New-York tribune., 1919-04-04
Baker and CrOUder
Assailed in Reply
OF Deposed General

me lcttef or colonel AnSeil TO Soc
retary Baker was published yesterday
morning by the New York Times"
1t was reply to Il report of Ncn>..N
Crowder defending the court martha.
system.
In his address at Natchez, Miss,
Wednesday night Senator Chamberlain
declared that his criticism of the ad-
ministration was intended to be con
structive, and asserted that events
have justified it. He asserted that
he had no quarrel with President Will
son, but that his attacks were directed
solely against Secretary Baker, Chief
of Staff March and General Crowdcr,
whom he accused of being exponents
of "a Prussianized military system"
Senator Chamberlain declared that
General Pershing's report bore out the
charge that there had been inefficiency
in the military administration and that
| there were no American built air
planes for use at the front until Au-
gust, 1918.
The Senator criticised the methods
of demoblzaton, charging that SOL
diers arriving from Europe were sub
Jected to needless discomforts, that they
were disgusted and that the treatment
they received was making for Bolshe-
vism.
|
Touching on the court martial sys-
tenn, Senator Chamberlain said that al
though "the reactionary War Depart-
ment" was against him, the progressive
elements of the country were with him
in his fight for a more humane system
and the abolition of present methods.
Lieutenant Colonel Ansell's letter
asserted that Mr.. Bakers defence of
the court martial system was based
on limited observation and statements
| of bassed witnesses.
Colonel Ansel stated that under the
present system the Secretary sees only
cases concerning commissioned Of
ficers, and that a commissioned officer
appears before court martial to far
| better advantage than does private.
"The Secretary of War believes that
conditions of injustice do not exist"
the letter added. "When he denied
this department the revisory power
over all urtsmartial he denied him
self the opportunity to keep in touch
with the administration Of Justice
throughout the army. | say the sys~
tenn does not do justice. 1t does in
justice-gross, terrible spirit crush
ing injustice"
Replies to Crowder
OF General Crowder's statement de-
Tending the system the letter said that
General Crowder had become involved
"in inextricable confusion and patent
Inconsistencies" General Crowder. the
| letter continued, says the system is
excellent and complains that Congress
has failed to impose upon it needed
organ to subject it to legal control. "In
his instant statement he contends that
the purpose of the army is not to
maintain justice, but to secure victory
as though the one can be achieved only
at the sacrifice of the other. | say that
there can be no discipline in an army
without justice"
Colonel Ansell charged il his COM
muncation that the etfc:ts of General
Crowder, alluded to IN the lattcr's
statement, to secure the establishment
of power Of appeal from unjust judg-
ments of courts martial, were not made
in good faith, but were designed to
allay public apprehension and inquiry.
at may be- the letter said, that
now the restraint is removed which
seemed to him to oblige him to take an
opposite course, the Judge Advocate
General reverts to his first view which
he on one occasion expressed as one of
honest intellectual approval of the eff
forts our officers were making to es-
tablish such an appellate power in this
department"
Says Crowder's View Changed
Alluding to General Crowder's as
sertions that the brief of Colonel An
sells Office deducing such an appellate
power from the statutes, had been sub
mitted to the Secretary of War with
out consulting Crowder. the letter said
those statements were at variance
with the facts. The letter stated that
Colonel Ansel had informed General
Crowder that his Office was engaged
upon discovering some remedy for
correcting injustice done a large num-
Der of commissioned officers in
Texas. Colonel Anscll in his letter
quoted General Crowder as saying: 81
approve heartily of your effort Go
ahead and put it over"
After General Crowder had resumed
the office and fled brief opposing
the Ansel Office brief Colonel Ansen
wrote that he went to General Crowder
and asked him about his change of
attitude. The letter quotes General
Crowder as answering. "Ansell, ! had
to go back on you. | am sorry, but
1t was necessary to do it in order to
save my official regulations"
HE added that AS he was nearing
| the end of his service" the letter con-
tinued, "he could not afford to be held
responsible for the injustice that had
gone on If the existing law could he
construed to prevent it," The letter
aggarteH fouaral 4