Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16
HOSTILE TO UNIFORM
Enlisted Men Claim Feeling
Exists in Washington.
CONGRESS LIBRARY EPISODE
Report Of Joint Board Denies Expul-
sion of Marines
BECAUSE OF SOLDIER RIG
Waterman at Big Building Said to
Keep Uncle Sans Boys Under
Surveillance.

Secretary Metcalf has received the report
of the joint board. consisting of T. p. Ham
ma, solicitor of the Navy Department, and
G.. W. Scott, custodian of the law library
of Congress. appointed to Investigate the
alleged expulsion from the Library of Con-
gress of marines on account of their uni
form. After thorough investigation,
which included the examination of nearly
thirty witnesses. the board reached the con-
clusion that no marines are, or ever have
been, so far as the board can ascertain,
refused admission to or exclusion from the
library on account of their uniform. On the
contrary, marines in uniform almost daily
visit the library.
The report adds that the marines who
have made use of the reading rooms of the
library unite in testifying that they have
been shown unvarying courtesy by the
reading room management and attendants,
and they have no complaint whatever to
make with regard to their treatment in the
reading rooms.
Think They're Not Welcome.
There is, however, belief among the
marines that when in uniform they are not
entirely welcome in the halls and corridors
of the library. The board has diligently
endeavored to discover the grounds for this
belief. The men examined complain of their
treatment by the watch force, but give few
tangible particulars. They state that they
are under constant surveillance when in the
building that they are followed; that they
are occasionally spoken to unnecessarily or
with harshneSS. and that they generally
are made uncomfortable.
Some of the marines testify that they
themselves and others in the corps have
been made to feel 50 unwelcome by the
watch force that they have stopped going
TO the library in uniform.
Many of the marines complain that there
riE-fS- lr1ayE M Iirlof ton hoe
tile attitude toward the uniform, which
manfests itself on the streets. perhaps in
the theaters. but not in any of the public
buildings which they have visited other
than the Library of Congress
Mostly New Men.
with the exception of Corp. Frye none
of the marines who testified has baen
wearing the uniform longer than four
months. Some of them say that they had
supposed, when they entered the service.
that the uniform would be respected.
ION the evening of the 10Th of April, at
about $50, Corp. Richard r. Frye and
Private Robert R. Elliott. [. S NJ c.. were
asked by the watch force to leave the
library building. From about 6 to $50
that evening they had been in the reading
room. While there neither of the marines
had done anything sufficiently objection
able to warrant expulsion from the build
ing. They had smiled and attracted some
attention, but had not been reproved, and
had left the reading room voluntarily and
gone to the main entrance of the library,
when they were spoken to by the captain
and lieutenant of the watch.
The testimony concerning what was said
and done in the main entrance of the
library near the drinking fountain is very
contradictory. Both the captain and
lieutenant of the watch, testify that
they did not order the marines out of the
building. The marines testify, with equal
positiveness. that the captain and lieutel-
ant of the watch did order them out of the
building. Each charges the other with
anger and loud talking. The marines were
told that their conduct in the library
had been observed for some time, and
that the library was no lounging place. The
marines protested their Innocence, asked
what they had DONE but We're not informed
i'll detail. Finally, they were conducted
quietly to the door by Waterman Davis,
whom they accompanied without further
protest, except to state that they would
put the matter report