Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-08-15

public a copy of a cable message sent
| by President Roosevelt to Secretary
of War Taft from Ponce. Porto Rico.
at the time of the Presidents tour
/ there, directing the former Secre-
tary not TO suspend the order dis
charging the battalion of Negro sol
diers for alleged participation In the
Brownsville riots
The cable message was sent from
Ponce. bearing date of November 2l,
and is as follows:
"Cablegram received. Discharge
is not to be suspended unless there
are new facts of such importance as
90 warrant your cabling me. / care
nothing whatever for the yelling eth
er of the politicians or the sentimen-
/ talists. The offense vas heinous
and the punishment I inflicted I i'm
posed after due deliberations All
| shall pay heed to is the presentation
of facts showing the Official report
| 70 be in whole or i'm part untrue, ex-
/ culpating some individual man. If
any such facts shall later appear
| can act as may be deemed desirable.
/ but nothing has been brought before
me 20 warrant the suspension OF the
/ order ] direct that it be executed.
/ III EODOtLE hOOSEN III. /.
Gen. Corbin said. by way OF expla-
I nation. that the Negroes were still
/ ignorant OF the real attitude of for
I mer Secretary Taft toward the
| Brownsville case.
"Of course the Brownsville affair. p"
said Gen. Corbin. sis going 20 be
paraded in the campaign. Any cred
/ 10 or blame i'm that matter cannot in
or H. fnf I 20 IL Ag n
matter of fact, Mr. Taft was not i'm
/ Washington at the time but was in
1 the West on some important business
| connected with the Department.
And right here I want 10 remark
/ that OF all the men have ever anown
I Judge Taft knows the least about ex-
LplOiting his own efforts and letting
/ the people know what he has done
| as a public official. He left Wash
| ington October p. 1906. for an in
| spection of the Western military
/ posts, notably Fort Riley. going as
/ far west as Fort D. a. Russell and
I Fort Sill. He was absent from Oc-
\ tOber % TO November Il.
The Brownsville order was issued
| on November .. or twelve days after
/ MT Taft left Washington and eight
| days before his return and while
! Gen. oliver was acting as Secretary
/ of War. When Mr. Taft returned
10 the Department the order dis
| charging the battalion or the Twen-
/ ty-hfth Infantry was brought TO his
/ attention.
THAT the President might con-
| slider the matter Mr.. Taft, as Secre-
tary OF War. suspended the order.
/ / do not happen 10 have a copy of
Mr.. Taft's cable dispatch TO the Pres
/ ident, who was then In the West In
dies. but the message given is what
the President sent back i'm reply.
1T was sent from Ponce" Gen.
Corbin concluded. -four days after
Mr.. Taft returned 10 the Depart
ment"
Hints have been passed out from
time TO time by the Taft managers
that at the proper time evidence
would be supplied 60 prove that Sec
rotary Taft was not responsible for
the discharge OF the Negro battalion
and that in carrying out the Presi-
dents orders he simply performed
his duty TO his superior against HIS
own judgment
The publication indicates TO the
minds of politicians here that Mr..
Taft intends TO make his campaign
on Independent personal policies and
stand or fall on his own Official re-
cord
There is much curiosity exhibited
here as TO what view will be taken
by the President OF Gen. Corbin' s
statement.
Il may be that President Roose-
welt will look unfavorably upon the
action of Gen. Henry c. Corbin. We
are not among those. however who
think so. II is one OF those presi-
dental fits. where the distinguished
statesman plunges into the fray and
boldly announces that he will take
all OF the responsibility upon his own
shoulders and he is beyond the point
where he can be injured by so doing.
still. II the revolving colored men in
| the North choose 60 search the Off
cial archives and give copiOus ex-
tracts from Hon. William II. Taft's
official message 10 the Congress upon
the Brownsville affair. they will find
that the language OF the distinguish
ed ohioan was but little less severe
than that used by the President him
self.
Mr.. Taft deserves credit though
for suspending the order of Presi-
dent Roosevelt until he heard from
his chief. The Brownsville affair
will be one OF the most potent sub
jects of discussion in the present cam
paign and President Roosevelts can
didate will be the greatest sufferer
from the blunder of his chief