Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-04-11
WHOSE ARMY

More about the cruel sentences. en-
tireiy out of proportion to the offense
which have been imposed by court
martial. was told by SHmuel T Anset
in a speech at Washington. Fer alb
sence without leave. .desertion and cs-
cape a half witted soldier with the
mind of a year old child was senten-
ced TO 80 years in prison. Another man
who was absent without leave for
twenty six days at one time and seven
days at another was given forty years.
which was reduced to ten. A man who
disobeyed an order to'take your rifle
and go out to drill" was given thirty
years with dishonorable discharge, and
his sentence was reduced to twenty
years. In another case Of absence
without leave for three months. the
sentence was twenty years. and was
reduced to ten years. man who was
absent without leave for six weeks to
visit a sick wife and baby who could
hardly keep body and soul, together
was sentenced to fifteen years. which
was reduced to three. For not so
very serious insubordination" a soldier
was sentenced to fifty years, which the
reviewing authority refused to rec
duce
No general principle OF law or equity
proportions the penalty to the gravity
OF the offence. Courts martial impose
such sentences as to them seem proper
and as they think will please headquar-
ters to make them severe and If the
court martial should then be lenient,
it is given a stiff course of study In
the regulations. Young lieutenants
who know nothing Of the case or of the
law are appointed counsel for the ac-
cused on the spur Of the moment and if
they open their mouths at all are as apt
to injure as to help their client Until
Colonel Ansell dug up forgotten sec
ton of the statutes. there was no re-
view of sentences. Frontier justice
was ideal by comparison.
All efforts to expose and ammend the
wrongs of the court martial have been
obstructed by Secretary Baker. He
has suppressed the letter which Cox
Ansel wrote to him and OF which a
COPY was given to Senator Chamberlain
in confidence. He consistently stands
by the regular army who adhere to
old traditions, though they were obso-
lete long ago except in Germany before
the revolution. His tender mereies are
reserved for the slackers, towards and
anarchists who masquerade as con-
scientious objectors.
II is a strange combination which
now rules the army. A pacifist secre-
tary OF war Joins forces with the clique
OF professional soldiers which heads
the general staff. Mr. Baker gives the
slackers and towards honorable dis
charge, full pay and an apology, with
out a word of protest from the regular
officers. The Draconian code of the
court martial is defended and main
tanned by the regular army officers
with the active support of the pacifist
secretary. 1t is left for Major Dick
b Foster a citizen officer. to expose
the Unlawful gentleness shown to
slackers which if carried to the logical
extreme would destroy the army.
II naturally follows that the officer
who has entered the army from the
national guard or the training camp,
and who has earned promotion on the
field of battle should be robbed of it
by this combination. The secre tary has
no respect for q real soldier. The West
Point graduate knows that places in tn
higher ranks will be fewer after the
war, and does not propose that his
chances shall be lessened through pro-
motion of men whom he regards as out
siders. Hence all promotions stopped on
Nov IL The citizen soldier is to be
crowded out. having served his purpose
of winning the war.
These are a few OF the things which |
congress viii be called upon to investi-
gate. 1t remains toabe seen whether tn |
army belongs to the American people. !
justice is to rule there as
among civil population. and whether |
the secretary of war is to set aside the
law by issuing secret orders Ore |
gonian