The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1906-12-21
MESSAGE ON NEGRO ED|CT.
PRESIDENT ANSWERS sENATE'S
RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY.
WOULD DO SAME THING AGAIN
Calls It Blacklist Crime In Annals Of
the Army and Is sorry Guilty Could
Not BE Detected and Punished With
Death.


Not Be Detected and Punished With
Death.
Wash nEton, Dec. 20.--presidCnt
Roosovelts message dealing with his
action In Diminishing from the army
the negro troops of the three compa.
niles OF the Twonty.ifth infantry fur.
nished the one topic of interest In the
senate's session. A lively debate FOL
lowed the reading of the message as
to what would be done with 1t. For.
aker wanted 1t sent to the military
committee with instructions to make
further investigation should the com.
mttee deem 1t necessary. He said
that in reality much that appeared to
be testimony was really not tosti.
mony as much Of IT was not under
oath. On objection from Senator Clay.
the senate postponed action.
The president, after describing at
length the shooting up" OF the town
of Brownsville, said in part:
"a blacker crime never stained the
annals OF our army. 1t has been sup
plemented by another, only less black,
acy OF silence for the purpose OF
shielding those who took part In the
original conspiracy Of murder. Some
of the non.commissioned officers and
many % the men of the three com
panies in question have banded to-
L., To n
assassins and would.be assassins who
have disgraced their uniform by the
conduct above related. Many of these
non commissioned officers and men
must have known, and all of them
may have known, circumstances
tion of those engaged in the murder
Gus assault. They have stolidly and
as one man broken their oaths of en-.
listment and refused to help discover
the criminals.
Not as a Punishment.
"People have spoken as II this dis.
charge from the service was punish.
ment | deny emphatically that such
is the case, because as punishment II
Is utterly inadequate. The punish.
ment meet for mutineers and muir.
derers such as those guilty of the
Brownsville assault is death, and Il
punishment only less severe ought to
be melted out to those who have aided
and abetted mutiny and murder and
treason by refusing to help in their
detection. | would that 1t were posi-
BILE for me TO have punished the guilty
men. regret most keenly that | have
not been able to do so.
BE it remembered always that
these men were in the service of the
United States, under contracts or en-
listment, which by their terms and by
statute were terminable by my direc'
ton as commander-in-chief OF the
army It was my clear duty to ger
inmate those contracts when the pub.
lie interest demanded 1t, and 1t would
have been a betrayal of the public in
terest on my part not to terminate the
contracts which were keeping in the
service of the United States body Of
muitneers and murderers.
"Any assertion that these men were
dealt with harshly because they were
colored men is utterly without founda'
ton. Officers or enlisted men, white
men or colored men, who were guilty
of such conduct, would have been
treated in precisely the same way;
for there can be nothing more import
ant than for the United States army.
In all its membership, to understand
that it's arms cannot be turned with
impunity against the peace and order
of the civil community.
His Efforts for the Negro.
80 far as was in my power, | have
sought to secure for the colored people
all their rights under the law. | have
done all | could to secure them equal
school training when young, equal OPP
portunity to earn their livelihood, and
achieve their happiness when old. ]
have striven to break up peonage, be-
cause | would hold myself unfit to be
president if | did not feel the same
revolt at wrong done colored man as
| feel at wrong done a white man. I
have condemned in unstinted terms
the crime OF lynching perpetrated by
white men, and | should take instant
advantage of any opportunity whereby
I could bring to justice a mob OF
lynchers. In precisely the same spirit
have now acted with reference to
these colored men who have been
guilty of black and dastardly crime.
In one policy, as in the other, do not
claim as favor, but | challenge as a
right. the support OF every citizen OF
this country, whatever his color, pro
vided only he has in him the spirit
Of genuine and far-sighted patriotism. "
Dalrymen Confer With Wilson.
Washington, Dec. 20.-A delegation
OF dairymen, headed by George l.. Nc
Kay, professor of dairying at the Iowa
state college at Ames, and F.. A
Leighton of Des Moines, had brief
npnfpranra with GarratarV Ui1sOu