The Cairo bulletin., 1906-11-25
COURTS MAY BE CALLED UPON
TO TEST DISCHARGE OF
NEGRO TROOPS.
POLITICIANS WONDERING
Whether Roosevelt Played Shrewd
Game BY Ousting the Negroes
Congress Might Take
Some Action.

Washington Nov, 2i.-Althongh
today with the execution of the pres.
dents order dismiss ng from the army
a battalion of the Twenty-ffth Uni
ted States infantry, coored, as pgnish-
ment for the action of some of its
members in shooting up" the town Of
Brownsville, Texas, last August the
matter is +" no means Il closed Incl
dent yet Information reached the
department this afternoon that move
ment was on fo2t TO test In the court
the power Of the president to dis
charge the battalion under the cir
cumstanCes which prompted his
course At the department officials
we'll yersed in military law, while ad-
mitting that the presidents action
was unprecedented mainta ned that,
as Commander in Chief of the army,
| he had full authority to act in the
| manner he did 1t was reported that
the prospective legal action would
be instituted by some of the dia
tldl Std luldlllI tltI anu tAlAti II llNIlbH
who have the financial means required
to carry the case through the courts
Hul's Ideas.
Representative John A. T. Hull. Of
Iowa chairman of the house commit
ce on mil tary affairs, Il in Washing
ton, and this af er7oon called at the
war department to pay his respects
to Secretary Taft He did not care to
give his opinion of the iuatifcati Il
for 4he presidents dismissal of the
colered battalion because, he said, he
was not familiar with all the circum-
stances in the case. When his attcn-
tion was called to rumors to the ef
feet that members of the battalion
were contemplating apepalng to COW
gress for reinstatement. he said II
doubt that c9ngres can compel the
president to erinstate any of these
men. II could pass a law authoriz
ing him to do so, but could not make
IL mandatory upon him toact re-
call that when General Harrison was
president congress passed bill au-
iilJi tHluS illlll ~ SlFt NldJOI t. y. Aus
worth the title of Colonel by virtue
of the fact that he was chief of the
record and pension division The
president questioned The right of con
grcss to specify whom he should pro |
mote, and vetoed the bill After he hal |
explained that thai was his only OBJ |
lection to the law. Congress passed |
another authorizing him to give the
head of that division the rank of col |
cneL He then proceeded to confer
that rank upon Major Ainsworth
Congress Could Act.
In my opinion, in view Of that ex-
periencc, congress would not under.
take 10 direct Pre- ident Roosevelt to
reinstate any of these men. although.
of course do not know that it will
be attempted. Congress could pass
a law removing the disability placed
upon the members # the battalion by
The order of Their discharge. and y
the president signed II that would en-
able hem to rc-cnlist and get back in
to the army. ] do not presume that
the recruiting officers, however. would
accept any of the men who are now
resting under the suspicion Of having
participated in the ARRAY al Brown
yillc or of having any knowledge Of
who the gully parties are
Consi lerable speculation is being
ndulgcd I'm 10y politicians as to what
might have happened on election day Z
n the event the Presidents order dis
% ssing the Colored battalion had been }
promulgated a day or two before he
BALLOTS were cast It will be recalled ;
Hat. although the presidents order
vas dated November :. the day be
ore election it was not made public
,v he war department until late in d
he afternoon OF November 6. ana BY '
hat time the polls ali over the coun- J
~ had cio-cd % is generally admit J
cd 10y ppiiiicia-z thai rho major part
4 The coIercd vote in The Northern y
,'stcs Is Republican That being The >
azc tho ucgrpcs in 70 sense might ho y
egardcd as holding The balance Of J.
over in several states IN Ohio for
xampic there are about - O0O male p
cgroo- Of ad-lt age. and a. uming
bat most of them rxcrc' So their righ' e
% vote they could come mighty near
laking The state Democratic in any e
rdinary year if they voted the Dem y
cratic ticket tna man There arc
bcut Goa male negro al in New =
ersey. a sufficient number throw q
into the Democratic column under "
milar circumstances. Kansas num- %
ers about 1880 enough 20 have .
lade the state Democratic at the las. a