Salmon and The Catholic Worker

In its famous stand against the ‘Good War,’ The Catholic Worker invokes the ‘Great War’ objector

The following excerpts are taken from Ben Salmon’s “An Open Letter to President Wilson,” originally published by the Baltimore Amnesty League in 1920, and reprinted in The Catholic Worker in January 1942. Salmon wrote the letter on October 14, 1919, while he was still in prison, after the war had ended.

“Consider...the case of conscientious objectors. They have taken precisely the same position that you took in several addresses. ‘The example of America must be a specific example of peace,’ you said immediately after the sinking of the Lusitania. On February 2, 1916, at Kansas City, you said: ‘We can show our friendship for the world and our devotion for the principles of humanity better and more effectively by keeping out of this struggle than by getting into it.’ On September 3, 1919 you said at St. Louis: “The seed of war in the modern world is industrial and commercial rivalry. This war was a commercial and industrial war. It was not a political war.’ In these statements you have voiced the opinions and convictions of conscientious objectors. . .

“Religious objectors are such through their faith in God. They believe the best way to preserve the nation’s honor is to avoid dishonoring God; the best way to conquer an enemy is to treat him as God prescribes. The religious objector helps his country more in one hour than a regiment of military men could in a hundred years, for God holds the destiny of nations in the palm of His hand. To serve Him is to ensure the country’s future. . .

“I do not belong to a religious sect whose ministers oppose war, but I belong to one whose Creed forbids its members from participation in war. Clergy and laity will dispute this declaration now, but some day will admit that my attitude is correct and practical. I am a Catholic, or as some would have it, a Roman Catholic; not an apostate, but what is known in the Church as a “practical Catholic.” I am a member of St. Catherine’s parish, Denver, Colorado, and was a member of the Knights of Columbus until expelled for publishing an article against war. Expulsion from the Knights of Columbus does not in any manner affect one’s communion with the Church.

“My religious stand is based on God’s command, ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill.’ Some argue that ‘in olden times God commanded men to slay the enemy.’ Well, God may command us to do one thing at one time and another thing at another. That is His affair. But there has been no command from Him for thousands of years that permits deviation from the command ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill.’ Christ reiterated this command on many occasions.

“The Catholic who tries to justify the taking of human life by quoting from the Old Testament, as do the compilers of the Catholic Encyclopedia in the case of capital punishment, might with equal force argue in favor of divorce. But though the Old Testament sanctions divorce the Catholic Church properly insists that Christ’s prohibition takes precedence. So consistent Catholics will not let Old Testament quotations lead them into the war game.

“In Matthew 7:12, we are told, ‘All things that you would that men do unto you do even so unto them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.’ Do we want other nations to wage war against us? Suppose our statesmen err, do we want other nations charitably to show us the error of our ways, or do we want them to annihilate us because our representatives, rather, ‘misrepresentatives,’ blundered? Christ tells us not to resist evil. Should we obey or ignore Him? If His policy is correct then war is wrong. If ‘overcome evil with good’ is not a practical method for handling national and individual ruptures then Christ is wrong and the Temple of Christianity falls.
“When the government orders me to do what is righteous, I will obey with pleasure. But when I am ordered to do what is iniquitous it is my duty to disobey. If the state requires a citizen to violate God’s law he must ignore that state. Loyalty to God is loyalty to your country. The trailblazers of Christianity flaunted themselves in the face of pagan emperors and openly paid homage to the living God. The religious conscientious objector, ignoring pagans, refuses to yield to militarism’s decrees. . .

“We conscientious objectors thought of the verdict of conscience and followed it. The result was that we were not only sneered at, but we were imprisoned and tortured. And a too large percentage of our group were actually murdered in the process of wreaking vengeance upon us for having accepted ‘the verdict of a conscience.’

“We have been called cowards who make a subterfuge of ‘conscience.’ You are aware of facts which show the contrary. You know that we were offered safe bomb-proof positions in non-combatant branches of the Army. On our refusal of these we were offered farm furloughs. We declined because acceptance would have made us nonetheless participants in the killing game. Personal safety was no attraction. . .

“In our military prisons ruined health is a certainty and death is highly probable. Disease and emaciation registered a hundred percent toll among conscientious objectors. Many lost their minds. The percentage of deaths was greater than in the Army. The Army was the safest place for the man ‘afraid to fight’. . .

“The ‘war to end war’ has been won. . . .We were told the war would crush militarism. We find the world super-militarized. In place of disarmament, nations are armed to the teeth and expending larger sums than ever for preparedness. There is but one solution to the war problem: an uncompromising refusal to kill, and a willingness to suffer anything, even death, rather than kill God’s children. The conscientious objectors have led the way. Time will tell how many have the wisdom and courage to follow. . .

“When I was in solitary confinement at Fort Leavenworth, my brother Joseph came 3,000 miles to visit me but was not permitted to do so. As I stood in that dark hole, I thanked God for religion, for nothing else restrained me from seeking an opportunity to murder Colonel Rice. Joe went to Chicago and wrote to Colonel Rice, again asking permission to visit me. I was told that unless I went to work permission would be denied me. Joe came anyway and after several unsuccessful attempts was finally allowed to see me for ten minutes on Christmas Eve. The strain of that long and needless prohibition weakened him. He contracted a cold in the severe storm that raged as he came to prison for the last time. He died ten days later. Through his intercession may God be merciful to those who so wickedly and so unnecessarily persecuted the men whose only crime was a steadfast refusal to commit wholesale murder.

“When Frank Burke, one of our conscientious objectors, became sick a few months ago, he was told at the hospital: ‘If you were not a CO you would get decent treatment.’ Two days later he paid the supreme penalty for godliness. He died in terrible agony. . .

“Mr. President: If you have the tiniest flame of chivalry and justice within your breast, you will consider the godliness of the move and declare a general amnesty."