Re: “Group wants sainthood for Ben Salmon, World War I draft resister from Denver, July 12 news story.
Ben Salmon was sent to prison for refusing to fight World War I on religious grounds. Now a group of Catholic peace activists is calling on the church to elevate him to sainthood. (Photo provided by Journal of the Catholic Peace Fellowship)
Thank you for your story about my dad, Ben J. Salmon. I was a little girl when my father died in Chicago. Upon dismissal from jail, he was compelled to find work and safely live away from Denver, where he was so hated. His poor physical condition was largely the result of months of forced feeding in federal prison, where a ceramic tube was shoved down his esophagus several times daily, weakening his health and resulting in an early death at 42.
Over the decades since I first learned the story of how my father refused to train to kill, I have found it difficult to believe that his act of conscience to not take part in training to kill would make him undesirable to the people of Denver. I hope the Catholic Diocese of Denver will recognize the goodness in my father’s decision in 1918 to refuse military service. I support the movement to beatify my father and hope other good people of Denver will do the same.
Sister Elizabeth Salmon, Maryknoll, N.Y.
This letter was published in the July 26 edition.
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