Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-25
15O AIDS FOR JUDGE
ADVOCATE GENERAL
Department Is Legal Adviser
to the Entire Military
Establishment.

From a peacs force Of twelve officers
the office Of the Judge advocate general
of the Army has developed q wartime
force Of more than $50 men. The Judge
advocate generals department is the
legal adviser to the entire military es-
tablishment-a task which has be-
the nations Army. and the problems
because of the sudden mobilization Of
the National Army from the civilian
population.
Several thousand lawyers have offered
their services to the Judge advocate
general. Many of them desire to serve
without pay and offer to pay their own
expenses. About $50 lawyers have been
commissioned in the grade OF major
and Judge advocate and now are serv-
ing in the Army.
Duty Of Judge Advocates.
the lawyers of this country who have
been commissioned as Judge advocates
are performing, Judge Advocate Cen
era1 Ansell pointed out that this serv-
lice has to do only with the soldier
relations to the military establishment;
or civil rights
"A member of our Army" said Gen
Ansell, "is also a citizen with all the
liabilities of a citizen. He has home
with the civil community. Before en-
tering the Army he had civil rights.
as well as liabilities. Upon being
placed In the Army his civil Liabilities
remain generally unimpaired: he Is.
however, in no position efficiently to
40 rt wi rizhfE.
law intervenes in his behalf ne re-
mains in all respects civilly liable as
though there had been no change In
his civil status.
Men Should Be Protected.
when the Army was small and was
purely a volunteer force. whose MEM
under circumstances enabling them to
protect their civil relations. as was the
case OF our small Regular Army, there
was less reason why legal cognizance
should have been taken OF the rae. snat
the military status requires modifica-
ton Of the application of the law to the
civil status Of the soldier. But when
the nation by law takes man entire
iy out of his civil relation and places
him in the Army of the nation to fight
its battles abroad for an indefinite pc
Rod 1t should also exercise Its power
to protect him SO far as necessary
against civil demands which 1t has
made 1t impossible for him to meet. He
civil relations by reason OF the national
service required of him.
This is but simple right and justice.
Surely the law will not be permitted
civil rights while he is away on the
battlefield line fighting that our very
law and Institutions may be preserved.
The law cannot assail one who has
risked his life that 1t might live. I'm
less the law intervenes. what will be.
come of the family rent that would
have been paid, the note that would
have been taken up. the debts that
could easily have been met. the suit
that could have been defended. If the
country had not called the soldier to Its
defense? To adjust these matters and
give the soldier a fair degree of pro-
lection was the purpose of the soldiers
civil rights bill, which passed the
Of the session OF Congress recently ex-
pired, but which reached the Senate too
late for official legislative action.
Cannot Do All Required.
THE federal government. however.
cannot do all in this direction that
simple justice, not to mention mill
states must cooperate. in all their
departments. with the federal govern
ment. Finally. whatever rights Of pro-
lection the government affords can be
effectively asserted and maintained
only in the courts. and. therefore. only
through the aid of the members of
the bar Of this country. The soldiers
civil rights must be left to the bar
to maintain and defend. They become
during this war the highest cause Of
every lawyer.
"The Secretary of War has decided
that 1t is the immediate duty of the
Judge advocate generals department.
to furnish every officer and enlisted
man of our Army with the legal aid
necessary for the arrangement OF his
personal affairs or for their final dispo-
sition in case of death. More than
this. however. this department cannot
do. We cannot follow up a soldiers
rights at local law. we cannot either
help him assert or maintain them
there In many cases this must be
done by the bar itself as part of its
professional obligations. To all such
cases lawyers should. and doubtless
will. assume that lofty. sympathetic
and patriotic attitude which heretofore
they have frequently shown that they
are 30 able and willing to assume upon