Evening star., 1919-03-28
OFF|CERP PRAISES
COURTS-MART|AL
Col. Keedy of Review Board
Appears Before Bar Asso-
citation Committee.
FEW CASES BADLY TRIED

The statement that. as 4 lawyer and
teacher of law. he was surprised at
how well the average general court
martial was tried. was made by Lieut..
Col. Edwin l.. kcedy. " member of
The first section Of the board Of re-
view Of the military justice division
of the judge advocate generals de-
iartment. appearing this morning be
lore the committee appointed by the
president Of the American Bar ASSo-
citation. Judge Page of Illinois, to con-
slider the administration of military
law.
'Tu,ia - sessions. while not the first
IF the conference between the aSSo-
citation representatives and the Var-
ioIS Army officers. We're the first ones
open 10 the public and We're held al
the law school OF Georgetown Uni
Nersity, 9Th and r streets northwest.
Lieut.. Col. keedy has made the
administration of criminal law his
specially for number of years. was
one of the founders Of the American
Institute of Criminal Law and Grim
lhology, and is a member of the facul-
~ of the University of Pennsylvania.
Trained Men as Counsel.
The officer said that in many in
stances courtS-martial. owing to the
stress of war. had naturally not been
40 well tried as civil cases, but. on
the other hand. that the board of re-
View had found that in the majority
trained civil lawyers. If the board
found. however. that incompetent
testimony had been admitted with
out objection it was treated as in
competent He said he thought it ad-
Eisable to recommend that counsel
for the defense should always, when
ever possible, be of higher rank than
second lieutenant.
Not a man was executed for a pure
1y military offense in this war, said
Lieut.. Col. Keedy. and added. in re-
sponse to questioning, that, as far as
he could see, such clemency had no i'll
effects as regards morale and dis
cip1ine. The Austrian army, he had
heard. had 1900 such executions. His
board, which exercises the function of
an appellate tribunal, however, he
stated, does not exist through law and
is merely a matter of Office organiza-
tion. He strongly recommended the
establishment of this appellate triA
bunal by law, with the judge advocate
general to be, ex-officio, q member.
The first officer appearing before
the special committee was Lieut.. Col,
Robert w. Millar, professor Of Law
in Northwestern University, who de-
voted his informal testimony largely
TO explaining general OFCeTS No.
and it's effects. This ord ~. dated JAN
uary, 1915. provides that, in all cases
involving death. dismissal of an Of
1icer. or the dishonorable discharge
of an enlisted man, where sentence
is not suspended, arising in a terri
torial department, the execution shall
be stayed pending review of the
case in the Judge advocate generals
office. All the testimony SO far at
these hearings involves general
courts-martial only. not summary or
special courts.
Bar Association Committee.
The committee representing the
American Bar Association, which is
hearing the War Department repre-
sentatives, consists of S. S. Gregory,
chairman. Chicago, formerly president
Of the association; Judge Andrew A.
bruce, former Justice Of the supreme
court of North Dakota; Judge W. p.
Bynum. formerly a member OF the
superior court of North Carolina: Col.
John Hinkley of Baltimore, former,
secretary of the association, and a
former commander of guard res.-
inent on the Mexican border: Martin
convoy of New York, a former aSso-
ciate in the office of United States
Attorney General Griggs.
The afternoon meeting convened at
o:3o with the following officers an
nounced to be heard: Col. Tucker,
Mai. Kirkpatrick. Maj. Morland and
Maj Sanner. A morning meeting is
scheduled for tomorrow. Meetings