The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1908-12-16
Congress to Pass Law on
Troops Reinstatement.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE LIKED.
Tardy Compensation For Colored
Soldiers Who Were Innocent
of Participation In the
Brownsville Riot.

Washington. Dec. ia canvass of
representatives and senators show that
congress is likely to pass the bill rec
commended by President Roosevelt to
permit OF the reinstatement Of such
colored soldiers of the Twenty-fifth
infantry who were innocent of partici-
patton in the Brownsville riot Of Aug
Il. 1906.
The presidents message on the sub
ject is generally approved by mem
bers of congress. and the feeling Is
that it is no more than right at this
late day to do justice to those colorcd
soldiers "who will truthfully tell what
happened and help to fix the RESPONSE
hility upon those who were really
guilty"
With his message the president sent
II report from Herbert !. Browne and
Captain w. G. Baldwin, who investi-
gated the riot. He says:
This report enables us to fix with toler-
able detiriteness at least some of the
criminals who took the lead in the muir
Brownsville. 1t establishes clearly the
fact that the colored soldiers did the
shooting.
1t appears that almost all the members
of Company b must have been actively
concerned in the shooting, either to the
extent of being participants or to the ex-
tent of virtually encouraging those who
were participants. AS to Companies c
and D. there can be no question that
practically every man in them must have
had knowledge that the shooting was
done by some of the soldiers of B troop
and possibly by one or two others in one
Of the other troops.
This concealment was itself a grave Of
tense, which was greatly aggravated by
their testifying before the senate. coEi-
mittee that they were ignorant of what
they must have known. Nevertheless IL
is to be said in partial extenuation that
they were probably cowed by threats
+ made by the more desperate of the men
who had actually been engaged in the
shooting as to what would happen TO any
man who failed to protect the wrong
doers.
1 believe we can afford to reinstate any
Of these men who now truthfully tell
what has happened, give all the aid they
can to fix the responsibility upon those
who are really guilty and show that they
themselves had no guilty knowledge be-
forehand and were in no way implicated
in the affair save by having knowledge of
it afterward and failing and refusing to
divulge it.
| 1 recommend that a law be passed al
| lowing the secretary of war within a
! fixed period of time-say a year-to rein
state any of these soldiers whom he after
careful examination finds to have been in
nocent and whom he finds to have done
all in his power to help bring to justice
the guilty.
Meanwhile the investigation will be con-
tinued. The results have made ii OBJ
vious that only by carrying on the inves-
tigation as the war department has ac-
tually carried it on is there the slightest
chance of bringing the offenders to jus
tice or of separating not the innocent
| for there were doubtless hardly any inno-
cent-but the less guilty, from those
whose guilt was henous.
Senator Foraker, who has consti-
tuted himself Il champion of the col
Ored troops. regards the message as Il
tardy and partial act of justice.
Herbert j. Brownies report reveals
the fact that Boyd Conyers, a former
member of Company Il. confessed to
detective that he and three or fOul
others led the raid.
The reasons Conycrs gave for the
NmurderOuS outbreak was the reported
threats of the Brownsville "crackcrs
against the negro troops.
Mr.. Browne says he has every rea,
son to believe the confession genuine
and that it gives for the first time the
true secret history of the Brownsville
/ pni1