The New York herald., 1921-01-20
THREAT TTOARREST
HEADOF CAMP DIX
C0Unhy Prosecutor Hola@ "a
jor-Gen. sommerall Hes oaf
sible for Acts Of Soldiers.
FEUD BEGAN IN SCHOOL
Township Authorities Wanted
Pay for Instructing Chill
dren of Enlisted Men.

Special Despatch TO THE New YORK HERALD
PEMBERToN, n. j., Jan. 19.-Jonathan
III. Kelsey. prosecutor of Burlington
Borough, declared to-day that If the
military police from Camp Dix did
not quit interfering with private citi-
zens and attempting to usurp the au-
thority of the local officials he would
arrest Major Gen. Charles P. Sum.
neral, commander Of the military
reservation, and ask the Grand Jury
to indict him. Mr.. Kelsey charged the
military authorities of the camp with
trying to put Burlington county under
the same sort of martial law as Ii
used in the occupied zone of Germany
The differences between the military
and the civil officials of Pemberton be-
gan some time ago when the camp Gu
thorities refused to contribute to the
education of children of soldiers who
attend the Pemberton schools. When
the borough refused to accept the camp
children as pupils unless their tuition
was paid Gen. Summerall posted a guard
at the entrances to the town and for
bade soldiers to enter. Since then, Mr
Kelsey declared. there have been several
clashes between the military police and
the town police officials, and the soldiers
are charged with having interfered sew
eral times with citizens and with having
broken up a religious service by enter
ing and searching a soldier for his pass
II have issued orders TO the local
police" said Mr.. Kelsey. ITO arrest any
guard interfering with any civilian or
in any other way violating the rights OF
cltzens II these acts are committed
and II Is impossible to identify the guard
shall issue warrants for the arrest OF
Major-Gen. SummeraIl. holding him as
the principal responsible for the acts OF
his agents. I shall also ask the Grand
Jury TO investigate the situation. | ex-
pect TO do all in my power to prevent
military rule usurping the civilian powers
in Pemberton or any other part of the
county.
I'VE shall resist this military invasion
Of our rights TO the limit ! am advised
by the State Attorney General and
other State authorities that am in the
right. that the State of New Jersey
never ceded It's rights in Camp Dix to
the Federal Government, and that l
have full police authority over the camp.
while on the other hand the military
police have no authority In civilian conn
munities. We simply will not tolerate
the guards interfering with any private
citizen"
Mr.. Kelsey said ne had taken up the
matter with the Judge Advocate Gen.
cral OF the Army at Washington, and
said that II he did not obtain satisfac-
tion from that source he would appeal.
through United States Senators Edge
and Frelinghuysen. for Congressional
Investigation OF the "intolerable situa-
ton" Major-Gen. Summerall was not
at Camp Dix last night, but officers
there said that they knew of no coniro-
versy with the Pemberton authorities
which had reached the stage indicated
by Mr.. Kelsey's statements. They also
said that the guards at Pemberton were
stationed there at the opening OF the
camp. at the request of the citizens of
pemberton.