Mr. WILSON. I will say tot leSenator that I suppose today there are several 100 cases yet unacted upon in this bureau of the action of military commissions as well as courts martial and courts of inquiry. these cases go there. The bureau never hear of them until they get there. They take them up usually in their order as they come along, unlessin special cases, like the one the Senator referred to just now. I have had 2 or 3 cases of the kind during the winter of officers who have been court martialed or tried in some way, to which I called the attention of the War Dept, and they have had the cases exam ified and hurried on for action. I suppose there are reports of military commissions yet unrevised and unrecorded in that office. If the Senator desires to pass an act that there shall be no military commissions in time of war, I do not know that I would object to it. We authorized, by law, the establisment of military commissions for certain purposes. I believe they have rendered great service during the war. There is no doubt they have made some mistakes, and so have courts mar tial. All those tribunals are liable to mistakes; I think more liable than judicial tribunals are. But while these cases go to the bureau I think they ought to be acted upon. Suppose the Senator’s attention was now called to a case of the action of a military commission which has been sent to the office here and not been touched, and there it remains. Some plerson is wronged by it, the Senator thinks. e wishes the case examined, and he goes to the War dept and asks to have the case called up. ow, why should it not be and disposed of? If the Senator desires to get rid of military commissions altogether, let us pass a simple act of that kind; but while we have them, and while we now have every reason to believe there are before this very bureau reports of military commissions that concern the rights of men, why not let this bureau pass upon them, revise and record the cases, re'e'xamine them, or do anything with them in order to reach the ends of justice?