South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-10


eral and not the president.
Criticizes System.
Turning 10 criticisms that the SEN
fences OF courts martial during the
war have been severe. Gen. CrOwder
wrote that this was a criticism OF
the system Of military justice and
not a criticism OF his administration
Of that system.
cit is a criticism" he said. "of the
officers who imposed. for instance,
sentences OF death for sentinels con-
victed OF sleeping on post, for sol
diers wilfully and contumaciously
refusing TO obey the direct orders
OF their commanding officers, and
for desertion in time OF war. and II
is a criticism Of the congress which
authorized a death penalty. in plain
statutory terms 20 be assessed on
conviction for these offenses. 1 do
not mean TO say that, if criticism in
this connection is due, I am immune.
am not. 1 agree with the statute.
and shall defend il, but l am not
responsible for it.
Considering the charges from
the standpoint of officers who as
sessed the sentences, let us see who
they are They are men taken in a
general dragnet throughout the ma
ton. They came from every walk
of life There are 100000 Of them
They comprise a faithful cross sec
ton of our whole people and our
national life.
Difference of Opinion.
What is this charge of severity
! by them. We have seen that it can
not be an indictment of the system.
It is simply a difference between the
opinion of we'll meaning and humane
critics. far removed from the scene
Of the offense, punished and with
only a partisan, inadequate colored
statement Of that case to guide
them, and the opinions of men who
| considered the facts under the
solemn obligation OF an oath TO be
/ honest, impartial and fair. who lived
/ in the environment of the offense
and were stepped in the reasons
making il grave and who assessed
the sentences in the performance of
the highest civic duty of man-the
defense of home and country
These men cannot n crit the in
ldictment and diatrieb what has been
heaped upon their action. To us at
home. in comfort and in present
peace, it is next to impossible to
reconcile the almost unanimous view
of soldiers in the field or theatre
of war on the gravity of these and
many other lesser offenses by their
comrades. Therefore the execution
of not one sentence of death for
these things has been approved by
me and not one such sentence has
been executed. Also heavy sentences
have been reduced Complementary
and uniformly But ven with that
said, can neither condemn the
100000 officers who passed the sem
fences, nor the law Of congress. nor
the system under that law that made
them possible"
After referring to the fact that
il was on his recommendation, after
his resumption of fu-l charge of the
office of the judge advocate general
at the end of hostilities that a
| board of clemency was convened
to undertake with the greatest ex-
petition the adjustment of war time
punishments to peace time stand
ards, Cen Crowder said:
CI-owdcr Defends Motive.
81 come now. with the utmost
reluctance to a few distasteful para
lgraphs of personal vindication. My
motives and my actions have been
attacked. and 1 have been advertised
as having hampered the efforts of
Gen Ansell 1 have been set off
Iagainst him as reactionary."
Reviewing his efforts TO obtain a
complete revision of the old military
icode which finally were successful
in 1916. Gen. Crowder said
During much of this time Gen.
AnseIl was one of the mo ST promis-
ing and trusted officers in my office.
During all the time that the code
was in revision he never suggested
10 me. nor, so far as l can learn to
any one else, any of the changes he
is suggesting now. He participated
lin preparing the manual for courts
martial which was based upon the
new code, but he advanced none OF
these views.
Indeed the first time that 1 was
advised Of such a view was in No
vember. 1917, on the occasion of his
presenting TO you-not through me
and entirely without consulting me
the first elaborate briefs about
which so much has been made.
, 1T has been charged as a result
. OF that brief an order designating
him as acting judge advocate gen.
eral was revoked. and further thai
he was relived from his duties OF
supervising the administration OF
, military justice. Nothing could bt
/ farther from the truth. He wa:
never relieved from his duties super
. vising the administration OF military
. Justice except to take a trip tC
/ France, which he was eager TO boast
this was considerably after the sub
: mission Of the brief. and after the
revocation of the order appointing
- him acting judge advocate genera
{ and relieving me OF my function
5 That order was killed before I knew
anything of il. 1t never had beer
published. 1t had been obtained by
him from the chief Of staff without
consulting you and without your
knowledge. and it was revoked by
you because it was contrary to you'll