The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-01-06
No Longer Deprived of Sery-
inc in the Philippines.
TAFT EXPLAINS THE ORDER
Good Conduct of Twenty fourth In-
fantFy shows That Black Troops
creased Pay Among Moros-The
Brownsville Riot Not the Cnuse.


Department which will send every negro
soldier in the Army Of the Philippines
before the end Of 1857. the impression was
created that the order was a consequence
of the agitation over President RO0se-
veit's action in discharging three com
panies Of the Tweuty-ffth Infantry, a
negro regiment, for misbehavior at
Brownsville. Tex
The War Department however. prompt
ly denied that there was any connec-
tions between the order and the Browns
vile affair. and official and unofficial ex-
plantations were offered 10 show that the
two things were not related in any way.
The TWenty-fOurth Infantry is now the
only negro organization of the regular
army serving in the Philippines. The
three other negro regiments-the Twenty
fifth Infantry and the Ninth and Tenth
Cavairy-are on duty in this country.
While every white infantry and cavalry
regiment with the exception OF the Third
Infantry. has served in the Philippines
since 1852. NO negro organization went %
the islands between that time and 1863.
when the Twenty-rourth Infantry was or
dered back to the islands
First Blacks Made Bad Showing.
According 90 what mas been openly said
by War Department officials and army
officers for several years. negroes were
not success as soldiers IA the far
Eastern possessions of the United States.
During the Insurrection and I'm the period
..F .. "a ~ "a
barracks for troops in the islands. and
they were quartered in churches and other
semi-public buildings. right IN the center
OF towns and villages. The necessary
close commingling of troops with natives
had "a hauufal effect upon discipline, par
ticuIarly OF the negro soldiers, 10 is
claimed ard in consequence it WAS de-
tcrgiued as policy a. keep the negro
regiments al home.
In 1898. however il was decided TO send
"a negro regiment 10 the Philippines as
an experiment Suitable barracks had
been built 20 nearly every important
place aLi. 80 they were comparatively
remote cm the towns, u was cunteuded
Is tbo=e ID favor - trying The expert
ment that The difficulties 81 maintain
ing discipline through tie CDmm.ugling
Of negro troops and natives would be
avoided. Accordingly on The recon-
incubation Of Lieut. Gen. Adua r. Chat
fee then Chief of S-an, the Twenty
fourth Infantry was sent % the Philip
pines Recently reports from the island
have indicated that the difficulties hereto
fore experienced with negro troops were
not renewed, and the success OF the eX-
pertinent is JHe only reason. according TO
War Department officials. for the order
al.
regiments that remain in this country
shall proceed 90 the Philippines by the
end Of the year
Negroes should Have n Chance.
The following Official statement. explain
atory ef the order. was issued BY Score
tary Taft.
There was "a time. between 1872 and
1879. when tbe colored regiments We're not
sent to the Philippines az all. Ia 1875
however, this policy wasf tentatively
changed. and the Twenty Infantry
coloraa regiment. was sent To the Phil
ipDints. and is now there. The service
OF the Twsuty-f0urth Infantry in the
Philippines has been entirely satisfactory
and II is thought taat the service OF the
other regiments viii be."
In reporting upon this subject Gen.
Wood states
J recently visited and made an in-
spectiou of the departments OF the Wis
ayas and Mind8Hao. and found the Tween
ty-fourth Infantry very well liked bv the
civil authorities in the Heighb0rhood Of
rs various stations. In fact. al TacIo-
ban. the governor expressed particular
appreciation Of the hne conduct Of this
regiment
..Esa-ar--4 .F tr.f. ...-.r.--. 90
the General staff recommended. and the
Department decided il 10 be wise. To re-
turn 80 the former policy of equal foreign
service Of all the regiments of the mobile
army
The present assignment Of the other
colored regiments 10 the Philippines is
merely Tor an equal distribution of for
elgn service. They have not been there
for four years II now becomes fair 10
them and 10 other regiments THAT they be
assigned 10 the Philippines in due order.
Foreign service. IL should be stated. in
creases the pay OF the men % per cent,
and counts double time for retirement
Il was pointed out AZ the department
therefore that the idea that these orders
were prejudiciai To the colored troops or
were made on account Of the Brownsville
affair, vas utterly absurd
How Exchange viii he Effected.
The Twenty-fifth Infantry will relieve
the Nineteenth Infantry from service in
the Philippines. The Ninth Cavalry viii
take The place of the Seventh. and the
Tenth Cavalry viii relieve the Eighth
Regiment ot that branch Of the service.
The Twenty-hfth Infantry will sail from
san Francisco for Manila on April 5. The
Nineteenth Infantry. which will be re-
heved by April =, sails from Manila for
home on May Is. The Tenth Cavalry.
with the exception OF two troops. will
sail on March :. The two remaining
troops viii go on June :. The headquar-
ters' band. and first squadron Of the Ninth
Cavalry, now at Fort Riley kans. three
troops of the regiment now at Fort I.eav-
enworth. and three troops now at Fort
viii depart on May > This
leaves one troop at LeavenwOrth and one
at Sheridan, both Of which will sail on
August .
There will be great many other trans
fers of troops to and from the PhiIip-
pines during the year The Sixth Cav
airy viii 60 over to relieve the Fourth
Cavalry Most Of the Sixth will sail
In September. although two troops will
probably not get away until January ).
iSos- WO troops OF the Fourth viii sail
for home from Manila on July Is. and
viii go to Fort Yellowstone for station.
The headquarters, band. and remaining
ten troops viii sail on October Is. Two
squadrons Will take station at Fort Meade
ana the TWO remaining troops at Fort
keogh, Mont. The Seventh Cavalry. to
be relieved by the Ninth. one of the col
oTed organizations, will sail from Manila
on June Is Its haadquar ters hand ard
one squadron viii go to Fort Riley. one
squadron to Fort Leavenworth. and one
Christian Xander's