New-York tribune. [volume], April 20, 1919, Page 17, Image 17

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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Soldiers Made Serfs by Army Courts;
System 150 Years Behind, Says Ansell
?Sot Statistic?* bul Common
Sense and Humanity Are
Needed to Correct It?
Evils, II?* Telia i'ity Club
\!-m', 10, Undor the
i m cf mllltnry justice In
g nrmy ovory soldier ?
? ; ?', Lit utonant Colonel ;
tot General I Samuel T.
red In an address before
to day,
I ? ? ". ? hose fight to reform t
ji,c p, rt martial system In
the army has got him Into hot water
xv;.?! g . ikor and Judge Advo?
ca G( '' 1 ' ?wder, and to whose
Cl < mberlain of the
A [fairs Committee ha?
in his rt ferences to
? lose who profesa to
seek its ii
jre ref |t ith irony to the fact
^tjar a j e hud been sent
ly 1 i systems of mill
tarv j : ? . -.;,-ing he had c?v
cre(j th y ar aco, but his report
?ever '??
He ; l n also to the com?
mittee an Bar Associa?
tion wl " ?' an investigation,
before w he i i xpecti d to appear
on Mori . ting sarcastically
on the I ' y 'be committee
and bewailing the
faet tl is Adolphus was not
n?vc to " present code.
"Organized Injustice"
"TV- ' ?" said Colonel An?
sell, "wl ' ? that the system
is arc! ''.can, oppressive,
and that it 1 I to intolerable in?
justice that it is it system
of orgai ' ci . It is upon this
aide of the i I hal i stand. There
are othei er, in high and rc
spons on, who defend the
system, ':?' insist that it is
modern, has not resulted in
injusl have taken al?
most ?' ns to assure the peo?
ple ti t thi tern is worthy of the
highe t lence. I am led
to be' ' ' ' ' people themselves,
upon ? they have, are
impr< ? ' ' ? tin injustice of the.
system
?'Tin many invest ?pat ions
about It is announced
that a tte has recentlyy
been .; Europe to investi?
gate ? systems of military
justi-- . a field which I covered just
tde a report which
wns ? A committee of the
Ame: cai A sociation is making
an i;.. So '"ar as I can dis?
cover the press, I can hardly
think ? "?: ation is likely to
provi
"T to h? lied the avail?
able : of the regular
Army. tand the y intend to
call al es of War.
It is ; ' t G ustavus Adol?
phus, i considerable
part : not also ap?
pear mend the sys
tered.
"V ave been pre?
pare ! de possesses
Wer ' ardly be. at
, trib' ? >n that is not
largi As for my
own it a common senso
Juan . with a few facts
aboi : be compelled
to ct of the results
And I believe
that " ought to be
pul loks, without
pwai I " made by
? ? and statis
1 all, is a human
'- ?? . ich by rt spect
; t a t i s t i c s
nse and our
and right.
? i . ?.' and large
code of
. : . agi of a
nt in favor of
I, the proof of it,
e of a mili
1 0 years have
de attitude of
inal or to one
imes charged
with ? I oi a violation of
law. also have seen
Bpeaking peo
? ? re relation of
S Boldiet count ry.
Court Made Personal Weapon
"The his code is that
it docs r template that a court
? ry,- justice ac
hed principles
t of all personal
trary. It regards the
court -. -.,.- right hand
pi the ;? fficer to aid him
?' discipline; it ia
Ms agi ? To!? it.; it is answer
sble to This was the British view
of I! ?:>. In those days the
King : ade tl ? articles of war; he
rv )!rcr.res, he pre
lent; he and his
court simply that
sed by it. In that
lier was but a serf.
? tail er of the Kir.R
''" the ?' ' cer. He was not a
t?te in the highest
"i-, hip.
ar. ofilcer be
lr)r ' ? :? thkig apart. Ar.j
ofr-c-r . - charges against i
J0*0 * ii can really ???cceer!
r:ed. The statute r<~
minarj investigation
. re i by ? ? i- reg-ula
.??. ar ! effective. Auc
La governe?
tarv comxoand
, the di-ta.! of th<
? I "e validity o
vS* c t f of '''.t <??? ?
. ?xrw que?
