The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-20
SEVERE CRITICISM
Of NEGRO TROOPS
President in Message to Senate
Says Dismissal Without Hon.
OF Was Light Penalty.
DECLARES RACE QUESTION
WAS NO WISE INVOLVED
Senator FOraker's Resolution
for Further Investigation
Gees Over for Day.

WASHINGTON, Dee. 19.-Presiden;
Roosevelt today complied with the re-
quest of the Senate IN transmitting to
that body a transcript of testimony
and documents connected with the dis
charge of battalion of negro troops
OF the Twenty fifth infantry. The
! message was decidedly severe in its
| criticism of the soldiers alleged TO be
concerned in Shooting up the town
Of Brownsville, Tex It's reading was
listened 10 intently
The question whether the Senate
should make an independent investiga-
ton OF the Brownsville raid was raised
in Che Senate by Senator Foraker to-
day, Immediately after the reading of
the President s message. He offered
resolution giving the Committee on Mil
itary Affairs authority to make such an
investigation il deemed necessary after
consideration OF the testimony trans
mltted by the President.
Take Further Testimony.
Mr. Foraker s motion was interpret
ed by Senator Lodge as a perelnptory
direction To the Committee on Military
Affairs TO proceed immediately With an
investigation To this the Massachu
setts Senator made objection, but dis
claiming such purpose. Mr.. Foraker
reduced the proposition to writing as
follows.
"a Resolved, That if the Committee on
Military Affairs deems il necessary in
connection with the consideration with
the message of the President in regard
to resolutions numbers $50 and Isl, to
take further testimony to establish all
the facilities connected with the dis
| charge OF members OF the companies b,
G. and D, Twenty United States
infantry, that IL ne and hereby is au-
thorized to send for persons and pa
pers, to administer oaths and report
thereon by bill Or otherwise
"To that resolution have no oblec-
tion at ALL remarked Senator Lodge.
Referring to the document submitted
by the President, Mr. Foraker said:
"There are statements here under
oath, many of them not under oath, all
referred tc as testimony In the
proper sense Of tie word there is no
testimony at all.
Upon objection of Mr. Clay. the res
olution went over until tomorrow.
Text of the Message.
In message 10 the Senate today.
transmitting reports regarding the dis
charge of the colorcd soldiers of the
ywentv-6fth Infantry, President Roose-
welt says;
To the Senate;-1n response TO Sen.
ate resolution of December q addressed
TO me. and TO the two Senate resolu
tions addressed TO him, the Secretary
of War has, by my direction. submitted
10 me a report which | herewith send TO
the Senate, together with several docu-
ments, including 4 letter of Gen. Net
tleton and memoranda as to preeedents
for the summary discharge or muster
ing out of regiments or companies. some
or all of the members of which had
| been guilty of misconduct.
| ordered the discharge Of nearly aM
the members of companies b, G. and D
Of the Twcnty-tifth infantry by name.
in the exercise of my constitutional
power and in pursuance of what, after
full 'consid Grafton, | found TO be my
constitutional duty as Commander-in-
Chief of the United States army, [
am glad to avail myself of the opportu-
nifty afforded By these resolutions TO lay
before the Congress the following facts
rs TO the murderous conduct OF certain
| members of the companies in question
and as to the conspiracy by which
many of the other members of these
companies saved the criminals from Jus,
tice. TO the disgrace of the United
State uniform,
Only One Standard.
I call your attention to the accom-
pauying reports of Maj. Augustus ?.
Blocksom OF Lieut-Col. Leonard a.
Lowering. and Of Brig. Gen. Ernest a.
! Darlington, the Inspector General Of
the United States army. Of their inves
I tigatiou into the conduct of the troops
in question. An effort has been made to
discredit the fairness of the iuvesJiga-
| tion into the conduct Of these colored
! troops by pointing out that Cen, Gar
! ington is a Southcrner. Precisely the
same action would have been taken
| had the troops been whita-indeed, the
discharge would probably have been
made in more summary fashion Gen.
| Darlington is a native of South Caro-
| lima; Lieut.. Col Lowering is a native
of New HAMPSHIRE; Maj, Blocksom is a
native of Ohio. AS il happens, the dis
| closure of the guilt of the troops was
made in the report of the officer who
comes from Ohio. and the efforts of the
| officer who comes from South Carolina
| were confined 10 the endeavor to shield
| the innocent men of the companies in
| question, If any such there were, by
securing information which would en-
able us adequately TO punish the guilty.
But | wish 1t distinctly understood
that the fact of the birthplace of either
officer is one which ] absolutely refuse
to consider. The standard of profess
sionnl honor and of loyalty to the dag
and the service Is the same for all of6-
GERS and all enlisted men of the United
States army, and | resent with the
kcenesl indignation any eHorI 70 uIaW
my line among them based upon
birthplace. creed or any other consid-
Grafton of the kind. [ should put the
same entire faith IN these reports if it
had happened that they were all made
b. men coming from some one State.
whether in the South or the North, the
East or the West as I now do, when,
as il happens. they were made by off,
GERS born in different States,
What Eye-Witnesses Say.
Mai Blocksom S report is most care
ful, is based upon the testimony of