The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-03

- u lie oGCIEldIys aflt4 tuleu, ulu moi
encourage General Ansell's attitude,
but The Acting Judge Advocate Cen
eral insisted on his privilege of review
and had kept on exercising it ever
since.
General AnselI related, as evidence
of what he called the RIGHTEOUSNESS
of the court-martial system the
case of boy who had been in the
Army but a few days and was assign
ed to kitchen duty in an army camp.
The sergeant found him smok:ng a
cigaret and reprimanded him.
"Give me that pack of cigarcts, .
ordered the sergeant, according to
General Ansell.
Go To-" snapt the soldier. The
company lieutenant came along and
commanded the soldier to give up the
cigarets.
81 won't do it, and | don't give a
for anybody" retorted the soldier.
General Ansell went on to tell of
the boy being tried by court-martial,
convicted, and sentenced to dishonor-
able discharge and forty years in jail.
The. commanding officer of his regi-
ment, on reviewing the case, reduced
the sentence to ten years.
"Now it must appear that this was
serious offense,' said General An
sell. "Buts the facts must be con-
sidered as they were to get an in
sight into the matter. Here was a
raw recruit, new to army life, in the
turmoil of a kitchen, quite likely up
set by reproof that might have been
harshly made and letting his temper
get the better of him. For this he was
sentenced to forty years in Jail.
"In many instances-1 am not cit
ing exceptions-the same brutality ex-
>cessive sentences have been imposed
for trivial offenses.
"Any system that would impose
such a sentence as that upon the boy
you speak of is un-American," COM
mented Senator Thomas. at would
make the Bolsheviki out of the rela-
tives of man. / want to say that
the officer who would act that way to
a soldier is a-fool."
"You don't want that to go upon
record?" suggested Senator Cham
berlain.
ayes, I do" insisted Senator
Thomas, holly. II say that officer was
fool, and ought himself to have
been court-martialed. Any one inn
posing such a sentence ought to be
court-martialled, too. 1t is easy to
see why in peace times we can not
get men to go into our Army"
General Ansell remarked that, out
side of the power of review over the
court-martial by a command officer,
the only avenue left open to a soldier
under sentence is the exercise of exc
cutive clemency by tn President.
er articles.
The General read from memoran-
dunn he wrote and submitted to Sec
rotary Baker, protesting against the
system of court-martial. He called
it personal absolutisrn," and blamed
the Chief of Staff and the Inspector
General of the Army for allowing
such system to prevail.
General Ansell spoke of a soldier
who had deserted from the Army at
Point and who remained away from
duty for five months being sentenced
to death. Investigation by General
Ansell developed that he had gone
home, fearing that things were not
going well, to find his father dying
from paralysis.
ssThat boy remained with his father
until he died." said General Ansell.
HThe day after, he reported back for
duty"
The death sentence was set aside,
after General Ansells investigation,
but the General did not know what
had happened to the boy.
Another boy, the General said, had
been sentenced to fifteen years for de-
serting for forty days. He had gone
home to sick wife and child. Cen
eral Ansell felt that the Circumstance
es "did not justify desertion, but ex-
tenuated it."
Upon a soldier in France, General
Ansell said, the death sentence had
been imposed for declining to drill
after having been subjected to ex-
treme exposure to cold for "a hours
He insisted he was not able to- stand.
Two others were sentenced to death
for sleeping on post, after having
been on duty for four days with hard
" any sleep. General Ansell set these
sentences aside, he said, after the
War Department had declined to act
at must be remembered sald
General AnselI, "that these men sci.
dom have adequate counsel ane
don't know how to defend them
selves. The Government is represent
ed by able counsel, and the Offender
| has all the odds against him."
Senator. Chamberlain wanted te
know if it would not be advisable fol
Congress to pass law to reinstatt
men who have been dishonorably dis
charged and heavily punished fol
slight offenses.
at would be commendable if tina
could be done," replied General An
sell. "The dishonorable discharge il
a stigma that must cling to a mar
through life. 1t is meant to. Whei
I an Injustice isadone, as has happened