The sun., 1919-09-04
PUNISH STRIKERS,
O'RYAN ADVOCATES
Tells Senators Military Com
mander Must Have Ample
Power.
REC0UNTS EXPERIENCE
Says Many Heavy Sentences
Were Imposed for "Terri-
flying" Purpose.
ECoUNTs EXPERIENCE

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3.-Military COM
! manders must have the power TO bring
summary Justice TO men who show a
eve Of battle. Major-Gen. John F. Organ
declared to-day before a Senate military
subcommittee considering the Chamber
lain bill proposing a general revision OF
the system of military justice.
Hope of reward, pride and patriotism
he said, are among the things that slim
ulate soldiers to courage in battle, hut
under them must lie the knowledge that
swift retribution will follow any shirl-
ing of the fight
Gen. Organ was a member of the
board headed by Major-Gen. Herman of
the regular service which has submit
ted a report Endorsed by the War De-
partment proposing notifications Of the
Articles of War and the court-martial
system, but disappearing the radical
changes outlined in the Chamberlain bill.
Favors Appellate C3urt.
Under Interrogation by Senator Cham
berlain. author of. the bill, Gen. Organ
said he agreed that the meat of this
thing" lay in the creation Of an APP
pellate power somewhere which could
relieve soldiers of the stigma of convic-
tion IL that appeared the fair thing to
do. instead of leaving II as at present, a
question for executive clemency, which
| could take away the punishment but not
| the conviction.
He agreed with the boards view. how
| ever. that enforcement of discipline was
| function inseparable from command
| and should therefore be administered in
| the name of the President, not by the
Judge Advocate General or any other
official as an independent power
Speaking of his experience in COM
mand of the Twenty-seventh Division in
France, the officer said the greatest
demoralizing agency in any army was
| the men who shirked battle BY going
absent without leave without any inten-
| ton of deserving. Many of the severe
| sentences imposed, he said. were due to
| the fight against that element of the
forces. In his own division. he said. he
had met the problem by seeing that
short sentences to hard labor with the
division were performed in the front
lines. which meant even increased dan
ger. This he had found effective. he
added.
Cause of Sentences.
Too great stress. Gen. Organ thought
had been laid on military legal procedure
by persons far from the actual battle
front. When the troops were mobilizeG
he said, many officers had felt appalled,
at the task of training and maintaining
order among such numbers of undisci-
plined men. Long sentences were dealt
out to offenders, he said. for the purpose
of "terrorizing' the mass. and he added
that this question of disciplining the
mass was the real object of the whole
army legal system.
officers had no thought. Gen. Organ
said. that the absurd sentences I'M
posed would be carried out. but left n
to higher authority to correct matters
later. The effect on the men as whole
was secured when sentence was imposed
he said.
Gen. Organ also justified wholly liz
similar sentences for the same offence,
saying that the disciplinary problems of
each division led to this result. In one
division. he said by way of illustration.
Sinking battle might be almost I'M
known and an individual offender would
be treated with exact Justice to himself
alone, while in another rising percent
age of Sinking might necessitate OK
IRENE sentences on every offender.