Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-20
| dent withheld and the act was returns
ed to the senate and referred back to
the committee on naval affains.
Presidents Views.


ed to the senate and referred back to
the committee on naval affaiGs.
Presidents Views.
The views of the President touching
this bill, involving his first veto, are
expressed in a communication to the
senate as follows:
Il return without approval Senate
Bill No. 1858, entitled An sact to re.
move the charge of desertion from the
naval record of John Glass
There can be no graver crime than
| the crime of desertion from The army
or navy, especially during war; it is
then high treason to the nation and is
justly punishable by death. No man
should be relieved from such crime,
especially when nearly forty years
have elapsed since it OCCURRED, save
upon the clearest possible proh,f of his
innocence. In this case the statements
made by the affiant before ,she COM
| mittee does not in all points
agree with his statement made
to the secretary of the navy. In
any event it is incomprehenesible to
me that he should not have made eff
fective effort to get back into the navy.
He had served but little more than a
month when he deserted, and the war
lasted for over year afterwards, vet
he made no effort whatever to get back
into the war Under such circum-
stances it seems to me that to remove
the charge of desertion from the navy
and give him an honorable discharge
would be to falsify the records and do
an injustice to his gallant and worthy
comrades who fought the war to fin.
ish. The names of the veterans who
fought in the civil war make he honor
| list of the republic, and | am not will
ing to put upon it the name cf man
unworthy of the high position
Theodore Roosevelt"
Case Is Peculiar.
The case is a peculiar one. The on,
| ly evidence in the premises is the recs
ord of the navy department and the
unsupported testimony of CLASS. If
his story is true he should be entitled
to consideration, but the officer is
dead; he and Glass are the only two
persons who knew the facts hid Glass
can substantiate nothing. 1t is not al
all surprising that green colored
boy, taught to obey his superiE,rs, taxi
en- ashore and ordered not to ;hgain re,
port, should have obeyed the order, req
turned inland and thought ITO moro
about it. Senator Gear before ahe com,
mitteej simply vouched fer THE states
ments of Glass and the comm ttee acs
cepted the statements. 1t is altogeths
er unlikely that the senate Will pass
the bill over the Presidents veto, 50
John Glass, of Iowa, must continue to
bear the stigma, whether unwl'rthy on
otherwise, of having deserted hfom the
navy.
Iowa at Washington.
Senator and Mrs. Dolliver and ex-Govs
ernor and Mrs. Larfabee and daughter
were guests at tea given by the amt
bassador from France Saturday afterf
noon, from 3 until o'clock. The och
casion was memorable one the CHIEF
attraction being an exhibition Of art,
portraits of President and Mrs RooseS
welt by famous French artist, who
has recently completed the works. The
portraits are said to be exej,edinglN
life-like and natural in pose and exs
preston.
The special exhibit at the t,orcorarl
Art gallery opened yesterday ahld is prob
nounced magnificent beyond descrip.
ton. Among some of the fine pictures
on exhibition are pieces by MISS M. Al.
Kirkup, of Fort Dodge, sister of Mrs.
Roberts, wife of the directds- of the
mint who is making her home id
Washington this winter.
| Frank r Stfllrnan