New-York tribune., 1921-11-02
Senate Orders
lnq uiry Into
Ar1nyHanggings
Watson, of Georgia, Charges
Il i'm A. E. F. We're Exc
cuted Without Trial; Dis
plays Photo of Gallows
Committee of S Named
Wadsworth, Who Demands
Evidenceof AllegedBr
ity, Defied by Southerner

From The Tribune's Washington Buredu
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-Charges bv
Senator Watson, of Georgia, that Amer
lean soldiers we're shot by officers or
hanged without trial resulted to-day
in the Senate naming a special COM
mittee of five to investigate and learn
the facts. The committee so appointed
consists of Senators Brandegee, of
Connecticut; Ernst, of Kentucky, and
Willis, of Ohio, Republicans, and Over
man, Of North Carolina, and Pomerene,
of Ohio, Democrats. Senator Pomerene,
however, is unwilling to serve and an
other will be named.
The committee was named on motion
of Senator Lenroot, f Wisconsin,
after stormy debate in which Senator
Wadsworth, of New York, chairman of
the Military Affairs Committee, took
Senator Watson to task, denied the
truth of his charges and demanded
that the Georgia Senator produce the
evidence and go before committee
and testify.
&. In turn, Senator Watson defied SEN
ator Wadsworth, called him "super-
cilious and discourteous," said he
would go before no committee Of which
Senator Wads lorth was chairman, but
would back up his charges before "an
impartial committee" and exhibited
photograph of gallows on which he
said twenty-one white boys" had been
executed at sunrise, while others were
awaiting execution.
Creates Stir in Senate
The episode stirred up the Senate to
the more excitement because it followed
on the heels of the bitter discussion
of soldiers bonus legislation yester-
day. Despite the fact that the tax
consideration is intense the Senate
took more than an hour from that bill
to debate the Watson charges.
While the general feeling is that the
charges cannot be backed by proof.
there is, nevertheless, keen interest in
the Forthcoming investigation by the
special committee, which will be made
as soon as practica
The action of the Senate in choosing
special committee was due to the fact
that Senator Watson practically
tee would not make an impartial in
quiry.
The debate started when Senator
Wadsworth called attention to charge
made by Senator Watson in debate to
, the effect that private soldiers were
shot bv officers because of some COM
plant against officers insolence, and
that they had gallows upon which men
were hanged day after day without
, court martial or any other form of
trial. Further, Senator Watson was
quoted as saying he had the photo
graphs Of the gallows on which twenty
I he charres were published some time
ago in Senator Watson's paper in
Georgia.
Declaring such charge was tex
tremely serious," Senator Wadsworth
said:
Wadsworth Demands Evidence
GAS ono Senator, ! demand that the
Senator from Georgia produce the evil
dence and the witnesses and that he
appear before the Military Affairs
Committee and substantiate wnar he
has charged"
81 am not surprised that the Senator
from New York should demand th;s,'
said Senator Watson. ~ will tell hlm
now to his face, foot to foot, shoulder
to shoulder. defying him, that we are
equals mere and no Senator has right
to put demands on another. When he
uses that language he may use lam
guage that may go down in the Legs-
Iaturc Of New York, but it will not 90
| down in the Senate Of the United
States.
II say defy him, defy his de-
msnd and / am not going to appear
fc~ Al.