Arizona republican., 1908-12-15

was greatly aggravated by their teS- tifying before the senate committee that they were ignorant of what they must have known.
 Nevertheless, it 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 one man who failed to protect the
 wrongdoers. Moreover, there are cir cumstances tending to show that these
 misguided men were encouraged by
 outsiders to persist in their course of
 concealment and denial.
 T 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 in part due
 to the unwise and improper attitude
 of others, and that some measure of
 allowance should be made for their
 misconduct In other words, I believe
 that 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 actually guilty, and
 show that they themselves had no
 guilty Knowledge beforehand and were
 in no way implicated in the affair.
 save by having a knowledge of it af-
 rewards and refusing to divulge it
 Under the circumstances. and in view of the length of time they have been out of service and their loss of benefits that would have accrued to them by their continuous long time service. We can afford to treat the men who meet the requirements given above as having been sufficiently pun ished by the consequences they brought upon themselves when they rendered necessary the exercise of dis ciplinary power. l recommend that a law be passed allowing the secretary of war. within a fixed period of time. say a year. to reinstate any of these soldiers whom he. after careful exam inatiOn. finds to have been innocent and whom he finds to have done all in his power to help bring to justice the guilty.
 Meanwhile the investigation will be continued. Results have made it ob- vious that only by carrying on the in- vestigation as the war department has carried it on. is there the slightest | chance of bringing the offenders to | justice, or of separating, not the innO- | cent for there were doubtless hardly l any innocent, but the less guilty from | those whose guilt was heinous
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT
 White House, December 14th. 1908" |
 Senator Foraker took the floor as | soon as the presidents message and ac- | reports had been read. He | read letter from Bird COnyers. a dis | charged soldier. who is alleged to have | made a confession to Detective Law | son. In his letter, Conyers speaks of | the visit of Lawson to Monroe, Ga, where Conyers had been living Con- | yers says he learned that Lawson was | there to pick" him and that he had a | high sheriff' arrest Lawson As | Lawson had not had an opportunity to | have a private talk with Conyers ac- ,ording to the latter's letter, it made | him angry and Conyers says Lawson | told lies" to the sheriff about him.
 Mir. Foraker referred caustically to | he colored detective, calling attention .o the fact that his high sounding, | smooth. logical report is signed with | his mark" and then adds: "Oh, MT | President when this thing is gone to he bottom of, all honest men will be of it"
 Taking up the second letter from | Bird Conyers and before reading it, Senator Foraker said: This is a little edious, perhaps, but I think it is due tA lue to common decency that the story De told" Mir. FOraker said the presi- lent's statement concerning this in 'estigation by detectives showed the | ,ropriety of adopting such a provision IS that embodied in his amendment.
 Tt seems to me-" he said, That one 'f the worst features of this whole un- ortunate business is that this man | mould now be pursued in this way by + ecret detectives in the manner I have + described.
 Senator Foraker read a letter he had written to COnyers in which he said: | The senate would look after the de- ectives who are visiting him"
 That promise will be made good" declared Mir. FOraker. Enough has |. ,een shown to make it the imperative + uty of the senate to create a tribunal |, 'efore which these men can go and re- eive a hearing Is there any thing nore atrocious than this case against hese men? This is the sixth time they ( lave been put on trial and five times hey have been acquitted in my pinion."
 MT. Foraker concluded by declaring II hat the presidents statement that the spionage against the soldiers of the 5th regiment would be continued, was m additional reason for some prompt II lction by the senate.