The Paducah weekly sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1902-19??, 1906-12-19

ny 81 ldl nos 'OuslSleu IN tne dsstI-
Ition or implication that the towns
people shot one another in order to
dlscredt the soldiers an absurdity
too gross TO need discussion, and un-
supported by shred of evidence.
The evidence proves concluslvely
that a number of the soldiers en-
gagged in deliberate and concerted
attack. as cold booded as it was cow
ardly; the purpose being to terrorize
the community. and to kill or inJure
men, women, and children in their
homes and beds or on the streets, and
this at an hour of the night when
concerted or effective resistance or
defense was out of the question, and
when detection by Identification of
the criminals in the United States
uniform was well-nigh impossible.
SO much for the original crime. A
blacker never stained the annals Of
our army. 1T has been supplemented
by another, only less black. in the
shape of a successful conspiracy of
silence for the purpose of shielding
those who took part in the original
conspiracy of murder. These soldiers
were not school boys on a frolic. They
were full-grown men, in the uniform
of the United States army. armed
with deadly weapons, sworn to up
hold the laws Of the United States,
and under every obligation of oath
and honor not merely to refrain from
criminalty, but with the sturdiest
rigor to hunt down criminality; and
the crime they committed or con-
nived at was murder. They perverted
the power put into their hands TO
sustain the law into the most deadly
violation of the law. The non-com-
mssioned officers are primarily re-
sponsible for the discipline and good
conduct of the men; they are APP
pointed 10 their positions for the very
purpose of preserving this discipline
and securing the punishment of ev-
cry enlisted man who does what is
wrong. They fiji, with reference to
the discipline, part that the com
missoned officers are of course una
BILE to fill, altho he ultimate respon-
slbility for the discipline can never
be shifted from the shoulders of the
latter. Under any ordinary circum-
stances the first duty of the nom
commissioned officers, as Of the COM
missioned officers, is to train the pri-
vate in the ranks so that he may be
an efficient fighting man against a
foreign foe. But there Is an even
higher duty. so obvious that is not
under ordinary circumstances neces-
sary so much as TO allude to 1t the
duty of training the soldiers so that
he shall be a protection and not a
menace to his peaceful fellow citi-
zens, and above all to the women
land children OF the nation. Unless
this duty is well performed, the ar
my becomes a mere dangerous mob;
and IL conduct such as that of the
murderers in question is not. where
possible punished. --1, where this
is not possible, unless the chance of
its repetition Is guarded against in
the most thorogoing fashion, il
would be better that the entire army
should be disbanded. 1t is vital for
the army to be imbued with the splr-
it which will make every man in 1t,
and above all the officers and nom
commissioned officers, feel IL a mat
ter of highest obligation to discov-
err and punish, and not to shield the
criminal in uniform.
BY my direction every effort was
made to persuade those innocent OF
murder among them to separate
tn emselves from the guilty by helping
bring the criminals to justice. They
we're warned that If they did not take
advantage of the offer they would all
be discharged from the service and
forbidden again to enter the employ
Of the government. They refused TO
psofit by the warning.
People have spoken as If this dis
charge from the service was punish
| III eut. utHN IL tllpudOlSdlly bHdl
such is the case because as punish
ment II is utterly inadequate. The
punishment meet for mutineers and
murderers such as those guilty of the
Brownsville assault is death; and a
punishment only less severe ought TO
be meted out to those who have aided
and abetted mutiny and murder and
treason by refusing to help in their
detection | would that it were pos
sible for me to have punished the
guilty men. / regret most keenly
that have not been able to do so.
Be II remembered always that
these men were all in the service of
the United states under contracts of
enlistment. which by their terms and
by statute we're termnable by my di-
rection as commander in chief of the
army. 1t was my clear duty to term
mate these contracts wehn the pub
lie interest demanded 1t; and II would
have been betrayal of the public
intarast on my mart NOT to terminate