Pioneer

Joe Sparks Sentenced. BEDLINOG DEFENCE OF THE REALM CASE. FINE OF 93 AND COSTS IMPOSED. The first local case under the Defence of the Realm Act came before the Merthyr Stipend- iary and other County Magistrates at the Merthyr Police Court on Friday, when Joseph Sparks (58), grocer and butcher, of Bedlinog, was charged with making statements likely to Hrejudioe recruiting. "Are you guilty?" asked Mr. Elias, the Clerk to the Court. I must wait to hear the charge, I do not know what it is .about," answered the defend- ant. David James Owen, Bedlinog, who described himself as a theological student, was the first witness called for the prosecution. On the 7th of January, he said, he was travelling from Bedlinog to Cardiff, when the defendant Sparks who was, amongst others, travelling in the same compartment, loudly remarked that he .was "surprised that I, considering my voca- tion, should have attested for mililtary ser- vice." In the course of his tirade against the war, he further stated that all so-called Christ- ians were hypocrites. That is all, sir. The Clerk: You said "in the course of his tirade against the war." What did he say?— The whole gist of his talk was against war. I was reading a daily paper at the time, and did not take stock of what Mr. Sparks was saying, but these few remarks I heard and remember. About a week later witness and defendant spoke together, and witness told Sparks that he resented being spoken to in the way that he had spoken to him in the train the pre- vious week, especially upon matters that con- cerned only his conscience, and that it be- hoved him (defendant) to be very careful what he was saying to men upon their duty in this present momentous crisis in this country. Mr. Sparks did not make any particular reply to this. Defendant: Did I not, when speaking to you, condemn the war from a universal point of view? Did I not ask you where was the Christian teaching of the people of Europe Russia, France, Belgium Germany and Britain? The Stipendiary: He condemned the war from a religious point of view? Witness: Yes, more especially. Defendant: Did I speak a word against re- c.ruiting ?-Not directly. Did I not tell you that during the revival you were praying for my salvation? P.S. John Gill, stationed at Bedlinog, said that on Thursday, December 20, he was travel- ling to Cardiff with his wife, and whilst wait- ing on the platform for the train he saw the defendant, and two soldiers, one of whom had been wounded, amongst others there. Sparks came up to him and asked him what he thought about the war. Witness did not an- swer, and Sparks went on talking, and in the course of his remarks referred to the Ger- mans saying, "We should be better off under German rule." He further remarked to the wounded soldier, That is what you get for fighting. Continuing, the Sergeant said that Sparks was very much prejudiced against the army, the Government and recruiting. He was frequently in the company of young men and was in wit- ness's opinion a most dangerous man. The Sergeant denied all knowledge of an occasion on which defendant alleged that he and a Constable East, since killed at the front, had sat at the back of his shop until after midnight talking and drinking whisky, and also denied that he had ever asked Sparks w hen he was going to get some more of that "Long John," as it was the best whisky that he had ever tasted. Defendant: I never said anything about the Germans because I know that it would be suicidal to lay down arms whilst the other nations are in arms. William Bennett, landlord of the New Inn Bedlinog, said he had known defendant for 40 years. The Cierk: During the last two or three months, have you ever heard him say anything &bout re(ruiting ?-Nothing against it. Continuing, witness generally called at his house once a week soliciting orders, and being old friends, they had a chat—usually about the war. Sparks was rather erratic in his talk about the war, but he had not said anything detrimental to recruiting, although he had said that he would not enlist himself. The Clerk: Why? Sparks I am 58. Sparks: Have I sat down in any room in your house and said a word against the war?— No. The only place I have been with you in your house is the kitchen?—Yes. You have two sons of military age: have I ever spoken to them about rearuiting ?-N o. Daniel Davies, Bedlinog, who had often tra- velled with Sparks to Cardiff on the early closing day. said that he had not heard de- fendant speak any words prejudicial to re- cruiting during the last two or three months. The only thing that Sparks had said was that he was against the war. The Clerk: Have you heard him speak to other men about the war ?-I have heard him speak in a general way. The Stipendiary: What did he say ? He said that he did not agree with the war and thinks of that. kind. Continuing, he said that he had seen Sparks on the platform on 30, and had heard him then say that he would not go to the war unless they fetched him. He bad not heard him say anything about the wounded soldier. In answer to Sparks, witness said that when they were travelling on Thursdays there was never anyone of milita.ry age in the com- partment, gut generally a, regular comny. He had never heard defendant speaking to any- one to prevent them from joining the army. Sparks: You have a son of your own, a B.A., and I have ofte* been in your hOUie; have I ever said anything to him to prevent have I C V el' said t<> hiIl1 t,o pirevent him undertaking miitary service —No. The Clerk: You have heard him talking to other peope about the war: were his remarks likely to prevent anyone from enlisting ?-I do not think so. They would not have prevented me, had I been of military age. Roland Ho wells, landlord of the Railway Hotel, Bedlinog, said that he had heard Sparks in his smoke room talking of the war, a S?,l had heard him say that we should not be a bit worse off if we were ruled by the Kai- ser instead of our own King. He had heard him say the same thing to the Police Ser- geant on the platform on December 30, and had heard the Sergeant reply, Don't talk so silly. Look at those two boys; they have been to the front, and one of them has been wounded. What do you think about them?" Sparks had replied: That is what he has had for fighting." He had heard defendant use similar remarks many times. The Clerk: Has he tried to prevent men from joining- the army?—He was not doing any good but I cannot sAy as to that. Concluding, the witness said: It made me riled to hear him, because I have three sons, one at the front, and a nephew there, too, one in munitions work, and another going the week after next." Sparks declared that when he had been in witness's house not a, word was said about the war, but that witness was under the in- fluence of drink, and had begun to call him (defendant) all the bankrupts and frauds he could lay his tongue to, and had also called him the cream of intelligence." Sparks, in his address to the Court, declared that the charge was a trumped-up one. He had never spoken a word against England being in this war. He had condemned all wars from a Christian point of view, because there could not be any brotherhood and humanity amongst men whilst Christian England, Christian Rus- sia, Christian France, and Christian Belgium were grappling at each other's throats. The only war he recognised was the industrial war between capital and labour. He had never said anything against recruiting, or to influence any one else, for he knew it would be suicidal to lay down our arms in a time like this. When the democracies of Europe refused to fight the war lords and land grabbers would be left to fight themselves, and that was not what they were willing to do, and so war would betat an end. It was not against this war that he had spoken, but against war universally. The Stipendiary said the Bench were quite satisfied that defendant had on more than one occasion spoken words likely to prejudice recruiting. This kind of thing was liable to a fine of £100 and imprisonment for six months. They had decided to fine defendant jE3 and costs, or 28 days' imprisonment. Defendant: I am a bankrupt: I cannot pay. We understand, however, that someone paid Sparks' fine for him, and that he was imme- diately released.

