The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-15
THE ARMY HAS
ENOUGH PROBLEMS
WITHOUT THE RACE ISSUE
GEN BARRY SHARPLY CRITICISED
IN MILITARY CIRCLES.

His Proposition to Enlist Negro Ar
tiIIerymen for the Southern CoRsf
stations Generally Condemned
Throughout the Military Service.
His Recon- ndation Not at An
Likely 80 He Carried out.
BY Il. NJ. Larner.
Washington, Oct. 14.-Brig. Gen.
Thomas Harvey Barry. the present
commander of the Department Of the
Gulf, is being generally criticised
throughout the military service for
recommending that negro troops be en-
listed in the artilley branch of the
service, and assigned to stations along
the South Atlantic coast. Since the
publication of Gen. Barry's annual re-
port to the commanding general of
the army, in which the negro issue is
raised, the subject, has been discussed
with many of the leading officers of
the army in Washington. Not one I'M
dorses Gen. Barry's recommendation in
behalf of enlisting negro troops for
coast artillery service.
The army has a sufficient number of
difficult problems to deal with now,
without being burdened with the negro
race problem" remarked a distinguish
ed army officer in discussing the Bar
ry report. 1T is not only unwise to
inject the race question in army af
fairs at this time, but it is impractical
from various points of view"
Surprise in Army Circles,
In army circles the most astonish-
ing feature of Gen. Barrys sugges-
ton that negro troops be located at
posts along the Southern coast is that
he, who is recognized throughout the
army as a Democrat who has been
aided, it is said. by Democratic in
fiuence, should pose as the champion
of negro domination in that part of
the country where holding a briga-
der generals commission, he should
know and realize that serious trouble
might arise if his recommendations
are adopted by the Secretary of War
and ratified by an act of Congress.
Little Experience in the south.
Gen. Barry has had little personal
experience in the Southern states
among Southern people, in spite of the
fact that he processes to be a Demo-
crat, TO such an extent as politics may
go in the army or navy. He entered
the Military Academy i'm 1873 and
graduated four years later He served
in the Philippines for a period. The
records show that his duty there was
confined almost exclusively to staff
headquarters.
Gen. Barry has some very infuen-
tial friends in high official positions
and two of his strongest sponsors out
side of the service are said to be Dam
iel Lamont, former Secretary of War
and Richard Olney, former Secretary
of State. His friends in and out of
the service express stheir deep regret
that he has permitted himself to take
such an attitude on a question which
has already caused much trouble
Senators Clay and Bacon, with the
aid of a few Southern senators, have
it in their power TO prevent the rec
concentrations of Gen. Barry being
carried out. An act of Congress, either
by special act, or in an army appro-
priation bill, is necessary to provide
for negro troops in the artillery
branch of the service. 1t is not prob
able, however. that extreme methods
will be required to snuff out Gen.
Barry's ill-considered recommendation.
The army is not going to allow itself
to be drawn into the negro race issue.