Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-19
SENATE RECEIVES
A HOT MESSAGE
President Transmits 1nforma-
tion Sought Regarding Dis
charge of Negro Troops
ARMY ANNALS BLACKLIST CRIME
That i. What Mr.. Roo.evelt Terms the
shooting Up OF the Town Of
srownsviIIe-Goes Back to Grant for
Preeedent-cIaims Support of Every
Good Citizen of Country.

y
washington, Dec. 19.-The strongest
message of the series with which
President Roosevelt has bombarded
congress was submitted to the senate
today The message was in reply 10
the resolution calling for the facts per-
tanning to the discharge of negro SOL
oiers members Of the Twenty fifth in
santry and in it the opponents of the
president obtain little satisfaction. The
message is strong presentation OF the
circumstances leading up to the episode
and is accompanied by the testimony
obtained at the hearing which preced-
ed the discharge of the soldiers. The
message follows:
ITO the Senate: In response to SEN
ate resolution of December s, address
ed me, and to the two senate resoiu-
tions addressed to him, the secretary
of war has by my direction, submitted
to me report which herewith send
to the senate, together with several
documents, including letter OF Gem
eral Nettleton and memoranda ask
precedents for the summary discharge
or mastering out Of regiments OF
& com panies. some or all of the members
of which had been guilty OF mlscon-s
duct. :,
"I ordered the discharge Of nearly all
/ the members Of Companies B, c and D
of the Twenty-fifth infantry by name
in the exercise of my constitutional
power and in pursuance Of what, after
full consideration, found to be my
constitutional duty as commander-ln-
chief Of the United States army. am
glad to avail myself Of the opportunity
afforded by these resolutions to lay be-
fore the congress the following facts as
to the murderous conduct of certain
men,bers Of the companies in question
and as to the conspiracy by which
many of the other members of these
companies saved the criminals from
Justice. to the disgrace of the United
States uniform.
Il call your attention to the accom-
panying reports of Maj. Augustus p.
Blocksom, of Lieut. Col. Leonard A.
Lowering, and of Brig. Gen. Ernest A.
Darlington, the inspector general OF
the United States army, OF their in
vestigation 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
colored troops by pointing out that
Genera: Darlington is a southerner.
Precisely the same action would have
been taken had the troops been white
indeed, the discharge would probably
have been made in more summary
fashion. General Darlington is a ma
tive of South Carolina Lieutenant Col
sionel Lowering is a, native of New
Hampshire, Major Blocksom is native
Of Ohio. AS it happens the disclosure
OF the guilt of the troops was made
Ia the report of the officer who comes
from Ohio, and the efforts of the of
dcer who comes from South Carolina
were confined to the endeavor to shield
{ the innocent men of the companies in
question, il any such there were, by
securing information which would en-
able us adequately to punish the gull
ty. But wish it distinctly understood
that the fact of the birthplace Of either
officer is one which Iaibsolutely refuse
to consider. The standard of profess
sional honor and Of loyalty to the flag
and the service is the same for all Of
0cers and all enlisted men of the Unit
ed States army, and resent with the
keenest indignation any effort to draw
any line among them based upon
birthplace, creed, or any other consid-
GRAFTON Of the kind. i should put the
same entire faith in these reports if it
had happened that they were all made
by men coming from some one state,
whether in the south or the north, the
, east or the west, as do now, when, as
I It happens, they were made BY officers
born in different states.
Major Blocksom's report is most
careful, is based upon the testimony of
scores Of -wttnesses-testimo
which confiicted only in non-essentials
and which established the essential
facts beyond chance OF successful con-
tradiction. Not only has no successful
effort been made to traverse his find
ings In any essential particular. but, as
a matter Of fact, every trustworthy re-
port from outsiders amply corroborates
them. by far the best of these outside
reports being that of Gen A. B. Nettle-
LOAl, Lt1SAS III q 4SteCl " lIS ScCTGtdTy
OF war, which herewith append;
General Nettleton being an ex- Union
soldier, constant friend of the colored
man thruout his life, lifelong republi-
can, citizen Of Illinois, and assistant
secretary Of the treasury under Presi-
dent Harrison.
TT appears that in Brownsville the
city Immediately beside which, Fort
Brown is situated, there had been con-
siderable feeling between the citizens
and the colored troops of the garrison
companies. Difficulties had occurred,
there being conflict of evidence as to
whether the citizens or the colored
troops were to blame. Ny impression
is that. as a matter CT fact, in these
difficulties there was blame attached
to both sides: but this is a wholly ln-
important r,"''er Co. clur nresa''' '>---'
oese, ~ nothing that occurred offered