Show L Our Jur American Un l Y Law Laru au- au t I 1 1 I is right that the administration of military justi justice e r be probed by the American Bar association as as is IS J J proposed Our present system of military law in iii its theor theory and in fn its application is viciously un I That cruel cruel injustices have ha been een done in this tills war by courts f martial with an nn exaggerated idea of the s severity F of or offenses is only too loo apparent to anyone who has hns had hadi i oc occasion occasion mi on to note the records of or co convictions cob as published I P i in ip tho the press I Several such instances were c l 1 last week by Seii- Seii ator George n e Chamberlain n in his arraignment of the war warT warn nr It T department before the Senate In one case cited ayoung a n young oung lads lad's mother was ill The boy v vas as about to sail t for France Prance he could not get het et permission for tor the I short leave e that th would permit him to visit his mother IIo Ho absented himself from his organization for several 1 days visited his hi mother and returned His devotion to his leis mother was rewarded re by y a n sentence five fi e years in a n military prison r Perhaps t the he most t significant i thin thing about this sen- sen cc and similar ones ones is the tine supreme militaristic conj con- con j which it evinces for public opinion It It can hardly ha be conceived cd that any member of the court mar- mar tint that lint imposed tuat that sentence would for fOl a n moment think it would meet acct with the approbation of tho the wives and mothers of this country This contempt for public pub- pub J lie Mic lic opinion by hy the army heads has crept out in many runny manyI tile recent recent Tt It indicates militaristic I n J in war s a n tendency that it would be well to watch w All history has demonstrated that the army is a n. good thing to curb as to its ilg powers and aud it were unfortunate for the i lesson to be lost to the United l States The weakness of the present system of oC military law lies in its absoluteness in its susceptibility of application 3 Q tion Uon to any my action that a n judge fudge advocate and a n court martial may wish to call an nn offense and in its inequality The fhe whole effect i is as pointed out b by George fl T. T Page Pads president of the American an Bar association that it practically leaves lea the accused without protection The theory of bf r military law In is that it iL i is I r r pendent of all civil courts There is no appeal from h t its Its' decisions even to the supreme court of the United r Slates The only pos possible ble appeal would be upon the i grounds of jUl jurisdiction J It is impossible to tell loll those army men whose mili- mili i v tary traditions have been een bred into their bones hones nt at Wr f S t Point that military law should be anything else but ab ab- nb- nb solute The Tho change c in in n this and other features of ot military mil law might just as well be brought without the consultation of arm army men Under article 00 90 of the articles of war it is possible to charge almost an any I untoward action or omission omission to a t. t soldier soldier- as an aD offense fren c.- c. Furthermore almost any degree of punishment punish punish- P punishment ment may be meted out The Thc unfairness of such sunn 1 laws surely Burely must ho bo n abhorrent to the thc American public J x The Tho Th inequality r of or the law law consists in the fact that there is one punishment provided for officers and another another an- an other for for enlisted enlisted d men An A offense that in the case casei t i I. of ur an m officer might bo be punished by a reprimand or h by hy J dismissal al from the tho service is very ven frequently in thet the thc I t case of enlisted men m n punished I by long terms of penal I servitude cr It is IS s inevitable that the nation with its I r r thoughts g turned r from tho the will away awny war wor Jake take co cognizance izI iz- I auto ance o oia the delinquencies of our system of ot military y law lawr law r t and aud take lake steps to o corr correct ct bem Perhaps it would be well fox a n commission with wIth authority to e examine the thc en- en f 1 tiro record of war var convictions con with a n view to applying to Ho them justice as distinguished from mili I I i justice a J 1 |