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Show r GO AFTER THE SHIRKS. , Yesterday there appeared before Secretary Baker a committee with a petition of 15,000 names seeking amnesty am-nesty for the conscientious objectors who refused to do any kind of army work when called to service by the se lective draft. The secretary informed the pleaders that no general policy could be applied to the cases as they involved radically radical-ly different degrees of offending. This brings up the whole question as to whether, now that the war is virtually vir-tually over, the government shall so relax as to let the conscientious objector, ob-jector, the slacker, the enemy alien and the plotter against America's welfare wel-fare escape As an example, which may serve us as a nation in the future, every offender of-fender should be relentlessly pursued and punished. Even those who fled to Mexico and departed for South America or China in an effort to escape the draft should be kept in exile or, If they return, be severely dealt with. It Is not fair to the brave, courageous courag-eous boys who went out to bear the burdens of America and who offered their lives, to allow the evaders of duty to participate in all the blessings which were preserved for us. after they have taken no part in defending and protecting the nation. Failure to follow up the shirks would prove a standing invitation for the weak-kneed to go on escaping all self-sacrifice self-sacrifice imposed by patriotic obligation. |