Omaha daily bee., 1919-02-27
PRESIDENT
TO REMIT
EXCESSIVE
PENAL
Gen. CrOwder Says That 5000
Sentences Imposed on Men
of Army Will Be Re-
viewed by Board.

| Washington, Feb. 26.--Major Cen
eral Crowder, judge advocate gen
eral of the army, appearing before
the senate military committee today,
at resumption OF hearings on the
court-martial situation, said that all
Imprisonment sentences imposed on
men Of the army during the war and
found upon review to be too severe
would be mitigated through the
presidents power of remission.
4 General Crowder said that within
90 days the 5000 sentences imposed
since the beginning of hostilities
would be reviewed by a special
board headed by Brig. Gen. Samuel
T. Ansell, who was acting Judge
advocate general during the war and
whose testimony as to severity of
court-martiai sentences led the COM
mittee to extend its invitation.
1900 Restored to Duty.
Steps toward mitigating the SEN
tences were begun, General Crowder
said, prior to the investigation by
the senate committee. Practically
all of the men sentenced to dishon-
orable discharge and Imprisonment,
he said, already have the dishonor-
}ble discharge provision revoked.
lie added that 1900 men sentenced
to long terms at Leavenworth, Kan,
had been honorably restored to duty
in the last year
Provisions of the pending Cham
berlain bill, authorizing review by
the judge advocate general of court
martial sentences we're opposed by
General Crowder, who said it would
give the Judge advocate general ex-
tremely broader powers and author
ity to administer the entire system
Of army discipline. He indicated
that many times the commanding
officers in the field was i'll a better
position to review the case.
Few Verdicts Criticised.
Lieut.. Col. Alfred E. Clark of the
Judge advocate generals office, who
preceded General Crowder before
the committee, testified that only a
few of the $4,000 or 10000 court
martial verdicts handed down dur
ing the war were criticised as too
severe. All classes of men were
brought into the army through the
draft, he said, and it was necessary
to punish insubordination severely.
Chairman Chamberlain read into
the record of the hearing a conf
Dental order on conscientious OBJ
jectors which he said was sent to
all camp commanders in the United
States by Adjutant General Learn
ed, at the direction of Secretary
Baker. The order as placed in the
record follows:
"The secretary of war directs that
you be instructed to segregate the
conscientious objectors in their di-
visions and to place them under
supervision Of instructors, who shall
be specially selected with view to
insuring that these men will be
handled with tact and consideration
and that their questions will be ans.
swered fully and freely.
With respect to their attitude of
objecting to military service these
men are not to be treated as violat-
ing military laws, thereby subjecting
themselves to the penalties of the
articles of war, but their attitude in
this respect will be quietly ignored
and they will be treated with kindly
consideration.
Directors Conciliated.
Attention in this connection is IN
vited TO a case where a number of
conscientious objectors in one of our
divisions, when treated in this man
ner, renounced their original objec-
ton to military service and volun-
tarily offered to give their best
efforts to the service of the United
States as soldiers.
1T is desired that after the pro-
cedure above indicate&shall have
been followed for sufficient length
OF time to afford opportunity to
Judge the results derived from it,
report of the action taken and the
results obtained under these in
structions is to be submitted to the
War department by each division
commander. AS a result of the
consideration of these reports fur
ther Instructions will be issued BY
the secretary of war as to the policy
to be observed in the future in the
case of conscientious objectors.
Under no circumstances are the
instructions contained in the fore
going to be given to the news
papers.