The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-10
A pIsGRACEFUL OUTRAGE.


 from commenting on the disgraceful outrage perpetrated on Mrs. Morris at the White House in Washington by As- sistant Secretary Barnes and his ruff nanly attaches. We have waited, not because of any lack of disapprobatiop of the act, but in the hope that there might be some excuse for the deed, So far we have failed to find any defense for the conduct of Barnes and his sub- ordinates. His own statement is not only improbable on the face of 1t, but is flatly eontradicted by the testimony of eye-witnesses who were not only better situated to know the facts but have less cause to raisstate or misrepresent what actually occurred. The simple fact is that a woman was not only for eibiy and brutally elected from the building, but was bundled into patrol wagon and sent like a common criminal to the police station.
 It may be that Mrs. Morris did wrong in persisting in an attempt to see the President. but she was doing only what any respectable American citizen has right to do. Her husband had been dismissed, perhaps three or four years ago, from the Medical Department of the army, and that dismissal was done at the instance of Congressman Hull of Iowa, Chairman of the House Com mittee of Military Affairs. He is a brother of Mrs. Morris. and his con- nection with the affair is as discredit- able as anything else, The trouble grew out of Iulrs administration of the estate Of his and Mrs. Morris's fath- CT. --.~M
 These are the facts as given, and Mrs. Morris had made repeated efforts to see the President and plead with him tor her husbands restoration. The Secretary of War refused to see her and she believed that if she could have a talk with the President himself she might get justice from the man who has so much to say about a square deal. II may be admitted that when posi- lively informed that the President
 would not see her she should have desisted. That she was unduly impor- tunate may be admitted, but that does l not excuse the rufIianly violence used by the Presidents representative at the Executive Mansion. She is q re- spectable woman and the treatment she received was a cowardly and brutal ex-
 eerclse of violence which is a disgrace | to the administration.
 And Congressman Hull himself has shown himself up in very little better light than Barnes has. In the first
 place. he secured the dismissal of Dr. | Morris for personal reasons, and the ! War Department lowered itself by lend
 ing its authority to redress Hulls per
 sonal grievances. All that. however, is
 not as bad as Hulls action in this last | affair. Instead of resenting the treat ment his sister received he managed to | get himself interviewed in a way to se- riousIy reflect on her. thus showing
 himself a fit coadjutor of the rufianly | Barnes.
 | It is useless for any supporter of the | administration to try to defend 1t or it's subordinates in connection with this | episode. It was brutal, cowardly and disgraceful, and if the President wants | to carry into effect his oft-repeated talk about "a square deal for all' he will see that justice is done to Mrs. Morris and to those who mistreated and humiliated her. The Hartford Times, like all right thinking people, thinks "a way might have been found
 to satisfy her and to avoid the use of physical force."