'"''??? ? - I ? <? progress of i
t*as en LjmUj to ?Jha
??M j/o-aw ?f ??
etrmmKo?er by i
??; ; i -.-UT; y?g
.-. con r.-rruy bs F remo
franc? & uaahugb
T:j" ??"??'? v/i?da hi
35 Officers Out of 100
Acquitted; Only 6 Men
DALTIMORK, April to, Discussing
the Injustice prpvnUlnpf in the
existing court minrtiiil Hystem, Colonel
Smuuel T. Anteil said h?re to-day:
"The ratio of ticquittaln to con?
viction in tlio case- of officers is an
86 to 88, but the ratio of acquittals
to conviction? in the caao of enlisted
men is ns fi to 0-?; that is, for every
hundred officers tried 35 aro acquit?
ted, but for every 100 enlisted men
tried only 6 are acquitted.
immediately found would not work. He
took it back but the merchant would
not exchange it. Thereupon the
soldier took one. For this ho was
charged with larceny (value $5),
pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to
loss of pay for three months.
"But the commanding of?cer vigor?
ously insisted upon the necessity of
protecting the Frenchman's property
and upholding the discipline of the
army. The court, however, stood its
ground. Then the commanding of?
ficer summoned to hig aid the. will
and desires of the commander in chief
in France; the court gave In, and sen?
tenced the young man to be dis?
honorably discharged from the army,
forfeit all pay and allowances, and to
he confined ut hard labor for six
months."
Coast Artillery
Reserve Corps
For Colleges
Proposal to Guard Shores
More Efficiently Believed
Indorsed by Department
in Forming New Branch
WASHINGTON, April 19.?Approval
of tho proposal of military experts
that the coast defence policy of the
United States be radically changed to
include as its basic element utilization
of railway and tractor ordnance of
heavy calibre was seen to-day in the
aim luncement by the War Department
of the organidation of a coast artillery
officers' reserve corps with an an?
nual increment of at least 1,500 stu
dont-s.
Through the cooperation of universi?
ties and colleges over the country, the
department plans to train this number
of officers each year in the use of
large guns of the type which could be
made available at, any coast point
threatened by the enemy. The com?
plete plan for mobile coast defence
ordnance involve? the linking of
strategic points on the coasts with ex?
isting railway systems and the con?
structing along the seaboard of mili?
tary roads capable of supporting heavy
motor tractors.
Five institutions already have ac
cepti ii the department's offer to es?
tablish under their supervision coast
artillerjp training units to be tutored
by officers detailed from the r?gulai
establishment and trained by actual
operation of the artillery they will be
called upon to man. These schools
are: Massachuetts Institute of Tech?
nology." Vanderbilt University, Missis?
sippi A. and M. College, University of
Washington and University of Vir?
ginia.
Fourteen other universities and col?
leges have approved the plan, but
their proposals have not yet been
acted en by tho department. They are
Utah Agricultural College, University
of Cincinnati, Northwestern Univer?
sity, University of Kansas, Kansas
State Agricultural College, Case
School, Cleveland, Ohio; University of
Pittsburgh, Washington University,
Columbia University, Rhode Island
State College, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute, Louisiana State University.
Michigan Agricultural College and
University of Alabama.
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LIMOUSINES AND LANBAULETS
MORTON W.SMITHS:
1 w-? **& ?few?? Mamy Hill 11??.
Major Stone Tells Bar Asso
dation Camp Merritt Had
Nearly 10,000 A. W.O.L.
Cases in Eight Months
WASHINGTON, April 19..Camp
Merritt, lloboken, the main embarka?
tion camp during the war, dealt with
nearly 10,000 cases of absenco without
leave between April 1 last year and
the (signing of the armistice, Major
R. A. .Stone told the American Bar As?
sociation to-day, in connection with
the discussion of the administration of
military justice. Practically, he said,
these men were all deserters, avoiding
service at the front, and ho added that
a great deal of "maudlin sentiment'1
was noir being expressed for men sev?
erely dealt with by military courts for
this offense.
Major Stone, who is a member of a
St. Paul law firm in civil life, and
whose military experience began as an
enlisted man in the. Spanish War, read
from the official records of the inspec?
tor general's office tho report, showing
that Camp Merritt had 9,288 cases of
absence without leave during the pe?
riod when the movement in France was
at its greatest stress. The matter
had become so serious, ho added, that
it necessitated building a storkade at
the camp where men who had been ab?
sent and returned were held to be
marched aboard the ship.
