The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-30
R.E.F.'S WORST PERSECUTOR WAS GENERAL HARTS, SAYS
 CRUELTIES INVESTIGATOR

More ra1n, suffering, humiliation and disease among the prisoners of the American ENpcditionary Forces were caused by Brigadier General Harts than any other man in tho United States army, according to a statement Ny Representative Bland a member -r Che committee which had been sent abroad by Congress to tnvesti- gsSs reports of cruelties, and who is r4w Somc with the committee. which ~iIl go to Washiretou this morning {. <& immediately begin to get its rec ords in shape.
 Mir. Bland said that because Harts was the guardian of the President as a rule none had the nerve to suggest a court-martial for him or an examin- alton by an efficiency board.
 It is the duty of every American soldier who served in France to come forward and reveal his personal knowledge of how the American Ex- peditionary forces were conducted abroad. how America's millions were spent there and how the American soldier was treated.
 This was the declaration of Repre- sentative Royal c. Johnson, chair man of the ConEressIonaI committee of investigation. which reached New York from France yesterday aboard the AElnennon.
 Mir. Johnson in an appeal for in- formation on these matters said that after a search among the records which still remain in France he finds that soldiers must give the facts vol untarily to the committee. If true conditions are not uncovered, he said, it will be the fault of the persons who conceal them.
 CT wish at this time to ask the sol diers who were willing to go Co France to defeat our common enemy to send the committee any facts which ought to be given to the American public" MT. Johnson said. "CensorshiD is ended and every soldier is now % free, American citizen. Any one of them who is not willing to give of his kowlcdEe in order that all of the American people may benefit thereby will not fulfil his whole duty. Any man who has facts is now given the opportunity to present them. If -e does not do so he should forever hold his peace"
 Preparing Reports.
 Mir. Johnson declared that the com r1ittee will not be ready to report for some time. He said:-
 'The committee should not report until it car give the House full infor- nation and owing to the fact that a part of the army in the United States and a part abroad. that part of the records are in the Var Department and part at g. O. s. roadquart CTS in Paris it has been and is impossible to completely check the records.
 "Practically all of the records of the Service of Supply are in Paris, having been moved there about Sep- tember 1 and consequently were inac- Cessiblc to the committee while being transferred. The records of the Liqui- dalton Com nittce are also in Paris, and in order to arrive at any conclu- sion as to expenditures and of uqulda- ton the two sets of recoros mfgnt be compared and checked.
 "Tt might be well 10 say at this timo that the comr .ttee will make no report until tt ha exhausted every avenue where facts concerning the i, war may be obtained. As chairman of this committee T propose to take as much time in Che investigation of thIs war as I did in helping to fight It."
 Scores ChGrtiCs.
 Representative Oscar Bland, a mem Der of the committee, issude a state ment in which he scathingly denOunC- ed the treatment of American soldiers as revealed to the committee on it's visit to France. Likewise he iudicts the various charity orgnnizations--- he says there arc siNty-five-which Ire competing with each other in try ing to help Europe. as employing as much as seventy per cent. of their collections for administrative pur- poses.
 "We madc a thorough investigation of the outrageous crueltics perpetrat- ed on American soldiers in the Amer jean prison camps in Fran ce," Repre- sentative Bland said. "As you g, deeper 1t becomes more appalling and you cannot understand how such a morstroUs and terrible condition could prevail in the American army foI such a long time.
 General Grinstead and Genera Strong are directly responsible for the unprecendentCd cruelties pcrpetrated at Pr'7on Farm No. 2. General Hart! for months was in the same buildiu g No. 10 Rue St Anne, where thous- ands of outraEcs were committed Lack of food. bedding, heat, air and nausC- ting insanitary conditions were before his eyes and tho reports show ing these conditions were on file in his office
 ''In my judgment ho Is guilty oi causing more pain. suffering. disease humiliation and shame of the Amer fcan soldiers than any man ever ir