The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-05-23
IMPEACH HIM.


has defended the existing court-mar-
tial system. He has declared that it is
essentially sound, and that he had
not been brought to believe justice had
not been done under the present law"
He defended this monstrOusly brutal
and criminally unjust system after
Judge Advocate General s. T. Ansell
exposed its terrible iniQuities in a
courageous effort to force its repeal
or amendment What is more, Baker
denoted Gen. Ansell to lieutenant-col-
onel for his fearless honesty in expos
ing this hideouslly shocking system.
Baker defended this court martial law
and avowed that he did not believe in
justice had been done under it after |
General Ansell had told of such cases
as the following-not exceptional |
cases, merely a few examples of the
workings of this essentially sound"
system:
A raw recruit, but few days in the
army, assigned to kitchen duty, refus-
ed to give up package of cigarettes
when ordered to do so by lieutenant
sentenced by court martial to dis
honorable discharge and forty years
in jail.
A hoy went home without leave. fear
ing things were not going we'll, to find
his father dying. He remained with his |
father until he died, and the next day
reported back for duty. He was SEN
fenced to death as deserter. This
sentence was set aside after General |
Ansell's investigation.
Another boy went home without
leave to a sick wife ana child and was
sentenced to fifteen years for deser-
ton.
Many other similar cases were cited,
yet court-martial system capable Of
such inhuman brutalities as these is
defended and approved by our secre-
tary of war and the man who sought
to have it repealed or improved by
amendment was punished by demo-
ton.
This essentially sound" system I'M
der which Mr.. Baker refuses to believe
that Justice had not been done" was
inherited from English law as 1t exist
ed when soldiers were not free citi.
zens Of the flag they served, but mer.
: ceneries, retainers Of petty lords, the
4 dregs of society, the chattels of mill
tary commanders. England, France
and other democratic countries hav,
\ changed their military codes to insur,
justice to their soldiers. But America
fighting to make the world safe TO
democracy" retained It's medieval cod
because the secretary of war think
there is no injustice in sentence o
dishonorable discharge and forty year
in Jail for the crime" of refusing t
give up package Of cigarettes to
superior officer, or in death sen
tence for the "crime" of visiting with
| out leave the deathbed of father.
II 1t must be remembered that thes
extravagantly merclless sentence
were imposed upon men and boys VIII
had offered their services to and stoo
ready to give up their lives for thei
country; boys out of school, out {
factory, from the farm and the range
boys full of life and spirit, unused ,
and unacquainted with the demands (
! military discipline. Their infractior
in thousands of cases were not viciou
I many not Intentional even. These te
ribly severe sentences were not in
| posed because the victims had skulke
and played the coward; not becaui
they were disloyal traitors; not b.
cause they had cravenly striven
evade their duty or had Joined in
malign conspiracy to obstruct ar
hinder and embarrass their country
war effort.
No. God forgive us as people Il
tolerating, for permitting the scand
the disgrace, the shame of 1t, but 1t
humiliating, an odious fact that.
J these boys had been traitors, conspir
tors and enemy agents, they wou
\ not have suffered such insupportab
: injustice Our secretary of war wou
not then have permitted them to be
treated.
| For the patriot he has no respee
no regard, no sympathy. But Cor IL
perfidious sneak, the dastardly pa
troon, the white livered craven rem
gade he is full of tenderest concer
He has a great tenderness, kind
fellow-feeling, an active affinity Il
these things in the guise of man wit
the spiritual development of snak
Their attitude must be quietly igno
ed" they must be treated with KIM
ly consideration they must not