Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-21
BAKER TRIED To
RUIN CRITIC, THE
Ne W CHARGE MADE
Chamberlain Said That Secre-
tary Engineered InveStiga-
ton to Ruin Man Who Ex-
posed Court Martial,


Washington, March Ex-senator
Chamberlain of oregon, chairman of
the senate military committee, made
public today q letter to Secretary
Baker, in which he charged the war
secretary with being under the influ
ence of reactionaries opposed to-
changes in the army court martial
system, with acting in bad faith to-
wayS congress and with ordering an
ifiyesligatfUh winch the senator said,
in his judgment. was designed to de-
stroy Lieut. Col samuel T. Ansell,
"the man who exposed the injustice
of the present system
With his letter, Senator Chamber
lain gave out a copy of a telegram
received from Secretary Baker, now
on an inspection trip on the Pacific
coast, declining to make public inn
mediately a reply by Colonel Ansell to
statements made Mr. Baker and Judge
Advocate General Crowder. In re-
sponse to a message from Senator
Chamberlain, asking that the Ansell
letter be published, Secretary Baker
telegraphed:
"More than a year ago | asked of
military committees of both the SEN
ate and house legislation to correct the
evils of the present court martial sys-
tenn. shall renew the request when
congress assemblies. There would
seem to be, therefore, no controversy
on the merits of the subject. Have
not yet seen the letter in question and
cannot imagine why my consideration
of it on my return will not be time
enough"
In his letter, Senator Chamberlain
said Secretary Baker was deaf to
complaints" and was fencing on the
subject. He declared the bill drafted
by the war department to correct the
court t-martial system was not sent in
good faith to congress, but was sim
ply designed to allay public apprehen-
sion and inquiry by the appearance
of doing something. The letter con-
tinued:
"You supplanted the officer who
had seen fit to call your attention at
the beginning of the war to the neces-
sity of keeping the strictest supervi-
sion over court martial proceedings by
an officer who contended that such
supervision was not necessary and
that such supervision would derogate
from the power of the commanding
officer and destroy discipline. You ell
bowed aside the one officer who even
then had the courage to condemn the
system and the vision to point out
it's terrible results-General Anseh-
and took into the bosom of your con-
fidence a trio of men who are pro-
nounced ctionaries-General Crow
der, the then acting chief of staff and
the inspector general-the last named
of whom is even this day engaged, by
your order, in so-called 'investiga-
tion Designed, in my judgment, to de-
stroy the man who exposed the injus-
tice Of the present system
In order that any future response
bility might be shifted to congress
the senator wrote, Mr.. Baker present
ed a bill which If he did not know, ad-
| visers, did, could not be passed. The
slightest consideration of the matter
he asserted, would show that had il
| been enacted into law it would have
| made the system even more reaction
| ary, if possible, than it is now"
| Senator Chamberlain said that Col
| onel Ansell, while serving as acting a.
! Judge advocate general, had writer
| an opinion in which he demonstrated
| that the power of supervision to cor
rect evils was given in existing law
| but that the secretary either ordered
or permitted General Crowder t
write an overruling opinion.
| advised to do the proper thing h!
| your chief law officer, and havin:
/ been shown by him the way to do it,
said the letter, 'you declined to do 81
upon some slight legal tecnicality
| This is evidence to me that you dit
| not desire to do So"