Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-09-28
ARMY CAMPS IN
FRANCE IN VERY.
BAD CONDITION
Congressional Committee Sent
Overseas Tells Of Out
rageous CrueIties That
Were Appalling.

prisons in the A. E. F. in France
the congressional committee sen
overseas to investigate tales of arm,
prison horrors" arrived here toda,
on the transport Agamemnon from
Brest. The party was composed o
representatives Royal c. Johnson
South Dakota, chairman; Oscar Z
Bland, Indiana, and Henry d
Flood, Virginia.
Conditions in army prison camps
were found very bad" with specia
emphasis laid on prison camp z
near Paris, the committee stated.
Conditions were appalling" Rep
resentative Bland said as soon a
the steamer locked. Nothing Xix,
this treatment of our men had eve
been known before in the history o
the American army. We hav,
copies of records, reports and testi
mony OF inspectors, courts MARTA
officers, so as to be enabled t
definitely fix responsibility"
Conditions Nauseating.
Representative Bland held tina
Colonel Grinstead and Genera
Strong were directly responsible fol
the unprecedented cruelties" a,
Prison farm No. 2, and that if Gen.
eral Strong, who was ever Colone
Grinstead, did not know of condi.
tions he should have.
He said that General Harris fol
months was in the same buildings al
10 Rue St. Anne, where thousands
OF oitrages were committed. Lack
of food, heat and air and nauseatine
sanitary conditions were before his
eyes, and the reports showing Their
condition were on file in his office
Mr.. Bland said.
The representative added that
General Harris was the military
guardian of the president and mo
man in the judge advocate generals
pr provost marshaps departments
had the boldness to recommend his
trial before a courts martial or ef-
6ciency board"
Three facts stand out" said Mr..
Bland, First that the most horrible
and revolving cruelties existed; sec
1nd, that the higher officers respon-
Dible have not been made to atone
Tor the wrongs; third, that no rea-
Sonable excuse for the same has been
Offered by the War department. 1t
10 clearly up to them"
Congressman Bland added 1T is
the intention of the committee to
see that every man in any way re-
sponsible for the outfages will be
brought to justice before the forum
of public opinion"
Congressman Johnson said the
party would arrive in Washington
early tomorrow morning and would
Immediately begin sorting the rec
ords.
Representative Bland also said
that at >the present time there are
cases in France of misuses of Amer
lean government funds which would
startle the nation if given publicity.
He cited "the vinegar case" as a
sample Of spending government
funds for the purchase of 100000
gallons of vinegar and later revok-
ing the order at great loss.
Keep Probe Quiet.
Another similar case, known as
the compass case" he said, where
a purchasing agent bought thou
sands of compasses for which there
was no USE"
I'VE are bringing with US a copy
Of the blanket agreement in which
81, 700,000,000 worth of worthless
property was sold for $4O0.0O0,0 00,"
Mr.. Bland added. There was
100000 worth of textiles and
food alone in this sale, and a good
part of it is as good as new"
Makes Denial of Charge.
Washington, Sept. 27.-Denial Of
charges by Representative Bland,
republican, Indiana, that Brig. Cen
eIal Harris was implicated in prison
atrocities in the A. E. F. was made
n "a statement by Representative
Flood, democrat, Virginia, minority
member of the house subcommittee
which returned to Washington after
investigating prison conditions and
var expenditures in France.
Evidence before the committee"
Mr.. Flood said, "exonerated GEN
eral Harris. As soon as General
Harris heard of the alleged prison
atrocities he proceeded, to correct
them. Most Of the occurrences were
recorded before General Harris took
charge of Paris affairs and condi-
tions certainly improved under his
direction"
Mr.. Flood said the accomplish
ments of the American expedition
ary force were phenomenal and I'M
paralleled. Never before has there
been such swift application of intel
ligent energy, he said.
Il do not agree with Representa-
tive BANDS somewhat comprehen-
sive criticism of the American army
in France" said Mr.. Flood. "The
buildings alone if placed end to end,
would have extended from Brest to
the Russian frontier of Germany,
or about 900 miles. Wise provision
was made for an army of 1000, 900.
France is still wondering at those
achievements.
'sOf course in a time so hurried
and in business so vast and COM
plicated, some mistakes and errors
of judgment must have occurred.
There were so few in number and
so inconsequential in relation to the
big things successfully accom-
plisted. that they can hardly be de-
tected."
Automobile Section Added
To the Advertising League
At meeting held Friday noon
at the Fontenelle, new section, to
be known as the automotive section.