Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-04-29
ANSELL FIGHTS FOR
COMMON SOLDIERS
Declares Court-Martial System
Builds Up Caste.
BELONGS TO THE LoNe-AGo
Says 1t Is Survival of the Old Days
When the Soldiers Were the Vas
sails of the King and Not
Citizens.

Washington, April 23.-Lieutenant
Colonel Ansell, former acting judge
advocate general, continued his at
tack upon the army system of court
martial before the investigating COM
mittee of the American Bar associa-
ton. He riterated his assertion that
the existing system was derived from
days when common soldiers" were
the vassals of the king and failed to
recognize the soldiers as citizens of
the state, and declared it was the nat
ural result of such a system that an
officer caste should be built up.
Declaring it fact that the enlisted
man did not receive the same consid-
Grafton of his rights under the sys-
tenn that officers enjoyed, Colonel An
sell argued that the only remedy lay
in writing into the law the guarantees
of the rights of the soldier. While this
is left to regulations to be prescribed
by the president, he said, it cannot be
effective.
1.-THE attitude of the army" he
added, 'has been tolerant toward
methods necessary to justice. They
do not take kindly to legal restraints"
Would Not Permit Hanging.
While a commander of troops must
necessarily have arbitrary power of
command, the officer asserted, it
should not go to the extent of permit
ting them to hang men.
Congress cannot command the
army" Colonel Ansell declared, ''but
congress should prescribe the rules for
it's discipline. If you are going to
have any law worthy of the name, you
viii not get it by committing it to de-
partmental regulation. If it is to be
left there, all this agitation will have
been in vain"
The officer, who was frequently in
terrupted by members of the commit
tee to discuss involved legal questions
as they arose in his argument, assert
ed that there had been a strong eff
fort by the war department to have
the people and perhaps this commit
tee believe that there was a SubStan-
tial revision" of the articles of war in
1916. This was not the fact, he said
and cited statements made to con-
gressional committees by Major Gen
eral Crowder, judge advocate general,
in proposing the revision to prove his
case. His attention was drawn to re-
cent statements by General Crowder
showing that he agreed that the mill
tary code needed amendment. These
statements Colonel Ansell character
lied as evidence of "a change of
heart" on CrOwder'S part, but he de-
clared that such statements by that
officer or Secretary Baker were mot
made in way to assure me as would
a favorable report by this committee"
"You Can't Have Justice in Army"
In submitting his own recommends
tons Colonel Ansell reaffirmed his be-
lief that the law officers of the army
ought to stand on a different footing
from any other part of the staff, not
subject to military domination. If
line officers would "broaden out" Colo
mel Ansell said, they would soon aban-
don the saying, you can't have JUS
tice in an army"
Colonel Ansell's assertion, made on
his appearance before the committee,
that the committee was preiudiced
was promptly challenged by the chair
man, S. S. Gregory of Chicago, who
warned Colonel Ansell that he was
oversuspicious and ION the wrong
track"
"We are not anybody's TOOLS" de-
clared Mr.. Gregory. Il have practiced
law two and half times as long as
Secretary Baker. I don't propose to
surrender my judgment to anybody. If
you are for justice, this committee
will strike hands with you.
Colonel Ansell specifically attacked
the right Of Martin Conboy of New
York to sit on the committee. The
relationship between Conboy and
Major General Crowder, judge advo-
cate general, had been such, Ansell as
serted, as to make him "a stanch sup
porter" of Crowder, and for that rea-
son, Ansell said, Conboy should with
draw from the committee.