Show Logan Utah Thunday November M 1972 The Herald Journal— 13 What Price Amnesty? Is There A Higher Law? "In tear and in the court of justice and everu-where- " Socrates told Crito "you must do whatever your state and your country tell you to do or you must persuade them that their commands are unjust" lower-rankin- By TOM TIEDK TORONTO ing forgetfulness) which was once commonplace following American conflicts has in this century fallen on hard times In 1794 George Washington pardoned those who participated in the Whiskey Rebellion Abraham Lincoln g forgave the rebels of the Confederacy 16 months before the end of the Civil War and the clemency was extended to everybody after it was over Adams Madison Jefferson and Jackson were other presidents who forgave errant citizens (Jefferson granted amnesty in 1807 on the condition that deserters return to their units: Jackson ever the hardcore granted forgiveness in 1830 only if deserters not return to units) This century however American amnesty has been less than the general rule No over-al- l forgiveness has been afforded at all The only mass try at clemency after World War II ended harshly President Harry Truman responding to public prese sure ordered investigations of 15805 war evaders Only 1523 were set free The rest went to prison among them some criminals some genuine moral opponents and a lot of worried beings who were purely afraid to fight - iNEAl -- For the first two decades of his life Jack Colhoun did precisely what his state and country expected of him Descendant of a family that sailed to America on the Mayflower kin to one time Vice President John C Calo houn raised in propriety in upstate New York he was an Eagle Scout top student captain of his football team winner of the God and Country award for patriotic achievement and a sturdy soldier in his college ROTC program Then Vietnam changed it all In 1970 a graduated second lieutenant Jack Colhoun failed to report for active duty He said he could not contribute in any way to a military involved in Southeast Asia and asked for alternative service When it was refused Colhoun fled to Canada where for the past two years he has lived in sad but not sorry exile trying to convince his state and nation that their commands were unjust "I was right and they were wrong" Thus does the one- well-to-d- case-by-cas- Wild Horse Annie Is Appointed - WASHINGTON (UPI) Wild Horse Annie who helped spur passage of the 1971 Wild Horse Act was named Wednesday to a board to advise the government on the laws's administration Wild Horse Annie is Mrs Velma Johnston of Reno Nev a long time leader in campaigns for protection of the wild norses of the west Currently she is president of the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros and also Wild DEE KNIGHT Amnesty equals alternative punishment? time All American bov say it for many as Richard Nixon prepares for four more years as peace in Vietnam continues to be rumored as in that Americans land dwindle down to a precious few thousand as once again Americans are forced to face the awesome question of what to do with all the men who refused to join the bloodshed in Indochina Forgive and forget? Let them rot? What? Perhaps 70000U men have evaded the Vietnam war in one way or another A sizable but actually unknown number of them are living in various degrees of exile from Seattle to Sweden Canada alone may have sheltered 75000 or more since 1965 Here in Toronto "Runaway City" estimates are that from naif to three quarters of the 40000 American population are draft dodgers deserters or as they say "refugees" the US public seems unprepared to decide their fate quickly Rep Bella has urged Abzug Congress to grant "after the cessation of hostilities unconditional restoration of rights to war resisters" Rep J Edward Hebert (D-Lhas said that if it were possible he would "send them 'the evaders i out on a ship like the man without a country" The President himself flip-floon the question: last November he said he would not be lenient with runaways: in January he said he would be ‘liberal" with them: during the election campaign his voice hard he insisted they would have t? “pay a penalty" for their deeds And the people? Early this year a New York television station conducted a metropolitan poll in which 79 per cent of the 35000 respondents were against forgiveness But a Gallup Toll in August nationwide indicates that the antjsymnathv majority was nearer 60 per cent with at least 36 of every 100 favoring amnesty or amnesty with qualifications So Indecision The perplexities of the question were summed up nicely by one woman polled: "I don't want to say-ye-s and 1 don't want to say no But neither do I want to sound like I’m undecided" The country's irresolution is understandable Amnesty (from a Greek word mean- At present (D-N- al Now all the sticky questions bloom again Is there as St Thomas Aquinas said a higher law than human law? If a few thousand evaders were forgiven what about the three million who fought and the 55000 who died in Vietnam— were they as Prof Ernest Van den Haag says "suckers"? What impact would amnesty-havon future draft calls (already about half of all men summoned refuse to the first time)? e show And is Spiro Agnew correct when he says a pardon would be an admission of guilt? For their part the evaders in Canada are nearly unanimous in their predictable response Says Jack Colhoun: "Most of us don’t want amnesty We want repatriation You can't forgive a man for being right We want the US to face up to its own errors" Not that even repatriation would open the gates com- pletely Colhoun says he's eager to return to the United States but others here are not as disposed Dan Zimmerman as example director of the Toronto Program says he has "found a home seven-year-ol- Anti-Dra- d ft up here" He has lost much of his Brooklyn-bor- n accent picked up on the "more civilized" Ontario pace and insisted: "There is no way I would go back to New York right now I grew up on those dirty streets with the muggers and dope fiends and noise and all that Up here I remember it like something out of a nightmare Even if they ended the draft completely even if they gave me only kind of amnesty we'll ever get will be tied to some kind of alternative service That means alternative 1 don't think punishment want to go will guys many back from freedom to spend two