Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-19

From the time when The STAR printed Gen.
C-dways order disbanding the seventh and
eighth battalions of the District National
Guard vague and meanly elusive rumors have
been in circulation. charging the general with
discriminating against the cOiored companies.
He would be careless who today who
would Insinaate that any of those rumors hal a
foundation in fact. for the commanders of the
seventh and eighth hsy testified freely and fully
that there never was any such discrimination.
The yindication is complete and unstrained
ami il comes from the only persons qualified
TO TESTIFY, viz. those who had. it alleged.
suffered from the conjured-up phantom OF a
color line
CONFERENCE AT HEADQUARTERS.
The revelation was made plain yesterday
evening. At 40 o'clock there were assembled
L. the ~ q room at brigade headquarters rep
resentatiyes of The interests involved. The
seventh and eighth battalions contributed Mai.
Fleetwood Maj. Revells and Capts. Perry and
Campbell. tine two latter being company officers
IN The eighth; the cOlOrcd civilian population
had ex-senator r. X. Bruce. Hon. John Lynch
and Mr.. ". Calvin Chase to watch its case.
while National Guard headquarters had as its
delegates Gen. Ordway, Col Long and Majs.
Aidrich and PeixOttO. The conference was
called by Gen Ordway for the purpose OF Sc
curing an expression of opinion from the most
Interested parties as TO how harmonious set
tleIneut Of existing difficulties might best be
brought about. llossrs. Bruce and Lynch we're
members Of the cOmmitte of cOlored citizens
.Iat waite! on the President and secured n sus-
pension Of the disbandment order. and they.
with Mr.. Chase. were naturally. BIZ reason of
their prominence. called into consultation.
no RACE DISCRIMINATION.
Business was commenced by Gen. Ordway
making sdceinct statement, which included
the more important features in the local his
tory OF the guard from its inception down to
the present time. special reference being made
to the part taken by the colored commands. In
this statement the general showed that in no
ease hal the colOrol troops been tine victims of
discrimination. tie then called upon the col
Oreti officers present To place themselves on
record as to the allegations of discrimination
on account of color. Did they know of any
such conduct on his part or on the part of any
of the white officers of the brigade? The ques-
ton was put directly to each. and they all
Majors Revells and Fleetwood and Captains
Perry and mpbell-respOnded most emphatic
ally IN the negative. The InterroSatory was
reiterated. but the result was the same.
NECESSITY OF CONSOLIDATION.
The charges of race discrimination having
thus been satisfactorily disposed of the general
went on 10 discuss the necessity for consoIida-
ton. He showed clearly that instead of having
Disseminated against the cOlored troops he had
gone 50 Tar III the opposite direction as to make
II individually certain that he had favored them
az the expense of the white soldiers. For two
years the colOred battalions had received much
more than their quota of the appropriations
They had maintained two battaliOns Of but two
companies each and battalion of two compa-
MES costs just as much one battalion Of four
cOmpanles-the legal strength. Consolidation
would simply mean that the cOlored troops
would be placed on the same basis as the white
mihtiamen: they would receive equal allowances
with the white men. but they would not as
they had in the past. get any more than was
justly due them. The facts thus made plain
surprised the committee greatly and the MEM
bers thereof agreed that whatever there had
been of discrimination in the District National
Guard the burden had evidently been borne by
the white commands.
TRlED TO BRING ABOUT CONSOLIDATION BEFORE.
Gen. Ordway, continuing. said he had tried
nearly two years ago to bring about a consoli-
dation OF the two battalions but his best efforts
had resulted in failure. He desired to know
whether. when four companies we're CONSOLE
dated In one battalion. the members of the bat
taiions would agree to serve under the command
OF either Maj. Revells or Maj. Fleetwood. This
was rather a delicate question. so Messrs. Bruce
Lynch and Chase retired to the staff dressing
room. where questions and answers that lacked
the peryertlng influences of embarrassment
were freely put and generally responed to-
Maj Fleetwood was the only officer who de-
clined to appear before the committee in exec
uuve session. he claiming that. having had no
battalion. could not enter into any agreement
a. TO future action.
FEELING OF THE TWO COMMANDO
The principal effort of the committee while
In executive session was to gauge the feeling of
the commands and to find out whether the me n
of the eighth would serve under Maj Fleet
wood or The men of the seventh under Mai
hevells when the consolidation made.
When Maj Fleetwood refused to appear before
the communication the existence of which he
was largely sPonsible-nothing officially
could be heard from the seventh. but the eighth
lifted up Its triple voice and emitted no uncer-
tam sound Maj. Reveils was averse TO the
sw lowing up of his companies by the seventh
sa!lOn. and his two company command
err stated very emphatically that neither
they nor The men in their commands would
ever belong To an organization which was con-
uolled by Maj Fleetwood. After an absence
., ht!i an hour the committee returned TO the
headquarters room and reported. The three
a.1iira;Ors were decidedly of the opinion that
a consolidation of the two battaliOns was a
prime necessity. demanded in the interests of
fairness o. the white troops. Then the COM
lnitiec expressed the apprehension that the
consolidation could not be harmoniouslv ef-
ieeted with either Majs- Fleetwood or Reveils
~ ITS head; they hoped. however. that their ar,-
prehenslon was aot well founded IL Was more
than probable. though, that a new major would
have 30 De selected.
SUGGESTION As TO TEE TWO MAJORS
Then 1t was suggested that the two majors
place their designations in the committee
keeping and that the matter of selecting their
successor be left entirely 10 President Ha-ri-
SON. To this proposition Mai. ReyeIls gave
hearty assent, but when Maj. Fleetwood was
asked II he would do the same thing he de
eIined to reply. arguing that he must first cor.
suit with the officers of his battalion. Mai
Fleetwood stated that the seven IN would have
meeting later in the evening and ii the citi
zens committee would only journey up to 7ti
and O streets they would probably arrive al
something like a conclusion. The conference,
thereupon. after being in session nearly tw,
hours and a hall. adjourned.
GIN oEDwAY DECLINES TO TALK
Gen Ordway pleasantly but firmly declined
to talk of the conference to either a STAR re
porter or any other kind Of reporter.
Il shah say nothing of our deliberations. h.
SAM. because any utterances of mine might
be distorted i have been persistentIy mis-
represented, and therefore decline to discus.
tie matter laid down that rule when thi.
debate opened and see no reason WHY 1 should
depart from it. Ask the members Of the citi
zens committee for information
WHAT RECORDER BRUCE SAID.
There Is but little to tell said ex-senator
Blanche K Bruce when the reporter sur
rounded the committee. ard Messrs Lvncl
and Chase nodded acquiescence IN the opinion
expressed We have agreed" continued MIR