The Coconino sun., 1919-03-07
COUNTRY DEEPLY STIRRED BY RECITAL OF INJUSTICES
 DONE IN COURTS MARTIAL
Gen. Ansel Acting Judge Advocate Tells Senate System
 Is "AtrOcius, But That Secretary Baker Upheld It-Sick Soldier Sentenced to Be Shot

WASHINGTON, ID. C.--MemberS of both branches of congress are deep ly stirred over the revelation of the at rocities of the system of court-martial now existing in the United States army, as made by Brig. Samuel T. Ansell, acting Judge Advocate Gen eral, before the senate committee on military affairs. As result of these disclosures, it is practically certain Senator Chamberlain's bill, backed by the republicans in the senate, revising the whole military court-martial sys- tenn, will be passed. Moreover, it has been intimated that some of the off cers constituting the court-martial may themselves have to make a de- fense of their actions before the sen ate committee.
 General Ansell says the existing system is "intolerable" and "atro- ciously bad," inflicting upon soldiers heavy and long terms in prison and even the death penalty for compara- lively trivial offenses. He said he, had attempted to get modification of the system but that his superior officers, backed by Secretary of War Baker. had refused to permit the system to be humanized.
 "The sentences imposed for slight offenses by the court-martial have shocked every sense of justice," said General Ansell. "They have reached the heights of injustice. The sen- tences in many instances bore no req sonable relationship to the offenses committed"
 Cursed with Red Tape.
 "For forty years the army has been cursed with red tape in its court-mar- tial proceedings. Terrible injustices have been inflicted upon small offend CTS. The whole system is wrong.
 "I realize that I am arraigning an institution to which I belong. But am doing it so that ample justice may be done the men in the ranks. We need more humanity in our judgment of their offenses. We have not shown it. For the sake of our men and their families we must put an end to this cruel system, and we must do it at once."
 The General was asked for a com parison between the American court martial methods and those of the ar mics of other nations. He said they were much harsher than those of Great Britain and France. In fact, he said, they were harsher than any ex- cept the armies of Russia, Prussia and Spain.
 To illustrate the situation that ex- ists he told of the following cases, among many others:
 The death penalty was imposed up- on an American soldier in France who had pleaded guilty to the charge of refusing to obey an order to drill. The soldier protested that he was i'll and physically unable to obey. The mili- tary authorities in France insisted upon execution of the sentence but the man was saved by Executive clemency.
 A court-martial sitting in this coun- try ordered the death penalty inflicted upon soldier who went to the bed side of his dying father without leave. He returned to duty as soon as his father died. The man was saved by interference from Washington.
 40 Years in Prison for "Sassing"
 an Officer.
 A sentence of forty years was inn posed upon young soldier in, the army only few days, because he re- fused to give up package of ciga-- rettes to his superior officer, second lieutenant. "A company row" was the way Gen. Ansell characterized the incident, blaming the officer practi- cally as much as the soldier.
 A private who went home without leave to see his wife and sick baby Tn destitute circumstances was sentenced to fifteen years Imprisonment. Later this was reduced to three years. .,
 Going into detail, Gen. Ansell showed that in a very great number of cases where soldiers were sentenc- ed to long terms in the federal peni-. tentiaries, dishonorably discharged from the army andsbranded as crim- inals, the offenses, while technically grave, because they were disobedience of orders, were in reality very unim- portant and had been committed by young men either because of good inn pulses or because they were green from civilian life and did not under stand the rigid discipline of army life.
 Gen. Ansell related as evidence of what he called the "perniciousness of the court-martial system" the case of a boy who had been in the army but few days and was assigned to kitchen duty in an army camp. The sergeant found him smoking cigar cite and reprimanded him. "Give me that pack of cigarettes" ordered the sergeant, according to General Ansell.
 "Go to -" snapped the soldier. The company lieutenant came along and commanded the soldier to give up the cigarettes.
 T won't do it, and I don't give a
 for anybody" retorted the sol dier.
 Gen. Ansell went on to tell of the boy being tried by court-martial, con victed, and sentenced to dishonorable