Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-20
"DESERVED DEATH"
Roosevelt's Message on Dis-
 missal of Negro Troops.
BLACKLIST CRIME IN ARMY ANNALS"
Hresident Condemns Tn Forcible Terms Raid by Colored Troops on Brownsville, Tex. Should
 Have Been Executed.

eeSs-~sS-e SO4V~0AMo COECAOAs
 Terms Raid by Colored Troops on
 Brownsville, Tex. Should
 Have Been Executed.
 WASHINGTON, Dec. President
 Roosevelt's message dealing with his
 action in dismissing from the army
 the negro troops of the three companies
 of the Twenty-fifth infantry furnished
 the one great topic of interest in the E. senate's session.
 A lively debate followed the reading
 of the message as to what should be done with It. Mir. Foraker wanted it
 sent to the military committee with instructions to make further investiga-
 ton should the committee deem il
 necessary. He said that in reality much that appeared to be testimony was really not testimony, as much of 1t was not under oath. On objection from Senator Clay the senate postpon- ed action.
 The pension calendar was cleared by the passage of more than 200 private pension bills.
 E At the suggestion of Senator Lodge, President Roosevelt's Panama message r will be reprinted for the senate in s 'normal' spelling.
 Conforming in most forcible terms the raid on the town of Brownsville, Tex, by negro soldiers and the sub seQuent conspiracy of silence" among the troopers of that command to shield the guilty, President Roosevelt sent to the senate his reply to resolution of inquiry from that body, in which he reiterated his judgment in discharging the three companies.
 Denying that their discharge was or dered as a punishment, the president asserts that the only adequate punish ment was death. He declares his keen regret at not being able to inflict that penalty
 That the shooting up of Brownsville was done by party of from nine to says there can be no doubt whatever, and he brands their act as one ''un- i. paralleled for infamy in the annals of the United States army.''
 2 President Roosevelt's message says in part:
 T ordered the discharge of nearly all the members of Companies R, c and D of the Twenty-fifth infantry by name in the exercise of my constitu- tional power and in pursuance of what, after full consideration, found to be my constitutional duty as commander in chief of the United States army. T call your attention to the accom- panying reports of Major Augustus P. Blocksom, of Lieutenant Colonel Leon- ard A. Lowering and of Brigadier Gen. eral Ernest A. Darlington, the inspector general of the United States army, of their investigation Into the conduct of the troops in question.
 An effort has been made to discredit the fairness of the investigation into the conduct of these cofored troops by pointing out that General Darlington Is southerner. Precisely the same &C., tion would have been taken had the troops been white-indeed. the dis charge would probably have been made in more summary fashion. General Darlington is native of South Caro- lima, Lieutenant Colonel Lowering Is a native of New Hampshire, and Major Blocksom is native of Ohio As 1t happens. the disclosure of the guilt of the troops was made in the report of the officer who comes from Ohio, and the efforts of the officer who comes from South Carolina were confined to the endeavor to shield the innocent men of the companies in question. if any such there were. by securing in- formation which would enable us ade- Quately to punish the guilty.
 But wish it distinctly understood that the fact of the birthplace of either of1cer Is one which I absolutely refuse to consider. The standard of profes- sional honor and of loyalty 10 the flag and the service is the same for all off, cers and all enlisted men of the Unit cd States army. and I resent with the keenest indignation any effort to draw any line among them based upon birth place, creed or any other consideration of the kind. I should put the same en- tire faith in these reports if 1t had happened that they were all made by men coming from some one state. whether in the south or the north. the cast or the west, as now do. when. as It happens. they were made by officers born in different states.
 Major Blocksom's report is most careful and is based upon the testi- mony of scores of eyewitnesses-testi- mony which confiicted only in nones- sentials and which established the es- sential facts beyond chance of success ] ful contradiction
 .Tne attack was made near midnight on Aug. 13. The following facts az to this attack are made clear by Major Blocksom's investigation and have not been and. in my judgment. cannot be successfully controverted: From nine 70 fifteen or twenty of the coiored sol l diers took part in the attack They | ieaped over the walls from the bar racks and hurried through the town. They shot at whomever they saw nov | ing. and they shot Into houses where they saw lights. In some of these houses there were women and children. ss the would be nurderers must hsve known In one house in which there were two women and five children some ten shots went through at c