CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR, one who on moral or religious grounds declines to serve as a combatant, or who refuses obedience to military service acts on the ground that the State has no right to force the individual to perform military service of any kind. In Great Britain the Military Service Act of 1916 raised the issue of the conscientious objectors on a large scale; tribunals were set up to deal with them, many were sent into non combatant units or put to agricultural or other necessary work, while of the large numbers not granted exemption many suffered imprisonment for disobedience to army orders. The Representa tion of the People Act, 1918, disfranchised for five years after the war any conscientious objector who had refused to undertake the work of national importance allotted him.
The United States by reason of its geographical position had never found necessary the European system of universal military training and service. Save for a limited use of the draft in the latter part of the Civil War it had fought its wars with volunteers. This fact and the avowed intention of certain young men to imi tate British conscientious objectors, early impressed the Govern ment. In the conscription bill, exemption, but only from com batant service, was granted to members of recognized religious sects or organizations in existence at the time of the passage of the law, whose creed or principles opposed participation in war.
The President found it necessary considerably to enlarge the meas. ure of exemption for objectors. "Sincere" objectors were offered alternative service, in some cases with the Friends' Red Cross unit in France, more often in agricultural work. "Insincere" ob jectors and absolutists who refused all service were court mar tialled not as objectors but for refusal to obey some specific military order. The last objectors, 31 in number, were released in Nov. 192o. It should be explained that "sincere" objectors as interpreted meant objectors to all war; "insincere" objectors meant objectors to this particular war. In practice the distinction was hard to maintain.
The number of objectors was surprisingly small. According to the Government report, of 3,989 objectors in camps 1,30o "accepted or were assigned to non-combatant service," 1,299 were furloughed for alternative service, 45o were sent to prison by courts-martial and the remainder were still in camp when the Armistice was signed. (N. M. T.)