The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-24
Mutny Of Negro Troops AnO hlf
Form Of Race Aversion
ALL MAY Be OISBANDED
Logical Result Employing Negro
Soldiers to Fight White Men in Bat
tles-ln Further Debate Sena-
tor viii Take Leading Part.

Washington, December 2S.-(Special)-
Senator John I. Morgan of Alabama,
strongly endorses the course of the
President in dismissing from the army
the negro troops. and in case the mat
ter becomes a subject for further de-
bate in the Senate, he will probably
take a leading part in the President S
action. Should the Presidents order OF
dismissal not be sustained, the Alabama
senator believes it will require the dis
banding of all the negro regiments
The senator says the mutinous DISPOSE
tion of the negro troops is but another
form of race aversion, and is the logical
anu natural result of employing negro
soldiers to fight white men.
President is Right.
sThe position of the President in the
dismissal of the negro soldiers engaged
in the mutiny at Brownsville is right J"
said General Morgan tonight. Soldiers
of the regular army. in time of peace,
are kept under arms and strict military
discipline not merely for training, but
to answer any demands of the states, or
rection or other violence that cannot be
otherwise suppressed he continued.
No other body of men is so practically
and directly held to the duty of en-
forcing law and order at the command
of the civil authority, when the preserva-
tion of the peace demands the sacrifice
of life by military order.
s.It is mutiny to engage, by concerted
action, in the violation of that duty by
soldiers bearing the arms of the GOV
ernment and in violent and hostile DEM
onstrations toward the people, they are
REQUIRED to protect. In the Brownsville
affair, the mutinous violence resulted in
murder.
.The concerted action was mutiny, be-
cause its purpose was to do violence
to the people who were entitled to their
protection, and no resentme toward the
community or any of the people of
Brownsville for wrongs done or affronts
offered toward the negro soldiers, If such
provocation existed, could possibly Justify
such mutiny. That offense was against
the military laws of the government and
the commander in chief of the army
was bound to adopt any measure that
would preserve the discipline of the
army.
Proper Discipline.
.fWhat measures were necessary to pre-
vent a repetition of the mutiny, must
depend on the cause of the outbreak
and the motive that melted the crime,
and the act of the commander in chief,
in dismissing from the service, in dis
honor. the soldiers engaged in the
,1@ al,
sary to preserve the integrity of the
army, as we'll as the proper military dis
cpline.
'.The motive OF the mutinous outbreak
of the negro soldiers at Brownsville was
unquestionably race aversion The i'm
mediate cause of the dastardly violence
may have been some offense, real or
fancied, given by white people in Browns
Vile to negro soldiers. have seen no
authentic statement that such offenses
had been given to those negro soldiers,
an do not believe that they had, in fact.
occurred, but, whether or not such Of
fenses or insults were given, they would
not have been resented by mutinous con-
cert and violence, if the town of Browns
Vile had been inhabited by negroes en-
tirely or in great numbers. The real
cause and motive of mutiny was race
aversion and the real necessity for sum
mary and effective action by the Presi-
dent was to suppress this dangerous con-
diton in our army He may not have
thought it necessary to defend his action
on this ground but no one can fail to
see that it is his conclusive justification.
If race aversion leads to such desper.
ate crimes in the conduct of any part
of the army toward the people, the same
cause will lead to the destruction of the
discipline of the army. if not to contin-
ued acts of mutiny. | do not believe that
even the powerful blow dealt by the
President in his dismissal of the mutinous
negroes from the service will even modify
the evil of race aversion in the army,
where 1t asserts itself in the uniform and
with arms of the United States to the
extent OF riot and murder.
Stirred Negro Race.
His lawful and just order at once
stirred the negro race, almost enmasse,
into violent defamatory and threatening
denunciation; and the white politicians
took up the hue and cry and assail-
ing the President with bitter reproaches
Under such conditions it will require the
disbandng of all the negro regiments if
the action of the President is not sus-
tained.
II have no hope that this mutinous dis
position, which is but another form Of
expressing race aversion, can be elimin-
ated from the negro soldiers in the army.
1t is the logical and natural result of en-
ploying negro soldiers to fight white men
mo European power permits the use of
negro soldiers, or soldiers of any inferior
race, in conducting war with any Chris
tian people. Why should we do this? If
our republic is worthy of the men who
founded it, its soldiery should hold rank
with the greatest that have existed.
"They have that sacred and valuable
thing committed to their protection that
any other army the world has ever mus
tered Why should the white American
soldier be classed as the comrade of the
black soldier of African asked the sena-
tor in conclusion.
mo army of white men can endure this
sort of degradation of it's volunteer SOL
diery by the enforced, personal and lit
erary equality of an inferior race, with
the splendid men who comprise the right
arm of the republic. If they are put into
separate regiments or companies, it only
establishes the fact that the white sol
diers can't be made to submit to personal
contact and equality of association with
negro soldiers, even while fighting under
the same flag. There is no comradeship
among them and never can be, because
nj their racial aversion"