St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-13
NO STAR CHAMBER.
Gen. Crook Declares the Court
martial Shall Be Public.

CHICAGO, March 12.-Gen. Crook to-
day, speaking of the cOurtmartlal to be
held in this city on the 18th inst, at
which Lieut.. Steele will be called on to
answer charges of misconduct preferred
against him in connection with the late
Dell Wild affair at Fort Smelling, said:
1.-THE personnel of this cOurtmartial
has not yet been definitely determined
upon. but it will consist of officers against
whose impartiality and fairness nothing
can be said. Every officer in the army
is Indirectly interested in the outcome
of this trial. The charges of clannish-
ness amongst officers which have been so
freely made in the public press, are in
a measure true, but it does not exceed
the bounds of a proper esprit de corps
which you will find existing in the
world. Still less would the fact that an
accused officer was the Wearer of
shoulder straps operate to shield him
from the consequences of conduct unbe-
coming an officer and a gentlemen"
at is my desire, and it will be my
especial care, during the coming trial of
Lieut.. Steele, that the Investigation
shall be as public a II as the nature of
the court martial will allow. In issuing
an order to the paymaster to secure a
suitable room in which the court can
hold its sessions, | have instructed him
to see that proper accommodations are
provided for the representatives of the
press. There will be no ~star-chamDer
business about it if / "a help it,"
"You have asked me my opinion in
regard to the number of assertions at
the present day in the army of the
United States and the reason Of the
enormous percentage of military con-
victs now in the different military pris-
Ons throughout the country. You have
pointed out how greatly this percentage
is in excess OF that found in the penal
military establishments of Europe.
Much study has been given to this
problem. At last | think | have solved
it. There is no analogy whatever be-
tween the United States and foreign
countries, from a recruiting standpoint;
we are all intensely patriotic people.
and thousands of our recruits enlist
from purely patriotic motives. 1t is a
popular mistake that this is only done
in time of war. The moment a citizen
dons the uniform of a private, however,
no matter what his previous social
position may have been he is
He can no longer move in good
oOClOIls IN 10 oliipIf q SOlllIiiOl oOl-
der Thirty years ago. when all the
country west of the Missouri was a
bowling wilderness, there was no soci-
ETY. there to Ostracise the private soldier,
he did not feel his position so keenly
and the assertions then were not 80 per
cent of what they are now. The same
cause operates to fill our military con-
Wet prison. A man loses his pride and
self-respect when he finds he is despised
by the people he meets, that lie is
stunned by his former associates and is
no longer regarded as their social equal.
There are instances of oppression and
tyrranY, no doubt, to be found in the
army, but there is swift and impartial
remedies for those who seek them, but
for loss of caste in the great court OF
public opinion, there is no redemption.
The people themselves are to blame for
their attitude towards the private sol
der, and its demoraliZing effects upon
him are too apparent"