The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-20

DER. uCSc bOloiCiS WcIo nOt oShOOA
boys on a frolic. They were full
grown men, in the uniform of the
United States army, armed with dead
~ weapons, sworn to uphold the laws
of the United States, and under every
obligation of oath and honor not mere
ly to refrain from criminality, but
with the sturdiest rigor to hunt down
crfmfnaIity; and the crime they COM
mitted or connived at was murder
They perverted the power put into
their hands to sustain the law into the
most deadly violation of the law. The
nsncommissioned officers are primar-
NY responsible for the discipline and
rood conduct of the men; they are
appointed to their positions for the
very purpose of preserving this dis
oiplsne and good conduct, and of de-
Eecting and securing the punishment
Of every enlisted man who does what
IN wrong. Under any ordinary cir
cumstances tho first duty of the nom
commissioned officers, as of the COM
nnissioned officers, is to train the pri-
rate In the ranks SO that he may bs
m enicient lighting man against for
efgn foe. But there Is an even higher
duty, 50 obvious that 1t Is not under
ordinary circumstances necessary so
much as to allude to it-the duty OF
training the soldier SO that he shall
be q protection and not a menace to
his peaceful fellow-citizens, and above
all to the women and children of the
nation. Unless this duty is well per-
formed. 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 en-
tire army should be disbanded. 1t Is
vital for the army to be imbued with
the spirit which will make every man
in it, and above all, the officers and
matter OF highest obligation to dis
cover and punish, and not to shield,
the criminal in uniform. Yet some of
tho noncommissioned officers and
many of the men of the three COM
panies in question have banded to-
gether in a conspiracy to protect the
assassins and would-be assassins who
have disregarded their uniform by the
conduct above related. Many of these
noneommissioned officers and men
must have known, and all of them
may have known, circumstances
which would have led to the convic'
ton of those engaged in the murder
Gus assault. They have stolidly and
as one man broken their oaths of en-
lfstment and refused to help discover
the criminals. BY my direction every
effort was made to persuade those In
nocent of murder among them to sepa-
rate themselves from the guilty by
helping bring the criminals to justice.
They were warned that IL they did not
take advantage Of the offer they would
al be discharged from the service and
forbidden again to enter the employ
of the government. They refused to
profit by the warning. l accordingly
had them discharged. If any organiza-
ton of troops In the service. white or
black. is guilty of similar conduct in
the future / shall follow precisely the
same course. I may add that the SOL
diers Of longest service and highest
position who suffered because of the
order, SO far from being those who
deserve most sympathy, deserve least,
for they a-e the very men upon whom
we should be able especially to rely
to prevent mutiny and murder. Peo-
pie have spoken as IL this discharge
from the service was a punishment.
deny emphatically that such is the
case, because as punishment it is ut
terly inadequate. The punishment
meet for mutineers and murderers
such az those guilty of the Browns
Vile assault Is death; and punish
ment only less severe ought to be
neted out to those who have aided
and abetted mutiny and murder and
treason by refusing to help IN their
detection. 1 would that it were pos
sible for me to have punished the gull
ty men. / regret most keenly that
have not been able to do SO. Be it re-
membered always that these men
were all in the service Of the United
States under contracts OF enlistment,
which by their terms and by statute
were terminable by my direction ~
oommander-in-chief Of the army. II
was my clear duty to terminate those
contracts when the public interest de-
manded 1t; and 1t would have been .
betrayal of the public interest on my
part not to terminate the contracts
which were keeping in the service of
the United States body of mutineers
and murderers. Any assertion that
these men were dealt with harshly be-
cause they were colored men IL utterly
without foundation. Of1cers or enlist
ed men. white men or colore6 men.
who were guilty of such conduct.
would have been treated In precisely
the same way, for there can BE- moth
ing more important than for the Unit
ed States army. in AL its nom ershin{]
to understand that IT. arms can not
be turned with impun:ty against ps(6s
and order Of the civil communit
Not Racial Question.
The president cites. NUMBER OF
presidents for discharging theytroops.
In conclusion he cited utter1 hoes on
TRADE NEVER BETTER.