years pushing Uncle Sam's bedpan" Hitter Very bitter And one story say's it all Grim draft evaders recall the experience of Lloyd Kantor who in 1968 campaigned for Richard Nixon because he felt the man would end the war was elected Nixon Kantor was drafted Short time later the young campaigner was caught in a landmine explosion lost both hands both feet one eye and part of his hearing When Kantor wrote to Nixon his former hero to tell him what happened he got no reply "Can you imagine?" says a four-yea- r deserter in Windsor "I'm not going to go home until Richard Nixon writes Lloyd Kantor an apology and gives him back his hands his feet and his it eye With all this outrage JACK COLHOUN though the tough talk here 1 was about permanent exile may right yet soften Though most war otherinsist resisters seem to amnesty terms are finally ready to go back today “I'm wise they are probably not decided "God" confesses American through and from Atlanta making hard decisions yet one through" he says And his 1 like to live on Peachtree And their return to America hope is his country will let will likely be in proportion to Street again" him continue to be “Richard the generosity of whatever Jack Colhoun for one is Nixon says we have to pay DAN ZIMMERMAN A nightmare remembered the penalty for running away Well okay I've paid Two months after I got up here my mother was taken to the hospital wittr cancer My relatives wrote about her asking me to come and comfort her But I couldn’t After a year or so my mother dial Now I'd like to go home and just see her grave" & lino HAVE A 'eNueb repatriation unqualified I back now wouldn't go Why fight it all over again? I'm happy as I am" Others too have begun what they hope are “permanent" new lives in Canada Comments Robert Gardner coordinator of the Canadian Council of Churches: “Ev- erything written in the United States has been done so from the perspective that dodgers are lonely exiles This is nonsense Certainly their decision may have terHorse Organized Assistance rific implications But Inc (WHOA) many dodgers have made In a joint statement agricul- new and successful lives for ture Secretary Earl L Butz and themselves" Thus Howard Interior Secretary Rogers C B G Weld DDS a captain in the Air Force until he Morton announced membership of the nine member deserted (1970) says he will Wild Horse and Burro Advisory stay in Canada because “I Board Officials said the board don’t want the US to forgive me” And Steve Yates who will “advise the secretaries on won a Bronze Star in the protection management and conNam for saving a buddy trol of wild horses don’t believe Amerand burros on public lands ad- adds: “I ica has much to offer me ministered by the Burau of Land now" Along with his bride Management and the Forest he intends to become a Service” Canadian citizen Creation of the board was reEventually these “permaquired by the Wild Horse and nent exiles" may change Burro Act which halts the "But as of tominds their slaughter of wild horses for pet Anti-Drathe says day” food by making them a “proZimmerman Program's tected" species "I'd say 85 per cent of the Other board members to serve and 50 cent of dodgers one-yeterms beginning Jan 1 the deserters willper here stay include: amnesty or not" Therefore Dr C Wayne Cook Fort Colif his guess is accurate and lins Colo head of the Range even if a pardon is granted Science Department of Colorado many US families will conState University Dr Floyd W tinue to suffer Frank Moscow Idao head of And suffer the families do the Veterinary Science Depart- Untold thousands of them ment University of Idaho Ben Since 1965 nearly a half milGlading Sacramento Calif forlion families have come to mer chief of the game manage- grips with the prospect or ment branch of California's Fish reality of runaway or hideand Game Department Dr away sons (more war evaders live in the United States Roger Hungerford Tucson Ariz a University of Arizona specialist than in all underground in desert wildlife Ed Pierson other nations combined) I aPorte Colo a former Bureau One middle class family in of Land Management offidal-Dea- n Bakersfield Calif claims it Prosser Jr Cheyenne has "been ruined" by the experience Wyo secretary of the WyoThe parents described themming Livestock Association selves as "good Republican Mrs Pearl Twyne Great FaUs Va president of the American patriotic taxpayers” The father works for the governHorse Protection Association and Roy Young Elko Nev a ment Their son after $12000 rancher and past president of worth of college fled to Canada in 1969 he now the Nevada Cattlemen's works as a where “It has janituAssociation been so traumatic" says the mother "that we haven't even told our close friends and relatives Everybody thinks the boy has gone up there normally and legally My husband is furious I'm confused And we just don't SALT LAKE CITY (UPI I -K- know what to do” ennecott Copper Corp will Still there is no appealing to many of the war evaders pay Salt laike County S216 milhere on even the grounds of lion in property taxes in 1972 said their family welfare The Treasurer Sid acrimony of their individual Wednesday experiences runs too deep I jonbourae said the payment One fellow Jerry Samuels would be made to him Thurstells how he volunteered for day for distribution to 21 polithe Army at 17 volunteered tical subdivisions in which Kenfor Vietnam at 18 and wound necott is located Last year that he up so “raunchy" Kennecott paid 9224 million four Vietnamese womraped Kennecott's tax payment the en and eventually cracked largest in Utah this year totals up Another man 22 says he 133 milium in state and local spent some time at 'Fort taxes compared to $314 million Bragg some time in Vietlast year nam some time in the stockThe breakdown of the county ade and thinks if he returned taxes includes $62 million for to the United States now he the county general fund $111 would "shoot the first godmillion for the Jordan School dam Army officer 1 saw" District $2 million for the Dee Knight a California Granite School District and S2J conscientious vbjector and million to he divided among the editor of an exiie magazine here says: "Face it the remaining II taxing districts There are gifts then there are gifts w But here’s an idea for gifting that will keep on giving for years to everyone! 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