The Washington herald., 1919-03-28
Army LAW FAILS
Fe Give JUSTICE,
ASSERTS
Tells North Carolina So
ciety Untutored Officers
Are Unjust to Men.
CITES CASE OF JOHN"
|FWe-Year Sentence Fol-
lowed Rockies" Visit to
His Ailing Mother.

Whether court-martial In the United
States army should be administered
by legislation enacted by Congress or
by a commanding officer. untutored
IN law. was the question Gen. Samuel
+. Ansell, U. S. A, raised in the
minds OF several hundred North Car
olinians, the guests OF the North Caro-
lima Society at the Wilson Normal
last night
'Tf I do not tell the truth about
the system of military Justice as Il
obtains in the army: II do not point
out wherein the principles Of Justice
as 1 understand them, do not exist
in the administration Of the discipline
of the United States army, then right
and truth and justice as they were
enciently taught in North Carolina
are not right and truth and Justice,
declared Gen. Ansel
Says System Is Wrong.
SAYS SYSTEM IS WRONG SUB
In the army Of the old days, the
aggregate of injustice was so small
as not challenge the attention OF the
American people. and, too, the regu-
lar army did not come from the peo-
pie Of the United States. The de-
ficiency Of the existing system and
the injustice resulting from the ap-
plication OF this system was not due
10 the fact that we recruited a large
number OF new men and new officers.
1t was not due to the lack OF the
quality Of these men, but it was due
to the fact that the system Is fun
danentally and inherently wrong and
was Just as wrong when it was ad-
rninistered by the old-time army Off
Ger as it exists today.
The jurisdiction OF the court-mar-
tial." said Gen. Aasell. extends over
every civil offense and also a thou
sand others that are simply military
offenses and grow out Of every mill
tary relationship, which in the army
becomes magnified and perhaps, nee
essarily so. in the real military Grim
inal cases"
Theoretically, the Congress Of
the United States makes the court
martial laws, but practically they
are administered on the findings OF
from three to fifteen men placed
before the commanding oficer. AL
most invariably the sentences are
made more severe than the COM
handing officer is expected to sane
tion. On the other hand II he con-
siders a punishment too light. his
recommendations are without ques-
tion considered as final, upon their
return to the body executing the
court-martiaL As worked out the
court-martial Is the verdict Of one
man. upon findings that would not
be accepted by any civil court in
EFafaap
Cites Case of sRookie.'
Gen. Anseu then related the story
of John, whose sentence of tive
years OF hard work at a Federal
prison was passed to him John
was a simple American lad, %
years of age, born and raised in an
isolated Virginia county.
He had been in a Virginia military
camp five weeks when he received a
letter telling Of the illness of his
mother. The parental regard. Gen.
Ansell stated. probably was unusually
strong in the heart OF the young man
because Of his early environment He
deserted. After he had been home for
several days, neighbors urged that he
not return to camp for fear Of a death
penalty, and so John remained at home
for several weeks. Finally, because
his conscience troubled him, John went
TO the sheriff and together the lad
and the county official returned to the
Virginia camp. The commanding Of
1cer there, said Gen. Ansell. asked for
a court-martial for the lad and upon