Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-10-07 | Page 24 | Not Morally Bound to Aid Government

HOT MORALLY B0i8 So Declares Bishop Jones in ; Defending His Course as a Pacifist. HOME FROM COAST Issues Statement Discrediting Discredit-ing Printed Reports of California Trouble. "I do not feel that it is my moral duty to give the government of the United States any material aid during the period of the war, as war is at va- j rianee with the principles of Christianity," Chris-tianity," was the statement made last night" by the Kt. Eev. Paul Jones, who returned yesterday from Los Angeles, where he attended two sessions of the pacifists' conference. "Any movement that stirs up wrath among the people for the purpose of making them fight is bad," he said, "and will not ultimately ulti-mately bring about lasting peace." Bishop Jones said that the conference had nothing to do with the People's Council, of which he is a, member, although al-though several prominent members ot the organization were present. The purpose of the meeting, he declared, was t-n discuss wor anil Christianity and to create sentiment against war that would brine about peace. The meetings were opetfto the public and secret service officers of-ficers attended every meeting, Bishop Jones said. When asked if the pacifists council was planning to meet in Salt Lake "Bishop Jones replied that; so far as he knew, there was no such movement move-ment on foot. "Do you think Americans have the right to foment sentiment against war when the nation is already in the fight?" ho was asked. Bishop Is Emphatic "Yes, 1 do," he said emphatically," and I'll tell you why. It is only during dur-ing war times that we can create a lasting sentiment in favor of peace." The public halls were closed to the pacifists' conference, declared cisnop Jones, and for that reasoii they were forced to meet in private residences. At one of these meetings a group of citizens sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." Ban-ner." but did not in any way interfere with the session, he said. At . South Pasadena, however, the meeting was broken up and the leaders driven out of town in an automobile and told not to return. Bishop Jones said that he did not go to California to attend this meeting, but having recoived an invitation of the leaders of the conference, and finding find-ing time to stop over, he met with the pacifists and participated in their discussions. dis-cussions. His purpose in going to the coast was to bring home his 2-year-old daughter, who had spent the winter with her grandmother, Mrs. Davis M. Balch, residing at Coronado. . Following is the statement given out by Bishop Jones last night. The Bishop's Statement. Having been asked for a statement state-ment in regard to the reports which have appeared in the Salt Lake papers pa-pers this past week relative to the meetings of the Christian pacifists in Los Angeles, I can sum the matter mat-ter up bv saying that those reports, so far as they referred to meetings at which I was present, were completely com-pletely inaccurate. In passing through Los Angeles on other business I took the opportunity oppor-tunity to attend two of the sessions" ses-sions" of the conference. These sessions ses-sions were held in private houses, as the city authorities, misapprehending misappre-hending the nature of the meetings, had prevented the use of public halls. The meetings were quiet and harmonious, rriven to the discus sion of aspects of the question of the conflict between war and Christianity. No objection was made by the secret service men present to anything that was said. There were no uiterruptions, and no attempt was made to break up the meetings. Having then to leave the city. I cannot speak for what happened at other sessions, but considering- the inaccuracy of the reports re-ports of those two, I should not be inclined to put much faith in the accounts which appeared. Bishop Jones leaves for Chicago next Sunday to atteud the annual meeting of the house of bishops of the Episcopal Episco-pal church. While in the east he will visit manv of the churches in New York and Boston, returning to Salt Lake in about three weeks.