Change in System Opposed
Speaking from his experience as a
company and battalion commander,
Major Stone strongly opposed any
change in the military legal system
that would take ultimato power over
it out of thehands of commanding
officers.
Tho chief reason for extensive use
of courts martial and for excessive
sentences, Major Stone declared, was
the inexperience of the bulk of the
officers and the enormous strain un?
der which they labored in creating ati
army to meet the German peril.
Loring R. Hoover, formerlv a captain
in the National Army, but now again
practising law in New York City, told
the committee he had been impressed
by the weaknesses of the court martial
system as he had observed it. He urged
! specifically that court martial sen?
tences be widely published in the army
to attain the exemplary effect now
'sought by the severity of sentences,
| and maintained that exact justice to the
! individual would produce the best dis
? cipline.
He also favored limitation of pen
! alties by executive, order, except in the
! face of the enemy; the alteration of
[ the status of trial judge advocates
[ from that of prosecuting attorney to
1 trial judge; the mandatory require
? ment that the accused have experienced
i counsel, and restriction of the power of
I commanding officers to return eases
! for reconsideration to eases where the
j accused would be benefited.
Declares System Not at Fault
Major George J. Denis, of Los An?
geles, Cab, having been for a consld
-r~
?rable time judge advocate of the ad- ? i
vanee section, service of supply, in
France, with jurisdiction over the legal
proceedings affecting 235,000 m< n, was
the third lawyer who testified to-day.
"There is nothing the matter with
the courts-martial system," said Major
Denis. "The trouble lies in its ad
? ministration. Its vice is ignorance of
the articles of war on the part of the
members of the court, almost all of
? whom are new officers. These officers!
from civil life secmi I to take no in i
terest In the adi i tratioi of nur.- |
1 tnry law, They seemed to fei !
dignified to sit on the courts, '? I a
regular officers Invariably wero well
informed on the articles of war und
, tho mnnua) of coui I marl lal "
In the course of 1 .? ? Major
Denis told of tho sudden increase in
absence without leave esses in the
fighting divisions Immediately follow
Ing the signing of tho armistice. None
of these was treated as desertion, he
said, a special court-martial being or?
ganized to deal with them, Insuring ;>
maximum of six months imprisonment
and six months fine. The court han
tiled about seventy eases in two week-:.
(Imposing tho maximum Invariably,
land there was an immediate cessation
| in the flow of men away from their
commands without leave.
] ' Ansell to he Called Monday
Hearings on the subject of war time
administration of military justice
, probably will be concluded next week,
Chairman Gregory ' of the committee
j of the American Bar Association an
! nounced to-day. Major General Clar?
ence Edwards, who commanded the
26th (New England National Guard)
Division; Colonel Sedgewick Rice,
i commandant of tho army disciplinary
barracks at Fort Leavenworth; Lieu?
tenant Colonel Samuel T. Ansell, form
I er acting Judge Advocate General, and
Colonel John Wigmore are still to ap?
pear.
Colonel Ansell will present his views
i Monday afternoon. His position as the
leading opponent of the existing ju?
dicial System of the army was recog?
nized by the committee in Chairman
?Gregory's announcement that thi of
i ficer had been invited to call any per
<? sons he might desire to be heard.
i Colonel Ansell has not indicated his
' pians, further than to advise the com?
mittee that he was preparing a writ?
ten statement, for its consideration.
-4
State to Investigate
Kent Profiteering
Legislature Inquiry to Begin ii
This City Within the Next
Fortnight
Staff Correspondence
ALBANY, April 19.- A legislative in
! vestigation of rent profiteering am
1 housing conditions in New York Cit
and other sections of tho state v. ii
.-tart within the next fortnight. Th
first meeting will be in the city c
New York. The committee, which wi
have $10,000 for its work, was create
by a resolution introduced by Set
ator Peter A. Abeles, Republican, (
I The Bronx. It is to consist of t\\
i Senators and three Assemblymen. Tl
committee is empowered also to n
vestigate the ice situation.
