The Washington herald., 1906-12-06
Approves Presidents Action
in Discharging Soldiers.
OUTBREAK EQUAL TO TREASON
Secretary Declares in Annual Report
That No Community DRreE House
Murderers-AssertE That No Step
Other Than Dismissal Was Possible
Under the circumstances.

retary Taft emphaticaIly indorses the ac-
tion Of President Roosevelt. when he or
dered the dismissal OF three companies
of the Twenty-ffth Infantry. eolored. be-
cause of the participation of some of the
members of the company organizations
in the raid on Brownsville. Tex, IN
/ August
/ 1t disproves absolutely that there is
/ any difference Of opinion between the
/ President and his Secretary OF War con-
/ corning the business Of the step. When
Mr.. Taft returned to Washington from
/ his Western trip a few weeks ago, and
while the President was in Panama, he
/ ventured upon the urgent appeal of per
sons interested in the dismissed troops, to
/ suspend for a time the execution of the
Presidents order directing the discharge
of the soldiers, while he cabled asking
/ II the case might be reconsidered.
! This action on the part OF the Secre-
tary Of War gave instant rise 10 numer-
| GUS declarations that Mr. Taft was op-
posed to the attitude Of the President,
and those interested in the welfare Of
the negro troops gave him loud praise
The report shows that he is in thorough
accord with the President, and the argu-
ment he presents showing why the army
should have Tidded itself OF the three
companies Is undoubtedly strong. The
report will go to Congress soon.
Guilty of Murder.
Mr. Taft declared that the men who
did the shooting at the Brownsville raid
were guilty Of murder in the first degree.
and that their comrades who were not
actually involved engaged In a conspi-
racy to shield the criminals. He saws
also that 1t is impossible that many OF
the battalions who did not actually take
part in the conspiracy 10 murder were
rot aware by one circumstance or an
other, Of the identity Of the persons who
committed the offense. Secretary Taft
reviews the facts. gives details Of the
raid. and continues:
Under these circumstances the ques-
ton arises. is the government helpless?
Must il continue in its service a battal-
ion, many Of the members Of which show
their willingness to condone a crime Of a
capital character committed by from
ten 10 twenty of its members, and nut
on front Of silence and ignorance which
enables the criminals 70 escape just r.un-
ishment? These enlisted men took the
oath Of allegiance TO the government. and
were 10 be used under the law to main
tair Its supremacy. Can the government
properly keep In its employ for the pur-
pose of maintaining law and order a
body OF men. from 10 10 per cent OF
whom can plan and commit murder. and
rely upon the silence Of a number OF their
companions to escape detection"
Virtually Is Treason.
Further along in his report Secretary
Taft presents a suppositional case Of
treason He asks that II, during time
Of war with Mexico. a dozen men Of
battalion stationed at Fort Brown car
ried plans and ammunition to the enemy
on the other side OF the Rio Grande. and
returned under circumstances showing
clearly that a number Of the men knew
the guilty parties. but would not tell,
competent general would not hesitate for
a moment TO disband the entire battalion.
and discharge il from the service. in ord
er to prevent a repetition of the offense.
Can a real and logical distinction be
made?" Secretary Taft inquiries. be
tween the crime Of treason, under the cir
eumstances supposed, and the crime Of
murder IN this case? Both are capital Of
lenses, one, perhaps, more heinous than
the other, and more dangerous to the
government ITSELF but in both cases Il
seems clear 10 me that the government
must protect itself and the community TO
which II Is responsible, from a recurrence
Of such offenses. not by furnishing guilty
and innocent alike. but by separating
both the guilty and innocent from the
service, so as TO deprive the guilty Of a
second opportunity for such a crime.
even though this may result in incon-
venience and perhaps hardship 10 the in
nOcent
Secretary Taft declares that the sur-
gestion made in some quarters that the
action had been taken because the men
IN It were black hardly merits notice. He
says That the only way the matter Of |
color enters into the affair is that the |
racial feeling aroused between the SOL |
diers and the citizens Of Brownsville NAV /
nave furnished the cause and the motive
out certainly not a justification "for the /
plot TO murder men, women, and chill /
dren.
PhraseOlOEy Unfortunate.
In speaking of the penalty, Secretary |
Taft says that It Is mistake to suppose |
that the order of dismissal in itself is a /
either Of the innocent or Of |
the guilty. "A discharge would be an /
utterly inadequate punishment for those
who were guilty." the report saws. |
whether Of committing the murder. or |
OF Withholding or suppressing evidence
which would disclose the perpetrators. OF
such crime
The use Of the word penalty in the
is q mere misnomer and is
unfortunate. The dismissal from the
service OF the members Of the battalion
under the circumstances is not a punish
ment, however great the hardship There
Is dismissal technically known as a dis
honorable discharge. which is only i'm
posed by sentence by a court. This is a
punishment
But the members of this battalion
were not dishonarably discharged. They /,
could not have been so discharged except h
aiter trial They were discharged for /
me 5000 or the service. as the technical
phrase Is, without honor"
Should hereafter facts be disclosed. ID
or new state of facts arise, from which /,
II can be inferred that the public service
Will suffer no detriment from the re-entrv
of any one of these .men into the service
MS ineligibiiity can be removed by a 4,
mere Executive order"
Might Be ReInstated.
1t is possible that evidence may be
adduced in future which will tend to ex-
eulpate entirely some of the men now
discharged both from particiDatio,, IN .ba