The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-09
Defends Stand Taken BY
President In Dismiss
ing Negro Troops.
SAYS HE ACTED
WITHIN AUTHORITY
Asserts That a Soldier, No Mates
What the Color Of His Skin,
May Be, Must Have Dis
cipline- HAS an Abiding
Faith in the Angel
of Right.

WASHINGTON. D. c.. january So,
Aside fro,nja speech by Senator Daniel.
of virgipta,} In support Of the Presidents
action in the Brownsville affair, practi-
cally all OF to-day was given over by
Senate leaders of both parties to an
effort to. bring about harmony between
opposing views concerning the proposed
investigation OF the ARRAY. What
amounts to an agreement between Sena-
tors Foraker and Lodge has been att
tained by their friends. but nasmuch as
1t was decided not to present the COM
promize until all Of the Senators desir-
ing to do sos had made speeches on the
subject of the dismissal OF the negro
troops, it Is not absolutely certain that
the peace plans will not be upset.
The compromise Is not greatly different
from the resolution presented by Senator
Lodge and a similar one which Senator
Foraker had intended to offer as a sub
stitute for his original resolution. 1t pro-
vides for the Investigation by the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs OF the af-
fray at Brownsville, and to this is to be
added provisions that subcommittee he
sent to Brownsville. and that the ex-
penses OF the investigation be paid out OF
the contingent fund of the Senate Such a
resolution would ignore the constitutional
and legal questions that have been de-
bated for several days in the Senate.
The Situation now is said to be the
same as 1t was before the speech OF Sem
ator Lodge on yesterday Both sides were
then agreed to leave out the constitu-
tional questions, and they had been ig-
nored by the substitute offered by Sem
ator Lodge. It was the speeches on the
resolution. and the manner in which IL
was interpreted that caused Senator For-
aker to oppose 1t. Unless the speechea
yet to be made create resentment on one
side or the other, 1T Is believed the con,-
promise viii be elective,
Daniels Speech.
In consequence OF this prospect Senator
Foraker to-day postponed further pre-
sentation in the Senate of his views on
the subject.
Senator Daniel, of Virginia, thereupon
secured the floor. The speech was heard
by nearly all the Senators and crowded
galleries. Senator Daniel spoke for two
hours and fifteen minutes. and despite
the fact that the speech WIS in large
measure legal argument, In which there
were frequent citations of authorities and
quotations OF decisions. he held the close
attention Of his colleagues and spectatsrs
from start to conclusion.
Taken as n whole. 1t was perhaps the
ablest speech made on this subject since
Mr. Foraker introduced his resolution
providing for an investigation OF the
Brownsville outrage. The whole effort
of the Senator's debate was directed
against the proposed investigation. He
declares he courted that but he argued
against any attempt to impugn the au-
thority of the President and Commander
in-Chief to dismiss any organization in
the army II, in his Judgment. the good
OF the service and the country demanded
1t.
In passing, Senator Daniel protested,
against mob law and against the tendency.
towards centralization of power at Wasll-
ington
Senator Daniel said he thought tho,
President went too far in directing that
the discharged negroes should be forever
debarred from the civil service. but he,
did not think this the time to discuss
that feature OF the order. He was noti
a political partisan of the 3Presidentss -,
but he said he felt 1t his duty to So
fend his action In dlscharging a dangers
GUS military organization
Senator Daniel said he agreed wittii
Senator Foraker. that the fact that there
were things in our army regulations that i
were In the British articles OF war didi
not necessarily make them just and
wise. But we had a great many thingst
in our laws, civil and military. which
were derived from the mother country,
and had been demonstrated to bs..
founded in wisdom and Justice. Senator
Daniel then proceeded to take up thaf
articles OF war governing our army.
tracing their history and Development.
Our present articles of war, he said. ara
statutes and as binding as any other
enactment OF Congress. Senator DanieI,
,t,ox
yesterday that the articles OF war mada
1t incumbent upon the President to obs
serve most strictly the regulations govs
erning such discharges. This was true.a
but 1t should be remembered that articleA
Of war do not include army regulations.
The sanction of Congress given in col-
lateral ways and the power vested In
the President by the Constitution should
be considered In considering the action
Of the President. The senator declared
he was not the advocate nor the friend
OF autocratio power. but no nation had
ever made successful Offensive or de-
fensive war without an army headed by
commander welding vast power vested
In him by the articles OF war. Any
regulation made by the President must #
be within the purview of the Constttu-s
tion and laws,
The Contract.
The contract between the enlisted man
and the government said Senator Daniel,
had a. hard knot at ono end to bind
the soldier and bow-knot to bind the
government. which might be united by
department commander or heid officer
representing the government. Occasion
ally, 1t was united to the hurt OF the
soldier, moro often It was united nor tho
good OF soldier. 1t was united often
to allow married man to SO home 70 s
his wife and children, to allow MANI
OF deranged mind to return home, to
get rid OF man OF whose guilt OF
crime there was no reasonable Doubt. but
whose conviction could hardly ba, sa.
cured in q court.
Surely, 1t should be possible to dis.
charge an enlisted man who had lost
the confidence OF his commander.
Sanator Daniel discusSinG the Subdouk