U.S. At War: The Revolutionary Mind

Henry Weber is a onetime Northwest logger, foreman in a Vancouver shipyard and, by his own account, a man “with a revolutionary mind.” He belongs to the elderly, radical and minuscule Socialist Labor Party, which is against capitalism in any form. Holding that wars are fought to maintain capitalism, Socialist Laborites are against war.

Weber, married and the father of a three-year-old son, made his views clear to his draft board. He agreed that he was not a conscientious objector, since he did not oppose war on religious grounds. He would gladly take a noncombatant job, such as service in the medical corps. But he would not kill on behalf of “the society in which we now live, and which cannot prevent a third World War.” Nevertheless, his draft board listed Weber 1-A.

He was packed off to Camp Roberts, Cal. There he continued to make his views clear. He refused to obey orders and was court-martialed and given six months in the clink. Released for good behavior, he refused to drill with his squad. “I would rather be shot,” he declared. Instead, he was court-martialed again and sentenced to be hanged.

Last week the same officers, on instructions from Major General Thompson Lawrence, reconsidered their stern sentence. While Senator Burt Wheeler demanded a Congressional inquiry, the court-martial reduced Weber’s sentence to dishonorable discharge and life imprisonment. Said Weber morosely: “With a revolutionary mind you lose your place in the new society.”