The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-16
General Ainsworth Faces Courtmartial on Charges
 of InsubOrdinatiOn
SUSPENSION CAUSES
 A GREAT SENSATION
Outcome of Many Years Struggle Be tween the Line and Staff of the Arhy-Secretary Stimson
 Criticises Ainsworth

today by order or Fresiueht iais ~ will appear before courtmarnai on charges said to embrace conduct pre,u- dicial to good order and discipline anu fnsubordination. His relief from duty was brought about in letter 10 nih from the Secretary of War, wnlch bristled with sharp criticism.
 General Ainsworth's removal is con sidered to be the outcome Of many years of struggle for control between the line and the staff of the army. Mai. Gen. Leonard Wood, chief of staf, r leads contingent which believe con troI should be delegated to those of- fcers actually In touch with the fight ing strength.
 Others, among whom General Aims worth was a leading figure, have con tended supervision should be vested with the heads of power of the bu- reaus.
 First Suspension
 Suspension of General Ainsworth, the first that has ever occurred in the of flee of the adjutant general, caused a profound sensation In army and con- \ gressional circles. It was made the ? subject of a heated exchange on the
  appropriation bill was debated. Neither General Ainsworth nor other army or department officers or officials would discuss it.
 The action of the President was taken after several conferences with Secretary Stimson. For some time there had been friction between the ad jutant generals office and that of the chief of staff. Clashes were not uncom- mon and there was almost total lack of cooperation. The bad feeling cul- minated when General Ainsworth, in reply to Secretary Stimsons request for some statistical information, made such answer that the secretary felt constrained to accept it as a reflection upon his own integrity and upon that of other high officers of the depart ment.
 Stimson's Letter
 Secretary stimson's letter of suspen- sion, which was delivered to General Ainsworth this morning, took up incl dents as far back as October, 1909, in which the secretary held the adjutant general had been unduly caustic in deal ing with his superiors and in crticising them. Beginning with last December the secretary refers to his order to the ad- jutant general to submit to the chief of staff of the army his opinion on a pro- posal to abolish the present muster roll and to modify certain other rolls.
 'In reply to this order' says the sec- retary. you submitted to the chief of staff on February a memorandum dated February 3. In this paper you impugn the fairness and intelligence of the Secre- tary of War, under whose authority the proposition in question was submitted to you. You also criticise and impugn the mi q Try aoD Daaif md hn in. telligence and fair mndedness, and, finally, question the honor and good faith of the officers of the general staff and the war college, which you were directed to discuss
 Quotes Ainsworth
 MT. Stimson then quotes from General Ainsworth's memorandum to show that the latter had him in mind in writing:
 "In compliance with the second part of the accompanying call, the following statement is submitted although 1t is recognized that 1t will be difficult, If not impossible, to formulate any statement that will carry conviction to anyone who Is So unmndful of consequences or so uninformed as to the needs of the gov ernment and the public with regard to the matter in question, as seriously to propose to abolish one of the most inn portant, if not the most important of all the records of the war department"
 
 iutant general as having added that the statement was submitted with the '.con fident expectation that when oth- er if not wiser, counsels shall pre- vail the statement would receive the consideration that may not be given it now"
 Attacks General Wood
 In his letter the secretary calls at- tention to an attack made upon the chief of staff in the same statement. After referring to proposal to change the dating of some of the rolls the edjutant general continued: But the adoption of this proposal could hardly fail to be regarded gen eralIy as a mere subterfuge of a kind that would be scorned by honorable men in any of the relations of pri- vate life and that would be most dis ereditable to a great department of the government in it's management Of the affairs of the nation.' In this connection General Ainsworth is charged with having declared that the opponents of the plan displayed .1amentable lack of knowledge," adding that If they had had or had proflted by even a little service as company commanders they would have known better
 Quoting General Ainsworths mem- orandum. the secretary reviews in his letter the following:
  to the proposed plan that might be | stated, but if those that have been l pointed are not sufficient to carry to the minds of those with whom the de- cision in this matter now rests the conviction not only that it is most in advisable ever to entrust to incompe-- tent amateurs the mana cement of a business that is of national importance and that can only be managed pru- dently, safely and efficiently by those whom long service has made experts with regard to it. then it will be worse than useless to present further facts or figures here ]"
 First Sharp Rebuke The secretary a this point admin ,sters his first sharp rebuke. Referring To the foregoing he says This is not isolated instance of in- subcrdnation and impropriety on your part. nor is t made in the absence of warning as to the necessary consequences o1 such an outhurst. On September last you submitted to me q memorandum in which you, by insinuation, charged the chief of staff with improper motives in his proposed action of relieving certain officers of the recruiting service" The memorandum referred to declared 
 ! SCONTlNUED ON PAGE O