Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-15

for the re-enlistment of the negro
troops discharged without honor be-
cause of alleged participation in the
affary at Brownsville, and addressed
the senate committee concerning the
amendment.
He proposes in his new measure to
establish q. tribunal consisting of re-
tired army officers, before whom evil
dence may be submitted as to the guilt
of defendants and before whom the de-
PENDANTS themselves might appear to-
answer to charges
The measure is so drawn as prac-
| tically to take out of the hands of the
executive and to give to a tribunal ap-
! pointed by congress full authority to-
consider the Brownsville questions and
by it's findings provide for the re-en-
| listment of the discharged negroes.
Would Ferret Out Facts
In addressing the senate, Mr.. For
a5er said that during the summer let
| ters had been coming to him from
these discharged negro soldiers declar-
| ing that detectives were constantly en-
| gaging them in conversation. The sem
/ ator spoke of the activities of the de-
Electives as outlined by his correspon-
dents, saying in many cases they went
so far as to take up their dwelling with
! the discharged soldiers for the purpose
of securing their confidence and spying
upon their movements.
He approved ferreting out the facts,
| but declared that there was right
way to do it.
Upon the conclusion of Mr.. Foraker's
remarks Mr.. Culberson asked that the
presidents message on the Brownsville
affair be read, and Vice President Fair
banks directed that that be DONE
All the senators present remained in
their seats, and much interest was
shown in the document.
The Presidents Message
The text of the presidents special
message is as follows:
| To the Senate--I enclose herewith let
ter from the secretary of transmitting
! report of the investigation made by Her
! bert j. Browne. employed by the depart
n.ent in con 'uno iron with Captain w. q.
| Baldwin 20 investigate as far as possible
what happened at Brownsville on the 18th
| and 14th OF August, 1906.
! Tie report and documents coH4a|iff- s5i-1e
information oe value and some statements
that are obviously worthless. but L submit
| them in their entirety
This report enanies us to fix with toler-
| able defniteness at least some OF the
Terminals who took the lead in the murderous
shooting of private citizens at Brownsville.
| 1t establishes clearly the fact that the col
ored snldiert did the shooting; but upon
this point further record was unnecessary.
| as the fact that the 'colored soldiers dld
the shooting has already been established
| beyond all possibility of doubt.
| The investigation has not gone far enough
to enable us to determine all the facts ana
we will proceed with It, but it has gone far
enough to determine with sufficient accur-
acy certain facts of enough Importance to
make it advisable that l place the report
before you.
1t appears that almost all the members
| OIL Company B must have been actively con-
cerned in the shooting. either to the ex-
tent of being participants or to the extent
| 9 ,n11 ari thOgp
ticipants.
Had knowledge of Crime
As to Companies c and d. there can
he no question that practically every man
in them must have had knowledge that
the shooting was done by some of the sol
diers of b troop, and possibly by one or
| two others in one of the other troops.
| This concealment of itself a grave
onense, which was greatly aggravated by
their testifying before the senate commit
tee that they were Ignorant of what they
| Nevertheless it is to be said in partial
! extenuation that they were probably coWeo
| by threats made by the more desperate OF
! the men who had actually been engaged III
the shooting. to what would happen to
any man who failed to protect the wrong
doers. -,
4 ing to show that these misguided men we're
| encouraged by outsiders to persist in their
course of concealmcnt and denial
feel, therefore that the guilt OF the
men who, after the event thus shlel9eu
the perpetrators of the wrong by refusing
| to tell the truth about them, though seri-
GUS was in part due to the unWise ana
! improper attitude of others, and <hat some
measure of allowance should be maze for
the misconduct.
! In other words. I believe we can ahord
to reinstate any of these men VINO now
| truthfuIly tell what has happened, give an
the aid they can to fix the responsibility
upon those who are really guilty, and snow
that they themselves had no guilty knowl-
| edge beforehand and were in no way impll-
Gated In the affair." save by having knoWl-
edge of it afterwards and refusing TO Ill
vulge it.
Sufficiently Punished
Under the circumstances and in Wow Of
the length OF time they have been out OF
the service and their loss ef the beneht
! that would have accrued to them by con-
| tinuous long time service, we can anord 10
! treat the men who meet the requirements
given above, as having been sufficiently pun
ished by the consequences they brought up
on themselves when they rendered neces-
sary the exercise of the disciplinary power
| / recommend that a law be passed allow
ing the secretary of war, within a hXeu
| period of time say year. to reinstate any
| OF these soldiers whom he. after careiul
| examination. finds to have been innocent
and whom he finds to have done all IN ms
mower to help bring to justice the guilty.
| :, Meatime. the investigation will be con-
tinued. The results have made 1t obvious
| that only by carrying on the investigation
as the war department has carried 1t on
is there the slightest chance of bringing
| the offenders to justice or Of separating NOT
| the innocent for there We're doubtless
i hardly any innocent, but the less guilty
from those whose guilt was heinous.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.