Arizona republican., 1919-04-18
JUSTICE NUT SOUGHT IN
 ARMY TRIBUNE
Discipline First Essential Severity of Punishment
 Works To That End-Dis- obedience of Orders Most Serious Offense Await Ansell's Opposing Views
Republican A. p. Leased WIreI


 WASHINGTON. April 1.-The sys- tenn of military jurisprudence is de- signed to produce an efficient, depend able fighting army, not to do exact justice to individual soldiers. according to the views vigorously presented to- day to the committee of the American Bar association by army officers of field experience, including Major Gen eral Edwin F. Glenn, organizer and commander of the S3rd division, and now again in command of Camp Sher- man. In attaining the objective the of ficers contended. the present machin- cry for enforcing military discipline had proved both efficient and fair, the final product of the system loosely ap- proXimating justice to the individual. in addition to producing what General Glenn described as the best disciplined army in France.
 Cases of courtmartial sentences so excessive, in the penalty awarded. as to be ridiculous, were freely admitted by the officers. Such sentences only served General Glenn insisted. to prove, even in the early stages of the military legal proceedings, the action 1 of the courts in no case being final that fairness was the general rule.
 Judge Gregory. chairman of the com mittee. and General Glenn engaged in 1 considerable argument which brought out that the officer, just speaking both | from his military experience and his 1 special training in civl law, as a grad uate of the law school of the state of | Minnesota, saw little in common be- [ tween the purposes of civil justice and i it's military equivalent. Major Charles ! H. Macdonald, General Glenn's divi- 1 sional judge advocate at Camp Sher- | man, but who is a temporary officer ! and before the war was counsel for 1 the federal trade commission, followed ! his chief and expressed the same views.
 Bar Exact Justice
 You are not looking for exact jus tice,' Major Macdonald declared, when you are building an army of the size of that which the United States is building. Suppose men did get sen tences of 20 years or 40 years. Thus dishonorable discharges were suspend ed, and they went to the disciplinary barracks, probably to be restored to service, if they were worthy of restora tion. It was the lesson involved.
 WherfSexaet justice interferes with the building up of the army, exac; justice must be sacrificed"
 There is. of course" Major Mac Donald added. some room for i'm provement. There always is in any system of law or taxation; but the present army justice system is very efficient machine. We have felt that we could attend to the question of ex- act justice after the war;
 The officer submitted a record of 174 general court cases tried at Camp Sher. man. He called attention to one sen. tence of 2 years, imposed on q mar who refused to obey a lawful orde, from an officer. On the face of tn, record, he said. the sentence seemed excessive, but that it was Justified b, facts, and as reviewing judge advocat, he had regretted only that the prjsor term had not been longer. Explainins the case, he said the soldier had beer ordered to work at the base hospital or a Saturday, during the influenza epi demic, and had refused on account O religious scruples, alleging he was ; member of a faith that set that da, asloe Tor worship. On that particula Saturday, the officer said there ha, been l40 deaths at the hospital an, there were hundreds of very sick me, to be cared for. Both General GIenl and Major Macdonald insisted that tn circumstances of any case must b fully considered before criticism ar made
 AnseII Will Oppose
 Bo~1 opposed suggestions that radi cal changes in court martial procedur were necessary, or that any large in fusion of men trained in civil law int : the military establishment was neces sary. Every accused man was sur rounded now with checks to safeguar his rights, they asserted
 The opposing views held in the ser vice will be available to the committe next Monday, when Lieutenant Colont Samuel T. Ansell, former judge advo I cate general, and the leading figure i , the criticnsm that has been directe | against the sourtsmartial system. wi appear. He will be followed by CoIone John Wigmore, also of the judge advo cate generals department, but a lawve in civil life and in the army only fo the war period.