Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-22
MAJOR IN ARMY
ACCUSES BAKER
OF AIDING I.W.W.
War Secretary Perverted Acts
of Congress for Protection
Of 0bstruCtionists, Says
Major Foster.

secretary OF War Baker was &C
cused directly of aiding and assist
ing" the l. w. W., internationalist
socialists and humanitarians in their
program of blocking the construc-
ton of the army, by Maj. Dick B.
Foster, member of the general
court-martial which tried 1876 al
legged conscientious directors at
Camp Funston in an address before
the city club here today.
This was DONE" Major Foster
declared, by extending and per-
verting the acts of congress for the
protection, comfort and solace of
these obstructionists."
In making this accusation" Ma
ior Foster continued, 81 consider no
rumors, no suggestions and no
guesses, but have it entirely upon
my own personal knowledge of the
treatment extended these obstruc-
tionists. This knowledge was gain
ed from official War department or
ders and communications and the
personal knowledge of obstruction
lists | gained while acting as one
member OF the general court-martial
Of Is majors and captains before
whom approximately l35 directors
came for trial"
Cites Secret Orders.
The speaker cited alleged secret
orders issued by the War depart
ment of which the public knew moth
ing, he said, but of which the OBJ
structionists were we'll informed as
one process OF extending the pro-
visions of the congressional act to
the advantage of the directors"
Local draft boards" Major Fos-
ter said, had received instructions
to induct into military service and
to send to army camps all men be-
tween the ages of 81 and 81 years.
There was, however, an inner
working of the military program.
Directors of all classes found pro-
lection awaiting in extensions of the
act of congress by secret orders, and
every man who expressed or showed
any dissemination toward military
service found a we'll organized and
well promulgated propaganda of the
obstructionists awaiting that sup
ported him. Bulletins and pamphlets
from the National Civil Liberties
bureau of New York City were semi
secretly promulgated among the
drafted men upon their arrival in
camp. These bulletins were argu-
ments against military service and
contained detailed instructions as
to how the drafted man might avail
himself of pacifist protection.
Army Officers Gagged.
Confidential letters and bulletins
were sent to commanding generals
of all national army and National
Guard environments and camps, the
very nature of which prohibited any
officer in the United States army inn
parting to the public their contents.
Each confidential order or bulletin
contained the closing paragraph:
".Under no circumstances should
these instructions be communicated
to the newspapers
Public opinion, no doubt, was re-
sponsible for the secrecy of these
instructions, as they were OF ma
ture which would have been revolt
ing to the American public had they
known the full facts.
"One of the first of these secret
orders provided absolute immunity
for any man who chose to refuse
military service. In part it reads:
"'With reference to their attitude
of Directing to military service,
these men are not to be treated as
!, violating military laws, thereby sub
jectiug themselves to the penalties
of the articles of war, but their atti-
tude in this respect will be quietly
ignored and they will be treated
with kindly consideration.
"Officers of the army were dumb
founded that the War department
should order violations of military
laws to be quietly ignored and that
the vioators of the law be treated
with kindly consideration.
Inquiry Restricted.
"The number of directors in
creased and numerous complaints
on the peculiar condition went from
army officers to Washington. A
board of inquiry under the direct
and personal supervision of the Sec
rotary of war resulted. The an
nounced intention. of the board was
to discriminate between the true OBJ
iectors and false DIRECTORS. The
range of the board, however, was
limited by a second secret order
promulgated by Secretary Baker
December 10, 1917, which read:
"'The secretary of war directs un-
til further instructions on the sub
ject are issued, personal scruples
against war should be construed as
constituting conscientious objec-
tors" under the instructions con-
tanned in confidential letter from
this office dated October 10, 1917.
"By that order every man who
had any reason for Directing to mil
itary service, whether cowardice,
humanitarianism, international So
cialism, belief in the principles of
the Industrial Workers of the
World or what not, had to be per-
mitted to violate all the military
regulations and his violations had to
be quietly ignored and the man
treated with kindly consideration.
Zone of the directors wrote this
letter while in the guard house:
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