Evening star., 1919-03-21
BITTERLY ARRA|GNS
SECRETARY BAKER
Mr.. Chamberlain Charges
Reactionaries Dictate
Court-MartiaI System.

Senator Chamberlain of Oregon,
chairman of the Senate military COM
mittee. has made public letter to
Secretary Baker in which he charged
the War Secretary with being under
the influence Of reactionaries opposed
to changes in the Ar ny court-martial
system, with acting in bad faith to-
ward Congress and with ordering an
investigation which, the senator said,
stfoy Lieut.. Col. Samuel T. Ansell,
the, man who exposed the injustice
OF the present system"
With his letter Senator Chamber
lain gave out q copy of a telegram
received from Secretary Baker. now
On an inspection trip on the Pacific
coast declining to make public i'm
mediately reply by Col. Ansell to
statements made by Mr.. Baker and
response to message from Senator
Cnam berlafh asking that the Ansell
letter be published, Secretary Baker
telegraphed:
More than a year ago I asked Of
the military committees of both the
senate and House legislation to cor
rect the evils of the present court
martial system. I shall renew the re-
quest when Congress reassembles.
There would seem to be, therefore, no
controversy on the merits of the SUBJ
Ject- Have not yet seen the letter in
question and cannot imagine why my
consideration of it on my return will
not be time enough
'Deaf to Complaints"
In his letter Senator Chamberlain
70 Hyr frA lno frn
complaints" and was fencing on the
subject.
You supplanted the officer who had
seen ht to call your attention at the
beginning Of the war to the necessity
of Keeping the strictest supervision
over court-martial proceedings by an
emcef who contended that such su-
pervision was not necessary and that
such supervision would derogate from
the power Of the commanding officer
aside one officer who even then had
the courage to condemn the system
and the provision to point out it's ter
fible results-Gen. Ansell-and took
! into the bosom of your confidence
trio OF men who are pronounced re-
acting chief of staff and the inspector
general-the last named of whom is
even this day engaged, by your order,
In so-called investigation de-
signed. in my Judgment, to destroy
OF the pesent system"
In order that any future responsible
ity might be shifted to Congress, the
senator wrote, Mr.. Baker presented a
bill which, If he did not know, ad-
visers did, could not be passed The
slightest consideration of the meas.
ure, he asserted, would show that had
1t been enacted into law it would have
made the system even more reac-
tfoflary. II possible, than 1t is now"
Mr.. Bakers Reply.
YUMA, Arix, Mafch 21.-Secretsxy
OF War Newton D. Baker, who is
on an inspection tour Of Army camps,
replying to charges made yesterday
washington by Senator Chamber
lain of Oregon. chairman of the Sem
ate military affairs committee, that
the Secretary was under the infiu-
ence OF reactionaries opposed to
changes in the Army court martial sys-
tenn. said, in part:
Il cannot permit myself to be
drawn into . newspaper controversy
With Senator Chamberlain about Of.
ficers Of the Army. 1t 10 important,
however. to note that the system Of
courts-naftial and Of military JUS
which he himself caused to be enacted
in 1915, when it was presented by
me as = reform and a moderation OF
the previously existing Irregularities
amendment which I sent to Senator
Chamberlain ~ chairman Of the mill
tafy Affairs committee of the Senate
moro than year ago and more than
year before the occasion for the
present discussion has 50 far as
know never even been presented by
him to the military affairs committee
for consideration"