The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-12-24
THE DISMISSED BATTALION.

THE DISMISSED BATTALION.
missal of the Brownsville troops,
though it presents no additional evil
dence regarding the occurrences which
led to that action, is singularly eff
fective document 1t rings with moral
Indignation at the conduct of the
negro soldiers and at the spirit which
would sacrifice the discipline and in
tegrity of the army for partisan quib-
bling 1t is full OF the consciousness
of the absolute justice of the order.
There is nothing to take back, moth
ing to regret, nothing to compromise.
The president writes like soldier,
with a soldiers love of his craft and
pride in it's honorable name. He stands
for the nation and for the army, and
he is sure of his ground and confident
of the good sense of the people, for
he says: II challenge as right the
support of every citizen of this coun-
try, whatever his color, provided only
he has in him the spirit of genuine
and farsighted patriotism" No one
who reads the message and who has
a mind above bubbles, who is cap
able Of looking at justice in large
way and can see that the interests of
the army transcend those of any in
dividual soldiers in it, will easily
withhold the support which the presi-
dent confidently challenges as his
right.
1t is good thing to have the mat
ter presented from soldiers point
of view. Much honest confusion regard
ing the Brownsville incident has
arisen from judging military duty ac-
cording to civilian standards. "a
blacker [crime] never stained the an
nails Of our army" writes the presi-
dent of the original murder. But the
shielding of it was hardly less black.
Here many have been misled by civil
ian ideas. The man who refuses to
peach" often has public stntiment
with him in civil life. But these
soldiers were not school boys on a
frolic." They were in the service of
the United States and under the
strongest obligation to hunt down
criminality. "They perverted the
power put into their hands to sus-
tain the law" says the president, Gin
to a deadly violation of the law"
They had voluntarily made themselves
amenable to discipline. 1t was their
sworn duty to turn over Grim
inal companions to the law,
duty which college students on a lark,
or town ruffians have not assumed.
The president as head of the army
had certain military obligations which
this message shows he felt keenly,
as soldier should. The discipline
of the army is the first concern of its
chief; indeed, it may be said that with
out discipline these is no army. I'm
less it is so trained that it is a pro-
lection, not menace, to the public,
"the army becomes a mere dangerous
mob, and if conduct such as that of
the murderers in question is not,
where possible, punished, and, where
this is not possible, unless the chance
of its repetition is guarded against in
the most thoroughgoing fashion, it
would be better that the entire army
should be disbanded." Under no cir
cumstances," declares the president,
will consent to keep in the service
bodies of men who the circumstances
show to be menace to the country"
There are the motive and the justifica-
ton of the dismissal of the Browns
vile troops. The principle 80 set
forth needs no argument for its sup
port. To attempt to controvert it will
be an invidious undertaking.