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I Conscience and the Church In a letter to the Daily Chronicle" a few days ago, Dr. Clifford made an appeal to the Churches to support the conscientious objector in his appeal for exemption from military dut- ies before the local tribunals. The question na- turally arises, Are there any grounds for supposing that the Churches are likely to be influenced by conscience? We know full well that God does not coerce any man, but al- lows him to make his own choice, whether he will serve Him or not. Christ said, "If any man will come unto Me. but He never tried to compel any one to serve Him, but left the matter entirely to his own conscience. And for nearly three centuries the Christian Churches followed their Master in this respect. They suffered martyrdom at the hands of pagan Rome, rather than forego the pleadings of conscience themselves, and encouraged other men to do the same. But what is the history of the Church since that time. In the third century, Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, was converted from paganism to the Christian Church, and immediately he, with the assist- ance of the leaders of thoQ Church, commenced a campaign against the conscientious objector, and made laws commanding all people to wor- ship accord ing to the method prescribed by the Church, whether it was in accordance with the conscience of the people or mot. Soon after this the Roman Catholie Church reached the zenith of its power and coercion was the means which it used to obtain and keep this power. Ktngs nor peasants were able to withstand it; all had to give way; they must either sac- rifice and stifle their conscienco or be removed by a martyr's death. In the 12th Century was established that most terrible of all the en- gines of the Papacy tor removing men who were obedient to conscience—the Inquisition. Babylon the Great was drunken with the ?iood of the saints," and the blood of mil- lions of martyrs for conscience cried out for vengeance against the Church, which Pope Gregory VII. declared could not err. In the 14th Century, John Wycliffe, the herald of reform, and conscientious objector to the laws of the Church, was placed on trial before the bishops, but owing to the death of the Pope he escaped their fury, and his life was spared. He was followed by Luther, who nailed his conscientious objections to the doOiJ: of the Church at Wittenberg, and thus laid the foundation of the Reformation. He was made to suffer imprisonment, and narrowly escaped death on many occasions at the hands of the Church. When Protestantism was established in England as the national religion, the great principle of religious toleration was not as yet understood; all were required to accept the doctrines of the Church, and to observe the form of worship prescribed by it and the right of every man to worship God according to tho dictates of his own conscience was not ack- nowledged. Nonconformists now suffered per- secution by the Established Church for bund- reds of years, and even to-day we cannot see much sign of friendship between these two bodies of professing Christians. In the 17th Century hundreds of dissenting pastors were expelled from their positions, the jails were crowded with conscientious objectors, families broken up, and many were banished from the country at the instigation of the Church. One of the victims for conscience sake at this time was John Bunyan, who, during his so- journ in Bedford Jail, wrote the Pilgrim's Progress." In the 18th Century Whitefield and tho Wesleys appeared on the scene as consci- entious objectors, and Wesley declared the brotherhood of man when he said All the world is my parish." Mysterious and try- ing was the persecution which these men suf- fered for conscience sake at the hand of the Established Church. And now we come to our own time, and what is the position of the iree Churches in regard to this matter? Have they always allowed every man the privilege of worsnippmg according to the dictates oi his own conscience? I fear that even in this 20th Century we cannot give any of the Chur- ches credit for the way they have acted in this matter. They have on many otptBiolls used their influence, and put pressure upon the State to pass laws interfering with the religi- ous and moral objections of many people—even going to the length of meeting in congress with their avowed enemies- the Roman Catholics, who refused to meet with them for prayer and worship, but readily agreed to confer with them as to the best meams of getting laws passed by the State compelling men to adopt certain religious measures, whether they wanted them or not. Knowing these facts, we do not expect much sympathy from the Churches in general, but we feel sure that every true follower of Christ will recognise the right of every man to obey the dictates of his own conscience in this question, of the sacredness of life to every man, whatever may be his colour or his nation. If a man is a faithful Christian, his con- science has been purged of dead works to serve the living God," as St. Paul declared when before the tribunal. "And herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and toward men." If the Christian would have a. clear con- science himself, he must exercise a loving sym- pathy towards his fellows, and assist them to obey the dictates of their own conscience, 2ad have nothing whatever to do with the slaughter of his brother man. Every follower of Christ must be a conscientious objector to serving ima any capacity under the Military Service Act, and if he Í6 not, then ke cannot have a clear conscience towards God or man. Let the con- scientious objector stand firm; he will not be alone; and the Spirit of Christ will aid Him in his stand for religious liberty, -and let him remember what the Apostle Peter said, "For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God, endure grief, suffering; wrong- fully." I T. YOUNG.

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