The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-21
BAKER ACCUSED OF
INJUSTICE TO ARMY
Continued from First Page.


tunately persuaded you have been busy
preparing their defence. You have been
presented lengthy reports designed to
controvert the speech which made in
the Senate on this subject. which reports
1 have shown you to be misleading and
utterly unreliable. Volumes Of statistics
are being prepared TO show that after
all the system Ia not 80 bad.
whether you do or not the American
people see and have the evidence: mem
bers Of Congress have tho evidence.
You have taken q terrible stand upon n
subject which lies close to a thousand
American hearthstones Tho American
people win not be deceived by such SELF
serving, misleading reports and statistics.
TOO many American families have made
a pcntecostal sacrifice of their sons upon
the altar OF organized injustioe.-
Senator Chamberlain's letter was made
public after he had received what he
considered refusal on tho part OF Mr..
Baker to make public a statement by
Lieut. Col Ansell answering statements
BY Mr. Baker and Gen. Crowder in sup
port Of tho present court-martial system.
Accuses Baker Of Evasion.
Mr.. Baker was asked to make Col
AnselPs statement public, the letter said.
entitled and as only fair to that officer.
On this head Senator Chamberlain
wrote:
In that am disappointed" says the
letter. II have just received from you
tho following telegram.
Your telegram received More than
n year ago asked OF the Military Com
mittees Of both the Senate and House
legislation to correct the evils in the
present court-martial system. shall
renew tho request when Congress re-
assemblies. There would seem to be
therefore no controversy on the merits
OF the subject. Have not yet seen the
letter In question and cannot imagine
any reason why my consideration of II
on my return will not be time enough.
NEWTON d. BAKER,
Secretary of War
1T Is painful to me. Mr.. Secretary, to
ind you fencing upon a question which
means SO much to the tens Of thousands
of enlisted men who have suffered in.
justice under the present system. a ques-
| ton which means SO much to you. the
army, the nation. In tho Telegram
you say that more than a year arc
| you recognized the evils Of the presen,
court-martial system and requested legis-
lation to correct them, and that mas
much as you intend to renew that re-
| quest there can be no controversy on
the merits OF the subject
Monumental Confidence"
your present recognition Of existing
evils of the court-martial system Is
strongly irreconcilable with your pub.
lished statement no more remote than
March 10. In that statement Of warm
approval Of the existing system you
seemed blind TO any deficiency. You say
therein:
"T have not been brought to believe
By a perusal Of these complaints that
Justice Is not done to-day under the
present law or has not been done during
the war period. and my acquaintance
with the course Of military Justice. gath
cred as II 10 from the large number OF
cases which in the regular routine come
to mo for flnal action, convinces me that
tho conditions implied by these recen,
| complaints do not exist and had not ex-
listed
| You further say that you are 'abso-
lutely confident THAI the published ap.
prehensions which have been created
ara groundless And then you put the
capstone upon your monumental conf
dencs In the system ny further saying
"T wish to convey to you here the as.
surance Of my entire faith that the sys.
tenn Of military Justice both in THU
structure as organized by the statutes OF
Congress and the Presidents regulations
and In its operations as administered
during the war Is essentially sound
And finally you call upon the Judge
Advocate General TO make a statemen,
for the purpose of reassuring the peopl,
who must not be left to believe thai
their men were subjected to a system
that did not fully deserve the terms OF
| law and justice. and then you conclude