Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-12-20
ANOTHER SPECIAL MESSAGE.
President Tells Why he Discharged
The ColOred Troops.
A GIST OF HIS MESSAGE SENT TO CON.
GRESS YESTERDAY.
SAYS II Is Important That We Should
Deal With Man On His Merits.
Not As a Member of
a Given Race.

The President transmitted yesterday
TO the Senate a special message ON
his dismissal of the nergo companies
participating in'the trouble at Brown
vile. Texas. together with volumi-
nous reports bearing ON it. The gist
of his message is:
ordered the discharge in the
| exercise of my Constitutional power
| and in pursuance of what, after full
consideration, l found TO be my Con-
stitutional duty as Commander in Chief
of the United States Army.
am glad TO avail myself Of the op-
portunity r.. to lay before the Con-
gress the facts as 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 Justice, to
the disgrace of the United States uni
form.
An effort has been made to discredit
the fairness of the investigation into
the conduct of these colored troops
by pointing out that General CARING
ton is "A Southerner. Precisely the
same action would have been taken
the discharge would probably have
been made in more summary fashion.
The evidence proves conclusively
that number of the soldiers engaged
in deliberate and concerted attack,
as cold-blooded as it was cowardly !;
the purpose being to terrorize the COM
munity, and to kill or injure men,
women and children in their homes
arI ho1c rr -, tho cfraatc
A blacxer crime never stained the
annals of our army. 1t has been sup
plemented by another, only less
black, in the shape of successful
conspiracy of silence for the purpose
of shielding those who took part in
the original conspiracy of murder.
If any organization of troops in the
service, white or black, is guilty of
similar conduct in the future, | shall
follow precisely the same course.
Under no circumstances will / con-
sent to keep in the service bodies of
men whom the circumstances show
to be menace to the country.
Incidentally, / may add that the
soldiers of longest service and highest
position who suffered because of the
order, SO far from being those who de-
serve most sympathy, deserve least,
for they are the very men upon whom
we should be able especially TO rely
to prevent mutiny and murder.
People have spoken as il this dis
charge from the service was a punish
ment. ! deny emphatically that such
is the case, because as punishment it
is utterly inadequate. The punish
ment meet for mutineers and murder
ers such as those guilty of the Brown
Vile assault is death; and a punish
ment only less severe ought to be
meted out to those who have added and
abetted mutiny and murder and trea-
son by refusing To help in their direc-
ton. | would that it were possible
for me to have punished the guilty
men. regret most keenly that 1
have not been able to do so.
During the Civil War numerous pre-
cedents for the action taken by me
occurred in the shape of the summary
discharge of regiments or companies
because of misconduct on the part of
some or all of their members.
1t is of the utmost importance to all
our people that we shall deal with
each man on his merits as a man, and
not deal with him merely as me M
Der of given race; that we shall
Judge each man by his conduct and
not his color. 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 right, the support of every citi-
zen Of this country, whatever his
color, provided only he has in him
the spirit of genuine and far-sighted
patriotism.