The Washington herald., 1906-12-04

VICE PRESIDENT CHARL
executive order dismissing men entirely
innocent will stand in face of this con
stitutional safeguard
Not Raising Race Question.
Il have no purpose" continued the
Ohio Senator, 'of raising the race ques-
ton The question involved is broader
It would be unfortunate TO have it mar
rowed down by drawing the color line
It concerns white as well as colored sol
diers. It's a question of constitutional
power on the one hand. and constitutional
and statutory rights on the other.
Until we have a complete record.
90 not know just what questions viii
arise; bat we may have to consider
whether man can be convicted Of EEL
ony by order, and whether following such
q conviction, sentence may be imposed
and punishment inflicted by order. Dis
charges without honor may be granted
where they are not based on an offeuse
against the law of the land, the commits
sion of which is denied, and where no
punishment follows But where there is
conviction. sentence, punishment, I have
always supposed that there would have
10 be also trial either in a civil court or
IL a court-martial o. before some other
tribunal theTeUntO duly appointed by law.
But it is idle to disc,:ss any Of these
questions until we know whether they
are raised by the record. II these mea
have committed an offense deserving Of
discharge without honor, it is likely that
e1.a ,szF,
Trial. either civil or military, with all
due safeguards. wo Ild determine this
Senator Penrose vas at first supposed
TO be taking f.ng at the President He
disclaimed this. The impression that the
Pennsylvania Senator cherished a feeling
Of resentment again0t the President for
an unfriendly attitude toward the Re
publican machine ia Pennsylvania was
promptly thrown down by Senator Pen
rose. He said his resolution was friend
~ 10 the President. The fact that in the
Seventh and Eighth wards of Philadel-
phia, his home city, he had 10000 negro
constituents was in itself reason enough
why he should have taken an interest in
the question whether the case Of the men
of the Twenty-ffth should be inquired
into
PenrOse Only Wants Justice.
THE introduction of my resolution"
said Senator Penrose last night. was de-
cided upon after consultation and at the
request of a number Of prominent colored
people Of Pennsylvania and the Southern
States.
There is an impression in many quar-
tiers that the colored troops were a very
gallant body Of men, and were unjustly
treated, and this resolution calls for full
information upon the subject. so as TO as
certain whether the investigation into
their conduct was based on fact or not.
There is no conflict between the resO-
luton introduced by me and the one Of
fered by Senator Foraker. The essence
Of the two propositions is the same. One
calls for information from the President
and the other from the Secretary Of War
Ny resolution is certainly not meant as
an unfriendly one; but it simply had for
its object the asceTtainment Of the facts
in the case.
Il am as much interested in seeing that
the negro troops get justice as the Sen
ator from Ohio, and if any injustice has
been perpetrated, It shall be righted.
The amusing feature OF the affair was
the discontinue of several Senators who
had similar resolutions to offer. Even
Senator Forakers resolution, which came
out into the open in the form OF a sub
stitute as soon as PenTose submitted his,
was designed to make its Senatorial debut
later on in the form Of an Initiative reso-
luton, rather than a trailer" Senator
Tillman had in mind a resolution Of in
qury
Things of this sort are Mr.. Tillmsn's
specially, and the opportunity afforded
by the negro troops incident was not 10
have been ignored by the South Carolina
Senator.
But Mr.. Tillman has grown seasoned
and conservative from his years of serv-
Ice in the Senate, and he was waiting
upon the deliberate legislative processes
eTn confreres, Mr.. Tillman does not ap-
prove the Presidents action directing the
discharge Of the colored troops.
As the champion Of the negro, he essays
a new role. Senator CulbersOn, Of Texas
in fact, a majority Of the Southern Dem
ocratic Senators, heartily agree with the
Presidents action. and are disinclined to
vote for any interference or inquiry by
the Senate. So many Republican Sena-
tors, including Lodge, Warren, Carter,
Cullom, and Hale, are so much opposed to
stirring up the matter that there is some
doubt whether either resolution can be
passed. and It was freely predicted yes
teTday around the Senate that they would
be smothered in the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs.