Evening star., 1919-02-20
CHARGES CROWDER
HELD MEMORANDA
Had to Appeal Court Martial
Sentences to President,
Gen. AnselI Says.
REPLIES TO CRITICISM

Further charges that Gen Crowder
held up his memoranda on courts
| martial and that finally he reached
President Wilson through a member
of the House judiciary committee in
the effort to have executions stopped
were made by Brig. Gen. Ansell, former
acting judge advocate general, in let
ter TO Representative Burnett OF
Alabama, whieh was read to the
House and printed in the Congress
sionaI Record.
This letter was written in reply to
criticism of Gen. AnseIl by Repre-
sentative Burnett, and contained
long record of attempts he claims
to have made to change the court
martial system. He stated that Gen
Pershing had opposed his efforts to
obtain more Just treatment for the
enlisted men.
Had to Go to Congressman.
Gen. Ansell told of one case. IN
which, in his desire to serve Justlce'
he had been forced TO go to ineInoer
of Congress to get him to place pc
fore the President the facts IN con-
nection with four men sentenced TO
death after they had been most oh-
fairly tried" .
Gen. Ansell declared that report
of a study of British, French and ltai-
ian court-martiai systems, hled Win
the judge advocate generaiS once ~
1917 has never reached the SecfetalS
of War He also wrote that war
Department order suspending CERTAIN
sentences until they could be reFieW
cd IN a ShingtDn- was AN auHlllilS-
trative palliative" described by the
Judge advocate general as necessary
to prevent a Threatened congress
sional investigation" of the hanging
three months before the records IN
their cases reached the War Depart
ment for review.
Was Reply to Criticism.
The fetter to MIR. Burnett was IN
reply to the Alabama members S crit
icism of Army courts martial a rev
days ago, in which he had declared
Gen Ansell had showed that he NM
self was party to the crime" and
had not done all he should TO revise
the system. In presenting the let
ters, Mr.. Burnett admitted he had
been "too harsh In his former critt-
cism and had done an injustice to
Gen. Ansell, but added that Gen. An
sell was not entirely blameless-"
Gen. Ansell wrote that his whole
course of conduct as acting judge ad-
vocate general was marked by a de-
sire to IiberaHze the harsh features
of the court-martial, so as TO give an
accused person the guarantee that
guard one in civil court trial.
After reviewing cases he cited be-
fore the Senate committee last week
and telling of his disagreement with
Gen. Crowder, and of his being re-
lieved as acting judge advocate gem
eral, Gen. AnseIi said:
Tells of Pershing Opposition.
Last September. after insistent
recommendations. power was estab-
lished in the acting Judge advocate
general in France to make rulings
upon matters of administration of
military justice in our forcss in
France, which would control all COM
manding generals until overruled by
the Secretary of War This is now
being opposed by the commanding
general of the American expedition
airy force and nay own action and pro-
priety in procuring the issue of this
order is being subjected to question. ~
Pointing out that Mr.. Burnett would
appreciate the impossibility of his GO
ing directly to the President in court
martial cases, the general added:
s'On one occasion, when four SEN
tences of death were pending in the
department for confirmation, land
when this office had recommended ex-
ecution, I went to the head of the
office and orally presented to him my
views in opposition.
Says Memoranda Was Held Up.
? "I then filed with him a. memoran-
dunn, in which I did my best to show
what seemed to me to be obvious,
that these men had been most unfair
~ tried, had not been tried at all. and
ought not to die or suffer any other
punishment upon such records. Dis
covering that these memoranda had
not been presented to the Secretary
of War. and feeling justified by the