Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-06
ticular ten or twenty who were guilty of
the first murder?
Not a Punishment.

Not a Punishment.
1T is a mistake to suppose that this or
der is in itself punishment either of the
innocent or of the guilty. The discharge
without honor is merely the ending of a
contract and separation from the service
under a right reserved in the statute for
the protection of the government, which
may work a hardship to the private dis
charged, but which, in the public interest,
must sometimes be arbitrarily exercised.
But it is said that the order forpids re-
entry by the discharged men into the army
or navy or civil service. and this Is pen
atty. When an employe is discharged for
the good of the service it naturally follows
that he cannot be taken back. and the Pres
ident in formally stating this result is not
imposing penalty in the proper sense OF
the term. He Is only laying down rule
of ineligibility for the service with respect
to which it is his executive duty to pre-
scribe the rules of admission. should mere.
after facts be disclosed, or new state OF
facts arise from which 1t can be inferred
that the public service will suffer no detri-
ment from re-entry of any one of these
men into the service his ineligibility can be
removed by a mere executive order.
Much sympathy has been evoked 1or
those who have been SO long in the public
service as some of the noncommissioned
officers and others of this battalion of the
18th Infantry. 1t is to be said with respect
to these noncommissoned officers. that
upon them especially falls the duty of
maintaining the discipline of the companies
and the battalion, and that by reason or
their long service and from their official
authority they have more influence over
the men and more opportunity to learn the
circumstances leading to a detection OF the
guilty in this case than any others connect
ed with the regiment. Indeed it was their
peculiar duty to find out and disclose the
facts, but they have failed to do so. 1t
may be that they were not derelict in this.
If not, then they have had the misfortune
to be associated with men whose conduct
and immunity from detection require the
government in the public service to exer-
else its reserved contract right of discharge
against the entire body of which they were
members.
The Color Line.
1.-THE suggestion made in some quarters
that this battalion has been treated in this
way simply because the men are colored
hardly merits notice. The fact of their
color and the racial feeling aroused be-
tween them and the citizens of Browns
vile may have been the cause and furnish
ed the motive but certainly not justifica-
ton, for the plot to murder men, women
and children: but to this extent only in
explanation of the circumstances is the fact
of their color at all relevant.
I'm a body of men sworn to uphold the
law, enlisted as the instruments of main
tanning the supremacy Of the law, no obli-
cation of comradeship, which would pre-
vent one from telling the truth and de-
failing the circumstances that would lead
to the conviction of his associates of muir
der can be recognized by those in author
ity and charged with the responsibility of
maintaining the discipline of the army.
1T is possible that evidence may be adj
duced in future which will tend to eXcul-
pate entirely some of the men now dis
charged, both from participation in the
crime and assistance in the conspiracy of
silence to prevent the detection Of the Of
tenders; and whenever such facts are
shown in respect to any one affected by the
order, they will be brought to your atten-
ton. and, I understand, will render such
persons eligible to re-enlistment.'