Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-12-30
POLITICAL ISSUE.

DOl1tlcal Issue Oi llIc uIoNIdi oS OA the battalion of negro soldiers who terrorized the town of Browns vile, Tex. Chief among these dis turbers of the national tranquility is Senator Jno. B. Foraker, whose oratorical pyrotechnic exhibitions gained for him the title of Fire Alarm Foraker." Senator FOraker is evidently alarmed at the growing popularity in all parts of the coun- try of President Roosevelt, who, emulating the patriotic example or the lamented Mckinley, has shown himself great enough to blot out the dark sectional lines and fulfill the purpose of his high office by being the president of all the people. Ohio, Illionois, Indiana and West Virginia have each large number of negro votes-sufficfently large to turn them from the Democratic to che Republican column. In the Re
  the delegates from the Southern States are selected by negro votes as the Republican party of the South is composed almost exclusive ly of negroes. Foraker's object Is to control this vote in the next Re- publican national convention, In 1908, and, if possible, secure the nomination of hh party for the presidency. But by the time tho convention meets, Foraller will be entirely eliminated as even a possi- biity, and Roosevelt will be nomi- mated by exclamation, as his op- ponents will see that opposition will be useless. As to the discharge of the negro troops, the president act ed strictly within the limits of the powers vested in him by the law, and his action is sustained by num-
 erous precedents. as he pointed out in his special message. In the first place, the discharge of the soldiers cannot be regarded as a punishment, because the mere discharge of the soldiers as a punishment for mur- der. would be conspicuously dispro- portionate and totally inadequate as a penalty for so heinOus a crime. The presidents critics hold that he should have ordered a court martial for the investigation of the charges against the riOtous soldiers. He sent three officers of intelligence and high character to investigate the matter Every member of the three offending companies was care fully questioned as to his knowledge of the offence and the identity of the guilty soldiers. Every man positively denied any knowledge whatever of the matter showing conclusively that there was a con-
 spiracy among them to protect the guilty parties by feigning ignorance, and lying out of it. It being, there fore, impossible to identify and punish the guilty soldiers, and all their comrades entering into a con
 spiracy to shield them from the just punishment for their crimes, those who were not active participants in the violation of the law became ac- cessories after the fact and particeps criminis. The president then knew that an investigation by military court martial would probably in volve indefinite delay and in the end amount to nothing. The pres ident thereupon exercised his au- thority as commander-in-chief of the army and discharged without
 honor the offending battalion, for l the good of the service. Should 1 these soldiers be held as not guilty because of the inability of the au- | thorities to prove their guilt and should be retained in the service ] and under the pay of the govern
 ment it would establish a precedent
 of which all the negroes in the ser
 vice would be prompt to take ad
 vantage; and the result would be
 that wherever negro soldiers should
 be cncamped the whites would inn
 mediately arm themselves for self
 protection Mir. Foraker's course will do him no good. and may result
 disas,rously to the peace and quiet
 of the country. The effect of that
 sort of agitation upon the negro race
 is always bad. Only yesterday a
 negro soldier of the same regiment.
 the 23th infantry. stationed at Fort
 Reno. Okla. 'viciously grabbed
 Mrs. T. & Clifford, wife of prom
 inenr physician and threw her into
 the street, telling her that the side | walk belonged to him. This negro
 has not. so far been identified or