Senator Abeles's bill eonferrit
power on the Mayor-* of cities to a
point rent profiteering committees
investigation passed the Senate unai
mously and was kept from a vote
the lower House by Speaker Sweet.
The legislative leaders believe th
the committee provided for in t
Abeles resolution with the power
publicity will have some effect.
3 Committees
Unite to Beat
Rent Gougers
Various Groups Plan to
Confer on Campaign t<>
Gain Ends Desired; Crisis
Reached in The Bronx
It was announced yeoterday by
Nathan Hirsch, chairm in c :' th
Commltee on Ronl Profiteering ap
po nted by Mayor Hylan, that the
housing committee of the State Recon?
struction Commission will moot with
the Mayor's committee ami the welfare
committee of the Board of Aldermen
next Monday aftt moon for the purpose
of agreeing upon a common pro?
gramme in the fight against constantly
increasing rents.
Justice Robitzijk, of the Second Dis?
trict Municipal Court, announced that
138 dispossess cases had been filed be?
fore him by landlords within the last
ten days.
Every tenant involved in the pro?
ceedings will be called before the court
under the summary proceedings law, a
law that was passed by the Legislature
of New York in 1820, and which enables
landlords to evict tenants on short no?
tice. Before the passage of the sum?
mary proceedings law, Justice Robit
zck said, landlords were obliged to
ficht their cases against tenants in the
courts, which usually took from six
months to a year. The summary pro?
ceedings law was passed in order to
protect landlorda against delinquent
tenants, but is now being taken ad?
vantage of by unscrupulous landlords
for profiteering purposes, Justice Ro
bitzek said.
lie added, however, that the trouble
was due entirely to not more than 1C
per cent of the landlords, principally
lessees, and speculators. Justice Robit
zek declared that many honest land
lords were organizing to relieve the
housing congestion, in order to remov?
the profiteering stigma from the land
lords as a class.
Justice Robitzek said that in manj
ca eg brought before him Dents hav<
been increased from 75 to 150 per cen
and that the abuse of the summa?;
proceedings law by landlords has be
come particularly glaring during th
last two years.
He declined to advocate the rtpea
of the summary proceedings law, stat
ing that such action would open th
way for wholesale abuses by tenant!
but urged in addition to the passag
of the sp?cial billa now before '-h
Legislature designed to ameliorate th
?tuation greater unity and conci ntri
tion by all forces seeking to solve tl:
problem.
He also expressed himself in favi
of the building of additional hous>
?by the city, provided it can be esta
? lished that the city will not be tl
i loser by the plan.
"It would be a mi stake," said Ju
1 4- ant-.h "t.?.-,,, . ?? ?.,. . I .,!...
he iraner. The housing problem is
fined to New York. It is a state,
ai ; ? ernational problem.
he war has put the que.-.en of hous
ng accommodations for tho people in
"Tl Eng] especially,
cogni; anee
if it. Wit il and un- .
! i they unite
. Forts v.:-<'<: a we 1 thought out,
icientitic programme, the question can'
Pul has done a great
i 10 per cent
ui s profit? oring le* sees
ind -i ecului r ind ; ' ? pul
I i.n ater i i
:: e "
p ?g being placed up n the
of the forces
pointed out
yosterday al the ? (1 o of tho St.,te Re
i - wh ich Is re
hundreds of new complaints
: mints, that the crux
, ? not so m ch
Ing un i as in the
? ot housing accommodai Ions.
The hou the State
truel i mil ' ?? ! ' i
?ii'vev of thirty city
blocks, welcomes tl receipt of corn
aid in the
Burvi y, but the main efforts of the
lay, it was de-1
clared, will be de\ oted to the qui ti "t
of increasii ; iccommodations.
Survey to Extend to State
It was ..' nounced at t!'-1 office of
.... ,. Comni
sun ey of the city i
c onducled i the commission with ?
the aid o1- thirtj other organizations
would soon be extended to the en?
tire state.
Both ti.e State Reconstruction Com
mission and 'ii" Mayor's committee on
rent profiteering are being swamped
with complaints from tenants, -
of whi m are ppearing in person be?
fore thi ees. According to
the letters received by the Mayor's
committee from renters in the Bronx
and Harlem, they are being explored
by lease speculators to a greater ex?
tent, than tenants in other parts of
the city. The increases demanded, th?
say, range from ten to thir?
teen dollars per month since January
1, includ ' ? to ef
feet on May 1. In Harlem" the in?
creases have been approximately the .
same.
