Arizona republican., 1919-02-27
KEEP PTH|SFR0M EWSPAPERSI IS
 ASECRET ORDER
Baker Tried To Keep" "Kind- ly Consideration" Of Con- scientious Objectors From Becoming Public-Crow- der Testifies As To Sever ity Of Court Martials.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-Major General Crowder, judge advocate gen eral of the army, appearing before the senate military committee today at a resumption of hearings on the court martial situation, said that all i'm prisonment sentences imposed on men of the army during the war, and found upon review to be too severe, would be mitigated through the presidents DOW CT of remission.
 General Crowder said that within 60 days the 5000 sentences imposed since the beginning of hostilities would be reviewed by a special board headed by Brigadier General Samuel T. Ansel. who was acting judge advocate general during the war, and whose testimony as to severity of court martial senten- ceS led the committee to extend it's i'm vestigation.
 Steps toward mitigating the senten-
 ces were begun, General Crowder said,
 prior to the investigation by the senate
 committee. Practically all the men
 sentenced to dishonorable discharge
 and imprisonment, he said. already had
 the dishonorable discharge provision
 revoked. He added that 1900 men sen
 fenced to long terms at Leavenwortf,
 Kan, had been honorably restored to
 
 Provisions of the pending Chamber
 lain bill authorizing review by the judge advocate general of court mar tial sentence. were opposed by General
 Crowder who said it would give the judge advocate general extremely
 broad powers and authority to admin ister the entire system of army dis cipline. He indicated that many times
 the commanding officer in the field was in a better position to reyeW the case.
 Lieutenant Colonel Alfred E. Clark, ! of the judge advocate generals office,
 who preceded General Crowder before | the committee, testified that only a l few of the l 5000 or 20,000 court martial l verdicts handed down during the war
 were criticised as too severe. All i classes of men were brought into the army through the draft he said. and it
 was necessary to punish insubordina- | ton severely. Chairman Chamberlain I read into the record of the hearing a l confidential order on conscientious ob- l Jectors, which he said was sent to all l camp commanders in the United States { by AdJutant General Learned, at the direction of Secretary Baker The or l der as placed in the record follows:
 The secretary of war directs that | you be instructed to segregate the cons l scientious objectors in their divisions
 and to place them under supervision of | instructors, who shall be especially | selected with a view to insuring that | these men will be handled with tact and consideration, and that their ques- tions would be answered fully and | freely.
 With respect to their attitude of | objecting to military service, these men are not to be treated as violating mili- l tary laws, thereby subjecting them | selves to the penalties of the articles
 of war, but their attitude in this re-
 spect will be quietly ignored and they | will be treated with kindly considera- 1 tion.
 1 Attention in this connection is in-
 vited to case where number of con- scientious objectors in one of our divi-
 sions. when treated in this manner, re- | nounced their original objections to
 military service and voluntarily offered | to give their best services to the United | States as soldiers.
 ] Tt is desired that after the proced- i ure as above outlined shall be followed 1 for sufficient length of time to judge ! the results derived from it. a. report oI the action taken and the results ob- l talned under these instructions shall be submitted to the war department by 1 each dlVlSlon commander. As a result 1 or these reports, further instructions | will be issued by the secretary of war | as to the policy to be observed in the | future in the cases of conscientious oh 1 jectors.
 | Under no circumstances are the in- strucuons contained in the foregoing
 10 De gwen to the newspapers