Jonas Smucker Hartzler

“ This order also required that such report should contain a brief, comprehensive statement as to the nature of the objection. This shows that pro visions were made for such as could not accept either combatant or noncombatant service, and that the war department actually expected that there would be such. ”

“ With all that good work being done in vis iting camps, answering letters, etc., matters were constantly becoming more and more complicated. Camp officials were trying to drive our brethren into the service. More correspondence with Washington became necessary and more requests were coming in asking that certain young men in the camps be aid ed. With the drives for war funds came demands for more meetings for consultation. All of this meant better organization. It called for one man as leader. ”

“ He had not investi gated the matter nor consulted the young men who were in constant touch with the work and knew better all the points involved. After that the officer insisted that the work be done and the nonresist- ants all refused to do it. To the officer this looked like stubbornness. One of the brethren wrote to his pastor to come at once. After the pastor and the boys had carefully gone over the matter the former went to the officer and said, "I am sorry, but our boys cannot conscientiously do the work which has been assigned to them, and I cannot encourage them to do it. ”

“ It is a self evident fact that President Wilson and the Congress (A the United States have been un wisely criticised by some of the C. O.'s and their friends (more from the political than the religious objectors) because Government did not meet the situation better from the standpoint of the objector. ”

“ Conditions must be met in some other way. The work was generally given over to committees who were to see that necessary aid should be given in the best manner possible. Some of the conferences united in this work. Three conferences west of the Mississippi River had one committee. This plan had some advantages as well as a few disadvantages. In spite of the fact that these committees did noble work, the most difficult problems arising out of misunderstandings between the officials and brethren in the camps fell to a few men scattered all the way from the eastern to the western coast. ”

“ Camp officials, too, had reasons for their actions in many cases. There were actual "slackers," and the C. O. cloak was a good one under which to hide. Those had to be sifted out, and testing was the only method that some of the officers knew for sifting. Then again, while the officers were in training they were taught that every man must serve. They were
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not taught that there were a few exceptions; that these were to be excused because they had a con science against war. Every man MUST. The offic er was boss of men and was himself under a boss. ”