?mS> l*st ?K'l W I %0 HL .
Hjy New York Branch T?|]
W 239-241 W. 56th St. II
I Phone Circle 3526
? United Motors Service J
Hi Incorporated ??S
m$pk Service Department of Mf?
ESL Electric Co. J?m
m
Since the announcement that
ail future capital ?hips of the
U. S. Navy are to be driven
electrically, the keen interest of
dis crimina ting motorists in the
Owen Magnetic has doubled and
re-doubled.
For what greater endorse?
ment of this principle could
there be than that its actual
performance on the great battle?
ship New Mexico should war?
rant the Navy Department in
adopting it for all battleships,
in which economy and depend?
ability are paramount?
Smart people have always,
too, admired the craftsmanship
expressed in the Owen Magnetic
because it invariably expresses
the idea of unobtrusive elegance.
Colors and upholstering are
decided upon by the owner.
All the appointments show
discrimination?such as the
silver hardware, the lighting
fixture?, the carpeting.
And just as the Owen Mag?
netic avoids the commonplace
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the mechanical crudities of the
past. At the touch of finger-tip
this wonderful car is in com?
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No gear shifting?no clanking noiae?
?no Jtrlu nor lunge*?jutt ? quiet
floating ?eniation, entirely different
ooouncemenf
From this date the Show Rooms of
Owen Magnetic and Liberty Six will be in
more convenient and commodious
quarters at 1826-28 Broadway, near 59th
Street.
The firm name of the Metropolitan
Distributors of these cars of quality and
distinction has been changed to E. S.
Partridge & Co., inc.
There will, however, be no change in
the personnel of the Company. The same
organization exactly which has succeeded
in popularizing these Automobiles in the
past in this district, will continue to use
its every endeavor to serve the New York
public in the future and to please un?
qualifiedly every individual owner
consistently during his entire ownership
of a car, in the same measure as when
he is considering its purchase.
May we take this occasion to express
our high appreciation of all past patron?
age and our determination to deserve, so
far as in our power lies, a continuance of
the same consideration in the future.
Demonstration by Appointment
Telephone Columbus 7 S3
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1826-1?28 Broadway
at 59th Street
N .-)??/.>?? ?)?v-.>? ?<??> ' ?<.-^.
]&%SZ3?Z%gS2?Z3
?SS3
LIBER'
TY
The appearance of the Libert>
invariably arouses admiration.
Your first thought of the
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and charm of individual style
that set it quite "apart from
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And ?tat there is a superi?
ority and a difference in the
way the Liberty rides and
drives.
You feel that the car holds its
steadiness because of its perfect
balance.
You feel that you can drive
or ride tor hours without a sense
of fatigue.
You identify excellence in
every unit that goes to make
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This recognition of superi?
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with the intimate experience of
ownership.
The final test of Liberty
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continuous service. Proof of
that you can get from Liberty
users.
There is no c&r which ia
regarded by its owners with
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As to performance we know
of no better way to win your
Ereference than to let the
iberty assert its own difference
and superiority in a demonstra?
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?
ll
i
lat Color of a
-t.-.
flgSBHRfM
Tone Do You Like?
Perhaps you don't realize there are pink
' pieces of music, blue melodies, red
? sonatas: and rainbow symphonies.
Those who know best about music
say so.
You see color crops out everywhere.
For instance, when Goodrich
brought forth Black Tread rubber,
the color caught; and soon a lot of
tires were singing the black song
in treads.
Of course quality, not color, makes
Goodrich treads outwear others.
The distinctive coloring of Silvertown
Cord Tires, and their graceful model?
ing make them much sought by
motorists to dress smart cars.
But Goodrich would make them ugly
as an old shoe, if ugliness would add
another mile to their durability.
"Quality First" rules in Silvertown
Cord Tires, and Silvertown quality
Lasts.
Get Silvertowns for service; beauty
goes with it
Buy Goodrich Tires from a Dealer
FlfWlPtl1!!
BEST m THE LONG RUN