Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-08-07
From Washington.
Correspondence OF the Alexandria Gazette.
Washington, Aug. z.

Correspondence OF the Alexandrlh daLeIt6'l
Washington, Aug. z.
For the purpose of relieving former
Secretary of War Taft from criticisms
on account of the discharge of the col
ored battalion of the 25th Infantry,
following the Brownsville afirsy, Lieu
tenant General Henry @. Oorbin, re-
tired, today gave out hitherto unpub-
lished dispatch from President Rooss-
welt showing that the order directing
the discharge came direct from the
president and WAS peremptory. The
original order of discharge was pionul-
gated by Acting Secretary Of War
Oliver during secretary Tsf's absence
on tour of inspection out wet. On his
return, Taft suspended the order in order
that the prsident might reconsider the
matter, says General Corbin. The
president was at that time in Porto Rico.
10 response to a message from TAFT the
president cabled as follows, according to
General Corbin. "Osblegram received.
Discharge is not TO be suspended
unless there are new facts OF
such importance as 20 warrant your
cabling me. / care nothing what
ever for the yielding either OF the
politicians or the sentimentslists. The
ofiense was heinous and the punishment
inflicted imposed after due delibers-
tioD. All l shall pay hesd to is the pre-.
sentation of facts showing the official
report to be In whole or in part untrue,
exculpating some individual man. If
any such facts shall later appear, | can
set as may be deemed desirable, but
nothing has been brought before me to
warrant the suspension of the order. l
direct that 1t be executed.
"THEoDoRE ROOSEVELT"
Commenting on the case, General
Oorbin says: "With these facts known,
no man, black or white, In fairness can
place any responsibility in the promises
on Secretary TAFT. As loyal subordi-
nate of the president, be did his duty as
subordinate, regardless of any views
of his own. To have done less would
have been disloyal-to have done more,
would have been insuboriinate, of
neither of which is Judge Taft capable"
u. 8. Gibson of Los Angeles, Cali
fornis, has been appointed secretary Of
the United States Legation 10 Honduras
The question as TO what action the
United States should take in view of The
refusal of President Dsvill, of Hon.
duras, to rescind his cancellation OF the
exequsturs of the American consul
Drew Linsrj, and Vice Consul Rey-
nolds, at Ceibs, has been passed up to
Secretary of State Root. A complete
summary of the whole correspondence in
the case has been forwarded to him at
his summer home near Clinton, N. Y,
. I'd whatever the State Department may
do in the matter, will be dictated by
him. 1t is not believed that the United
Stats will, in retaliation, sever diplo-
matte relations with Honduras, for the
incident is not considered of sufficient
Importance. What Germany and Nor
way, whose coDsuls were also deprived OF
their exequaturs at the same time, will
do about 1t, the State Department is not
informed. The trouble arose over the
fact that, when the revolutionists we're
besieging the town of Oeiba, the consuls
forwarded to the commander OF the gov
ernment troops in the town a demand
from the revolutiOnisls for its surrender.
The government officers took this as a
demand formulated by the consuls them
selves, whereas the consuls declare that
they merely forwarded the document as
il came to them.