snkes, and to whom the world at large, as well as ourselves, will owe a tie >t that never can bo repaid It v all our dear and splendid dead, Hv all the blood and all the tears That British hearts and eyes have ' shed. In our long agony oi yenis. There is nb ending to the light Till, smitten by the final thrust. The powers of darkness and of might Arc spurned and trampled in, the (Signed) J. T. M. HORNSBV.