Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1908-12-15
RECOMMENDS LEN|ENCY
President Makes Known Wishes
as to Congressional Action
IN BROWNSVILLE AFFAIR.

Srdntlng secretary OF war, IN NeT-
tain Cases, Right to Reinstate limo
cent Willing to Name Those Guilty
Washington, Dec 14.-President
Roosevelt sent to congress a special
message dealing with the Brownsville
affair. The president, in introducing
mass of letters relative to the shoot.
Ing up of that town. says.
81 enclose herewith letter from the
secretary of war transmitting a report
of the investigation made by Herbert
Browne, employed by the department
in conjunction with Captain Baldwin,
to investigate as far as possible what
happened at Brownsville on the 18th
and 1ith of August, 1906 The report
and documents contain some informa-
ton of great value and some state
ments that are obviously worthless.
but ! submit them In their entirety.
Report enables us TO fix with tolerabe
deiinitenoss, at least, some of the
criminals who took the lead in the
murderous shooting of private citizens
AT Brownsville, II establishes clearly
the fact that colored soldiers did The
shooting, but upon this point further
record was unnecessary, as the fact
that colored soldiers did the shooting
has already been established beyond
any possibility of doubt The investi-
gation has gone far enough to enable
us 10 determine with sufficient accu.
Tacy certain facts. This Importance
makes II advisable that | place the re.
port before you.
1T appears that olmost all the mem
hers OF company b must have been
actively concerned in the shooting.
either to the extent OF being partici.
pants or to the extent of virtually
encouraging those who PARTED.
pated As to the companies and d
there can be no question that practi.
cally every man in them must had
knowledge of the shooting done by
some Of the soldiers of troop and
possibly by one or two others In one
of the other troops. This concealment
was itself grave oftense, which Is ag.
gravated by their testifying before the
senate committee that they are ignor-
ant of what they must have known.
Nevertheless II Is TO be said In partial
eXtenuation that they were probably
cowed by threats, made by the more
desperate of the men who had actual
~ engaged in shooting as to what
would happen to any man who failed
TO protect the wronsdoers Moreover,
there are circumstances tending TO
show these misguided men were en-.
couraged by outsiders to persist in
their course Of conCealment and denial.
Il feel, therefore, that the guilt OF
the men who after the event thus
shielded the perpetrators OF the wrong
by refusing TO tell the truth about
them, though serious, was i'm part due
TO the unwise and improper attitude
of others and that some measure ~
allowance should he made for their
misconduct. In other words, I believe
we can afford to reinstate any of those
men who now truthfully tell what
happened give all aid so they can fix
the responsibility of those who are
really guilty and show that they them
selves had no guilty knowledge of II
beforehand and was in no way impli.
Gated in the affair, save by knowledge
of il afterward and I'm failing to di.
vulge Il. Under the circumstances
and in view Of the length of time they
had been out Of the service and the
loss Of benefit that would accrued TO
them by continuous long service we
can afford to treat the men who meet
the requirements given above as hav.
ing been sufficiently punished, by the
consequences they brought upon them.
selves when they render necessary the
exercise of disciplinary powers.
II recommend that a resolution be
passed allowing the secretary Of war
within fixed period, say a year, re.
instate any of these soldiers who he.
after careful examination finds to
have been innocent and whom he
finds have done all in their power to
help bring to justice the guilty Mean
while the investigation should be con.
tinued The results have made ii OBJ.
vious that only by carrying on the in.
vestigation should be continued The
result have made il obvious that only
Wy carrying on the investigation as the
war department has actually carried
II on is there the slightest chance to
bring the offenders to justice or sep.
arating not the innocent, for there
doubtless are hardly any innocent. but
the less guilty from those whose guilt
Is heinous
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"