The Washington herald., 1906-11-25
DISMISSAL APPROVED
Bailey and Spanish War Vet
Grams Stand by President.
SCORE BROWNSVILLE TROOPS
Senator Says They should he Us
Good ns White Soldiers, and Local
Department Commander that the
President Is Only UphOIding the
Honor of Soldiers Uniform.


/ Spanish War Veterans of the District of
! Columbia are standing by The President
} In his dismissal of the neglO troops that
/ caused the riots at Brownsville, Tex. Mr..
/ Bailey says he IS confident people who
have the good of the service at heart will
! commend the President for his action, and
the Spanish War Veterans indOrsed TesO-
lutions last night commencing MIN. as
President and as a comrade in their or
ganization.
& Senator Bailey has just returned from
I Crystal Springs, Miss. where he attended
/ the funeral Of his mother, and would talk
Of nothing but the troops. When asked
! for his opinion. Senator Bailey. assuming
calm. judicial manner, and speaking
slowly, as if fearing to commit himself
idly on a question of grave import die
tated the following statement last night:
President Ought to Know.
7 have not examined the question of the
/ Presidents power 70 discharge the troops
according TO his order; but with a Secre-
. tary Of War who is a great lawyer. a Sec
retary of State who is also "A great lawyer,
and an Attorney General who is sufficient
. ly great as an interpreter Of the Law 70 be
! appointed TO the Supreme Bench, assume
that President Roosevelt was fully and
icorrectly advised as to what he might law
fully do
Assuming that he possessed the pow
I er 1 think all fair-minded men who de-
sire TO see the army an orderly and law
abiding organization. will cordially in
/ dOrse the positive manner in which the
! President has exercised his power / have
no doubt that the President would have
/ applied the same heroic treatment II the
I offenders had been white troops. and GER
tainly nobody would insist that negro
/ troops shall be exempt from the same
I requirements Of orderly behavior which
rests upon. and would have been enforced
/ against, white troops
south Is Gratided.
1t is particularly gratifying to the peo-
I pie Of the South that the President mas
resisted the political influences which
sought to have him rescind the order af-
ter he had issued it. To have resclnded
or even 20 have modified the order after
it was once made would have demoralized
the army, and produced incalculable
harm IN all Of the Southern States
4 have not talked with any Of the
Senators or Representatives from the
South but it Is my opinion they viii all
1 cordially support the action Of the Prcsi-
dent"
The Senator refused To- discuss the pos
I sibiliues Of making political capital out
/ of the Presidents actions or the state
ments OF representative negroes that they
viii support Secretary Taft for the Pres
idential nomination in 1905 because he
suspended the order discharging the ne
grOes. Neither would he say anything
about the Foraker boom. started by other
coloved men. not in sympathy with Taft.
He would say nothing Of the govern
ments chances in prosecuting the Stand
ard OH Company. and threw up his
hands in gesture OF resignation when
asked if the refusal Of a grand jury at
Austin, Tex, 20 indict II. Clay Pierce
would affect the Federal case.
Soldiers Heartily Approve.
The resolutions commencing the Presi-
dent We're adopted at smoker given by
the John Jacob Astor Camp T.. S. ". V,
at smoker last night The member
ship is composed Of men in the Soldiers
Home, and all have been disabled in ac-
tive service
Department Commander Mitchell
brought the matter up when called upon
for a speech. when he said the President
was actuated by desire 20 uphold the
honor Of the enlisted man. He directed
attention TO the Presidents action in
other attempts to preserve the honor Of
the soldiers and the sailors uniform.
mo President OF the United States" ne
said, has held higher regard for the
American soldier than Theodore RoOse-
velt"
The men whom he has punished acted
the part Of outlaws and ruffians. think
ing the uniform Of the United States
would shield them. If that matter had
gone unpunished by the President the
United States army would have received
a staggering blow. and we would have
seen the uniform Of the soldier derided
more than ever"
Is Disguised Race Question.
Had these soldiers been white men,
he continued, and had the President fol-
lowed the same course, there would have
been no OutCry. The whole disturbance
that has been created is, in the last analy-
sis, simply the race question under an
other gUise. The dismissal Of white
troops would never have caused such a
lfurorc. believe the people Of the United
States ind0rse the action Of the Presi-
dent, who is now condemned by the
people who applauded him when he in
vited Booker Washington TO his table
\ tremendous demonstration followed
the close Of Commander MitcheIFs speech.
\ cOmrade from the New York Depart
ment asked that the meeting sanction the
address, and he was followed by others.
representing nearly every camp In the De
pGrtment of the District of Columbia
many OF whom served with colOred troops
in the Cuban campaign Each tried to
be first to second the motion for indorse-
ment, and 1t was finally agreed, by a
unanimous rising vote, that resolutions OF
approval be drafted and a copy sent to
President Roosevelt.
white Men Were Dismissed.
Among the guests was Col. Thomas f
Brady, a white-haired veteran OF the
civil war, past commander Of the South
ern California Veterans Association. who
told how I'm 1870. a company of white
soldiers-Company X, OF the Thirteenth
L. S. Regulars commanded by captain.
now Col MacATthur-was disbanded for
'shOotng-Up" the town Of Provost. Utah
and no OutcTy OF criticism followed.
He called attention too to the fact that
by the terms of the Presidents decision
regarding the battalion Of the Twenty
fifth, all DOn-cOmmissioned officers and
privates may be reinstated if they will
come forward and reveal the guilty indi-
viduals; but up to date all have declined
to adopt such a course
Incidentally, il was stated by Com
rades Henry Foster, of Miles Camp. and
kessler, Of AStor Camp. that the common