The San Francisco call., 1906-12-20
pREcEDENrs INTRODUCED

I call your particular attention to the special
field order of Brigadier General U. s. Grant
issued from the headquarters of the Thirteenth
Army Corps on November 16, 1862. in reference
TO the Twentieth Illinois. Members OF this
regiment had broken into store and taken goods
TO the value Of some Sl240. and the rest of the
regiment including especially two officers.
failed. in the words of General Grant. TO sexer-
cise their authority TO ferret out the men guilty
of the ofense.-
service of the United States the two officers in
question and assessed the sum Of S1240 against
the said regiment whole officers and men
TO be assessed pro rata on their pay. In its
essence this action is precisely similar to that
trivial compared to the offense with which I
had TO deal.
The President cites an incident in
which General Lee, when in command
of the army of Northern Virginia, 1864
disbanded a certain battalion for cow
ardly conduct. stating at the same time
his regret that there were some officers
and men in the battalion who. although
not serving in it, were obliged to share
in the common disgrace because the
good of the service demanded it. The
President concludes his message as
follows:
So much for the military side OF the case.
the standpoint Of the race question. In my
message at the opening of Congress l discuss
the matter Of lynching: In i gave utterance
should feel for the deeds Of the men lin almost
all cases white mem who take part in lynch
ings and at the same time l condemned. as all
decent of any color should condemn. the
action of those colored men who actively or
passively shield the colored criminal from the
law. In the case of these companies we had
20 deal with men who in the first place were
guilty Of what practically the worst possi-
bic form of lynching-for q lynehing is in its
essence lawless and murderous vengeance taken
by armed mob for real fancied wrongs
and who in the second place covered MP the
crime of lyncbing by standing with a vicious
solidarity 10 protect the criminals
JUDGED BY CONDUCT. NOT COLOR
1t is Of the utmost Importance to all our peo-
pie that we shall deal with each his
merits as man. and not deal with him merely
judge each man by his conduct and not his
color. This is important for the white man,
and it is far more important for the colored
man More evil and sinister counsel never was
given 10 any people than that given TO colored
men by those advisers whether black or white.
conduct such that of the three companies In
question II the colored men elect to stand bv
criminals of their own because they OF
their own race, they assuredly lay up for them
Every far-sighfed friend Of the colored race in
fits efforts to strive onward and upward should
teach. first. as the most important lesson alike
TO the white man and the black the duty of
worth be shows 1t Any conduct by colored
people which tends to substitute for this rule
the rule Of standing by and shielding an evil
doer because he is A member of their race means
the inevitable degradation Of the colored race
II may and probably does mean damage to the
white race. but 1t means ruin to the black race
TRIES TO BE FAIR
Throughout my term of service In the Presi-
deney l have acted on the principle thus sd