The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1919-02-28
U. 5. ARMY COURTS
Are Held UNFAIR
Officers Charges Taken
AS Evident Fact
OF Guilt
BY C.. G.. Lyon

N. r.. "A. Correspondent w uO wa
With the U. S. Army In Europe.
Thousands of boys who fought l.
France ar enow rHturniVg to America
bitter in their complaints against
what they term the injustice anC
severity of court-martial sentences.
Since my own return home, mum
erous cases in American training
camps have been called to my atten
ton.
a number of officers with strong
democratic leanings have told me thai
the court-martial system is relic OF
by-gone centuries and that now is the
time to change it.
Charges Made by Mcn.
1t is not up to me to prove the
cOurt-martial system either good OF
bad. but here are some of the charges
that are being made by enlisted men
generally and by some officers.
That charges are always preferred
against an enlisted man by an officer
and that these charges are always in
vestigated by another officer;
That it is automatic in the army
that the officer who brings the charge
is always right and the accused en-
listed man always wrong;
That the affidavit of an enlisted
man against the affidavit of an Off
Ger in a court-martial proceeding is
worth nothing;
That the very atmosphere of
courts-martial is such that an accused
enlisted man and enlisted men wit
nesses are scared and cowed from the
very beginning.
That both enlisted men and officers
hesitate to testify in behalf of the &C
Cused enlisted man. fearing displeas-
ure of the officer who has brought the
charges and those officers who COM
pose the court;
That an enlisted man frequently
finds it very difficult in securing the
services of some officer to defend him.
and then the officer is seldom, if ever,
a lawyer;
That the general air of courts-mar-
tial is that the accused is always gull
ty and that it is up to him to prove
himself innocent:
That court-martial cases are not
prepared or presented in a way cal
culated TO protect the interests of an
enlisted man;
That the average court-martial
sentence is entirely too severe to fit
the offense charged
Sergeant And Coffee Money.
OF the scores of cases wherein the
unfairness and injustice of army
o0urts-martial are claimed. which
have been called to my attention, /
will cite only a few as typical:
A Southern boy OF good education /
and family was sentenced to be dis
bOnOrably discharged and to forfeit |
all pay and allowances and to serve
two years in the army prison. AS a
sergeant he was detailed to conduct a
number of men from training camp
TO an Atlantic port. The post COM
mander, before the party left, gave
the sergeant the money TO buy coffee
en- route for the men. When he re-
tDrned to the training camp he had
a balance of about $63 unexpended
Tor coffee. Because he waited TWEEN
ty-four hours before going TO the Of
ice of the camp cashier and turning
his money in, he was arrested. charg-
cd with fraudulently attempting to
convert this money to his own use.
Carries His Case Up.
This boy, having more spunk than
The average boy who faces court mar
Lials, refused to accept the sentence
and carried the case from one higher
authority TO another until 1t reached
Gen. EnOch CrowdeT, then judge ad-
VOcate general at Washington.
In a long written opinion which ] d
have read General Crowder says:
'"rhe evidence of record in this case
tails 10 prove felonious intent on the
part of the accused at the time the
money was collected or any fraud in
obtaining possession thereof. In fact,
quite the reverse is proven. As the
record stands, therefore, the accused
has not been convicted on any legally ,
sufficient specification and it Is recon-
that he be released from con-
6nement and restored to duty"
This would seem TO give the accus-
al clean bill Of health, yet the fact
remains that today, some months af-
ter General Crowder rendered this f.
nal decision, the boy is still on duty
as a private. The officer who brought
the charges and the officers who tried
him still refuse to restore him to his
former rank or sergeant.
IufuSaic. TO bytyafaS