Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-04-20
|)IIRT MARTIAL HEARINGS WILL
 | END THIS WEEK
|nsell To Present Vie WIS l Monday.
 |ENTs DECLARES SYSTEM IS GOOD
aiority Oppose Vcsting Final Power
 Over Discipline With JG1ge Advocate General.

Washington, April 19.-Hearings
 the subject of war time admins
 ation of military justice probably
 il be concluded next week Chair
 ain Gregory of the committee of the
 merican Bar association announced
 bday. Major General Clarence Ed
 ards. who commanded the 26th (New
 ngland National Guard) division;
 olonel Sedgwick Rice, commandant
 the army disciplinary barracks at
 t. Leavenworth; Lieutenant Colonel
 amuel T. Ansell, forming acting
 udge-advocate general, and Colonel
 ohm Wigmore, are still to appear.
 Colonel Ansell will present his
 Jews Monday afternoon. His posi-
 ion as the leading opponent of the
 xistmg judicial system of the army vas recognized by the committee in Chairman Gregory's announcement |hat the officer had been invited to Eall any persons he might desire to be heard. Colonel Ansell has not in- bicated his plans, further than to ad- Eise the committee that he was pre- pairing a written statement for it's ccnsideration.
 1 Lawyers Testify.
 Three lawyers who either are now or were officers of the army during |the war period gave their views to- |day, one of them, Major George J. Denis, of Los Angeles, California, hav- ling been for a considerable time l |judge-advocate of the advance sec |tion, service of supply, in France, with jurisdiction over the legal pro- |ceedings affecting about 235,000 men. The others were l.. R. Hoover, formerly a captain of the line in the National array. but practicine law in New York City, and Major R. A. Stone, also a temporary officer of the line, but in civil life member of St. Paul law firm.
 None of these officers indicated any sympathy with the proposal to vest final jurisdiction over army dis culinary action through court mar tlal in the judge advocate general or any appellate court agency in his of 1lce Majors Stone and Denis vigor- ouslv opposed such a course and de- tended the existing legal system.
 System Is Good.
 :, There is nothing the matter with the court martial system" said Ma lor Danis. "The trouble lies in it's ad- mIlnlstration. It's vice is ignorance of tne articles of war on the part of the members of the court, almost all of whom are new officers. These off, eers from civil life seemed to take no interest in the administration of mili- saFy 1a law. They seemed to feel it un- algnlfled to sit on the courts. The regular officers invariably were well posted on the articles of war and the manual of court martial"
 in the course of his statement, Ma ;!or Denis told of the sudden increase Ill absence without leave cases in the 11lgntlng division immediately fol W,owlhg the signing of the armistice ;eo"e or these was treated as desert. hi' hlon' ne said, a special court martial s' uelii gorganized to deal with them in. suilhg a maximum of six months inn. pIisonment and six months fine. The vour1 handled about 70 cases in two Meeeks, imposing the maximum invar. .aoly and there was an immediate cessation in the flow of men ava, rum tnelr commands withont leave