The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-19
REPLY TO SENATE.
President Roosevelt Answers
Foraker and Penrose.
He Handles the Brownsville
Affair without Gloves.
DESERVING OF DEATH.
Sorry That lie Had No Power to
Punish Adequately.
Color of Men Had Nothing to DO
With Case.
HE ASKS NO FAVORS.
But Challenges as a Right the
C0uufrvsS &unnnv.<
HE ASKS NO FAVORS.
But Challenges as a Right the
COuntry's Support.

Washington, Dec. 19.-President
Roosevelt has transmitted to the senate
his reply to the resolutions of inquiry
regarding the discharge of colored
soldiers for participation in the
Brownsville raid. The document fol-
lows:
To the Senate:
In response to senate resolution of
December 6 addressed to me, and to
the two senate resolutions addressed
to him, the secretary of war has. by my
direction. submitted to me report
which I herewith send to the senate,
together with several documents, in
Guiding a letter of General Nettleton
and memoranda as to precedents for
the summary discharge or mastering
out OF regiments or companies, some
or all of the members of which had
been guilty of misconduct
ordered the discharge of nearly all
the members of Companies B, c and
D of the Twenty-fifth infantry by
name, in the exercise of my constitu-
tional power and in pursuance of what
after full consideration, I found to be
my constitutional duty as commander
in chief of the United States army. I
am glad to avail myself of the oppor-
tunity afforded by these resolutions to
lay before the congress the following
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 mem bers of
these companies saved the criminals
from justice, to the disgrace of the
United States uniform.
I call your attention to the accom-
panying reports of Major Augustus P.
Blocksom, of Lieutenant Colonel Leon
ard A. Lowering and Of Brigadier Gen
eraI Ernest A. Darlington, the inspec-
tor general of the United States army.
of their Investigation into the conduct
= l. Ar. 0HFr
has been made to discredit the fairness
of the investigation into the conduct of
these colored troops by pointing out
that General Darlington is a southern
er. Precisely the same action would
have been taken had the troops been
white=indeed, the discharge would
probably have been made in more
summary fashion. General Darlington
is a native of South Carolina; Lieuten-
ant Colonel Lowering is a native of New
Hampshire; Major Blocksom is a ma
tive of Ohio. As it happens, the dis
closure of the guilt of the troops was
made in the report of the officer who
comes from Ohio, and the efforts of
I the officer who comes from South
Carolina were confined to the endeavor
to shield the innocent men of the COM
panies in question, if any such there
were, by securing information which
would enable US adequately to punish
the guilty. But I wish it distinctly un-
derstood that the fact of the BIRTH
place of either officer is one which /
absolutely refuse to consider. The
standard of professional honor and or
LOYALTY to the flag and the service is
the same for all officers and all enlist
ed men of the United States army, and
T resent with the keeneSt indignation
any effort to draw any line among
them based upon birth place, creed, or
any other consideration of the kind
should put the same entire faith IN
these reports if it had happened that
they were all made by men coming
from some one state. whether in the
south or the north, the east or the
west. as I now do, when, as it happens,
they were made by officers born in
different states
Major BIocksom's report is most care
full is based upon the testimony OF
scores of witnesses-test1mony Wnlcn
conficted only in nonessentlats anG
which established the essential facts
beyond chance of successful contradic-
ton. Not only has no successful eftort
been made to traverse his findings IN
any essential particular. but, as a mat
fer of fact every trustworthy report
frcin outsiders amplsv corroporates III -T1
by far the best of these outside reports
being that Of Gen. A. B. Nettleton,
made in q letter to the secretary of war,
which 1 herewith append; General Net
Teton being an ex-Unlon soldier, a
consistent friend of the colored man
iican. q citizen of Illinois, and assistant
secretary of the treasury under Presi-
dent Harrison.
It appears that in Brownsville, the
oitv Immediately beside which Fort
Brown is situated, there had been corr
siderable feeling between the citizens
and the colored troops of the garrison
companies Difficulties had occurre1,
there being a conflict of evidence as
to whether the citizens or the colored
troops were to blame. My impress ion
is that as a matter of fact, in these
difficulties there was blame attached to
hi 3S f1CI 1JT7iaV
Dortant matter for our present purpose
as nothing that occurred offered in any
shape or way an excuse or justiflca ZION
for the atrocious conduct of the troops
when in lawless and murderous spirit
and under cover of the night, they
made their attack upon the citizens.
The attack was made near midnight
on August Is. The following facts as
to this attack are made clear by NJ 4jOr
BIocksom's investigation and have not
been. and, in my judgment, can not he.
successfully controyerted. From to
* or 20 of the colored soldiers took part
from the barracks and hurried through
fhe town. They shot at whonever they
saw moving, and they shot into houses
where they saw lights. In some of these
houses there were women and children
as the would-be murderers must have
krown In one house in which there
we're two women and five children some
ten shots went through at height IF
about Az feet above the floor, one put
ting out the lamp upon the table. The
lieutenant of police of the town he .rd
the firing and rode toward it. He net
the raiders. who. as ne stated. were