Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-12-27
THE CoLoRED TROOPS
Order of the President Much
Criticised.
CHICKENS COME HOME TO RoOsT,

OHIuhhNS UOME HOME 10 ROOST,
Republican Party Responsible For
Negro NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Protests
From Republican Quarters Against
the Action of the President-AfTair
Assuming "a Political Aspect.
nome to roost as far as the negro
question is concerned. The entertain
ment of Booker Washington at the
White House inspired the negro lead
ers and preachers to constantly and
persistently declare that you are as
good as a white man. so demand and
stand up for your r%EsEhts." This has
been interpreted by the ignorant col
ored brethren as not only to claim
their legal rights, but to deEand equal
social rights also. President Roose-
welt never intended such claims for
social equality to follow his impulsive
invitation to the negro leader to the
coveted place at the White House Ia
BILE, but it is so interpreted by the ne
groes generally and especially by the
negro soldiers. The whole trouble at
brownsville, Tex, proceeded from the
exclusion Of the negro soldiers from
the hotels and saloons, aggravated by
the national a%ntipathy between the
races, which is not confined to the
southern states, but exists in the north
ern states with equal intensity, where
negroes form any large proportion of
the population.
This desire of the negroes for social
equality is the very natural result of
the granting of political equality, for
which the Republican party is respon-
sible. The fifteenth amendment to the
constitution was intended to REINFORCE
the Republican army Of voters with a
new contingent, who would be always
available for partisan purposes, and
the hope that with the aid of the car
pet baggers the Democratic solidarity
in the southern states would be over
come n defeated. 1t was a vain
Dixon's line, but has been successful
in the great states Of the north in Ell
Their holding them in the Republican
column or making them doubtful, with
the negro voters holding the balance of
power.
With regard to the rights and
wrongs of the individuals composing
the three companies of the Twenty
fifth colored infantry, no one is SO we'll
able to judge as the war department.
Unless strict discipline is maintained
the neighborhood of a company or reg
iment of colored troops would be a
curse instead of protection to the citi-
zens Of the locality where stationed.
No people, north or south, will permit
drunken OF sober soldiers to push them
off the sidewalks and will assuredly
resent rudeneSs to N That is an
objectionable ofense. The shooting af-
fray is wrapped in mystery, but the
fact that some of these negro soldiers
shot two white men, one of them an
officer of the law, is u~ndisputed. Their
companions refused to witness against
them, and they are still unpunished.
The equity and fairness of President
Roosevelt's order for the discharge
without honor of all the members of the
three companies is open to grave ques-
ton and it's constitutiOnality denied.
He vas perhaps too impulSive, but to
rescind the order would undoubtedly
lead to further trouble and incite our
negro population to further acts of VIC
lence in future. There is an %extraordi-
nary percentage of lawless negroes in
every large city, and with any encour-
agement their numbers would be re-
enforced from the younger element of
the negro population. The negro
preacher and the negro schoolmaster
are the chief cause of tn. laWlessness
Of so many Of the negroes, for their
preaching and teaching are filled with
constant appeals to the ignorant listen
ers to stand by their rights and de
mand all the social equality attainable.
The school boards of the cities are
greatly to blame for hiring semi-igno,
rant negro teachers, who thus encour.
age presumption that leads to lawless.
ness in the minds of ignorant children
with no home teaching to offset it.
There are many other phases Of this
negro question, and as the particular
case under discussion is assuming 4
strong political aspect and is raising q
storm that may have far reaching eff
feet it is for the president to calm the
troubled waters that he has ruttied by
his impulsive order. Democrats can
afford to be fair and impartial, fol
they have always been the better
friends and advisers of the honest and
respectable negro.