Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-22

clude them from the fighting forces
Furthermore, now that they are IN the
army, IL has great difficulty in getting ez-
perts 10 assist the courts In discovering
them.
But this lack is recognized and will un-
doubtcdly be supplied.
Another difficulty faced by the Judge
advocate generals Office results from the
fact that many oi the men who are now
serving the colors are not familiar with
military ethics. The ethical principles
or precepts which regulate the conduct
Of Tan officer and gentleman" or
soldier who has served IN the regular
army, are taught the regular army officer
at West Point and are lnstilled INTO the
regular soldier during the period Of his
enlistment. These principles are. 10 such
officers and soldiers, clearly crvstaliized
part of the traditions of his profession.
But some Of the fine points OF these
ethics are not evident 10 the man who has
been an officer or a soldier only a lew
months, with no preliminary training, and
who has come from the farm, or the lac
tory.
CASE or ETHICS INVOLVED
For example, a young lieutenant who
had given up n 5000 job as a hotel
manager n few months before 10 accept
commission as second lieutenant, one
evening saw brother officer Of higher
rank slightly intoxicated IN = hotel dining
room Acting as he would have done 1t he
had still been a hotel manager, he con
Quoted the offender 10 a room IN the hotel.
A regular army officer, dining in the same
room with party Of officers and civilians,
observed the incident and cent an officer
TO look for the delinquent. When the
officer 50 sent arrived AT the room, the
delinquent officer was not there. His
friend, the ex-hotel manager, had spirited
him away 10 another room in the hotel.
The investigating officer now demanded
to know where the offender was, 10 which
the ex-hotel man cheerfully replied, y
don't know"
It was a white lie, intended solely 10
serve a friend IN need, but II violated one
Of the cardipal principles Of military
ethics AZ applied 10 officers, which makes
It unpardonable for an officer 10 tell an
untrIth. When later thig sct was brought
20 the attention Of the young man, ne
went Immediately N his superior officer
and made full confession. He was tried
before a general court martial, convicted
and sentenced To dismissal from the army
This was one OF the cases in which Presi-
dent Wilson exercised his prerogative By
committing the sentence 10 one of reprl-
mand and forfeiture OF pay and allowance
for a short period The policy ls n use
leniency in all such cases where the letter
Of military ethics is violated but its spirit
| IS not impaired.
HxPERIENCED oFYTcER IN CHARGE.
All important cares now tried by general
/ courts martial, such ne cases involving
| the death penalty or dismissal Of officers,
| come now directly to the Military Jurs-
4 dietion Division Of the Judge advocate
I generals office, Of which division a regular
/ army officer of long experience and thor
/ 0ugh training in military law IA the chief.
There an officer Of that division reviews
/ every such case The review then goes. "a
I a board Of review, 10 carefully considered
/ nv it, and il then is submitted 20 the acting
/ Judge advocate general. II ,he approves Of
I It. ID Is sent to the Secretary Of War, who,
/ in turn, carefully reviews 10 and sends y
/ with his recommendation TO the Presl-
4 dent, together with the form Of an execut-
/ ed order designed 10 carry the recommends
4 ti0n into effect, if the President approves
i Of IT,
i Secretary Baker, himself q trained
/ LdNNer. gives LnS-F CxASNS ttlc tlDsr1~t Eb-
tentlon. II his own opinion differs from
7 that Of the Judge advocate general, he
I often sends both opinions 10 the Presi-
/ dent, leaving the final decision to the
4 chief executive Secretary Baker ls under
/ stood to be strongly inclined to lenIency,
| for the reasons outlined above, except IN
/ cases Of intoxicatlon, IN which he IS in
4 clined TO recommend severe action
The President, too, gives the most care
+ full attention 10 ali Of these cases which
come 70 him tor action, and he sometimes
when deslrous that points involved be
1 further elucidated, sends them back fol
re-revIew and he has also been known "a
! act independently OF the recommends
tloDs either OF the secretary or OF the
/ Judge advocate general.
This, in brief outline, is the legal ma
chInery which the government provides
for the protection Of the legal rights o.
/ nearly two million men IN our army. BY
no means perfect, it ls certainly an or
! ganlzatIoD OF vigorous growth and spien
di promise, and the spirit Of self-sacrllc'
and patriotism which has been, an i
being. exhibited by the lawyers Gale,
from civil life 70 give their aid in TIM
work, is as commendabie as the spin
which has called other citizens 10 over
seas duties.