Evening journal., 1908-12-14
PRESIDENT AND
BROWNSVILLE
Roosevelt Recommends Rein
statement of Soldiers If
They Tell of Shooting

BY United Press Leased Special Wire.
Washington. Dec. lt-president Roose-
welt sent a special message to Congress
to-day renewing tho Brownsville affair
and recommending the reinstatement TO
the army OF the colored soldiers who par
tiepated in 1t if they tell what they
know OF the shooting. The message was
prompted by a special investigation.
Just before the message was read Sem
ator Foraker oneUd an amendment to
his bill arranging for the restoration OF
the negro soldiers OF the Twenty-hfth IN
fantry for alleged rioting at Brownsville. /
appointing a commission headed by Lieu
tenant General Chanee TO consider all
the facts and evidence and determine
what course must be followed.
Mr. Foraker said the purpose OF his
amendment was to provide a tribunal
where all these accused Of completely in
the Brownsville anair might appear and
be heard.
Evidently he had obtained an intimation
Of the contents OF the presidents message
'These men, poor, helpless, and broken
in spirit" Inc said, "should be given an
opportunity 10 face their accuscrs. who
bring the serious charge of murder, and
be permitted to establish their innocence"
Senator Ciilberson then asked that the
/ Presidents message. which might throw
some light on the situation be read, which
was done.
IL follows:
Il enclose herewith letter from the
Secretary Of War transmitting a report
/ OF the investigation made by Mr. Herbert
/ J. Browne. employed by the department
in conjunction with Captain W. G.. Bald
win 10 investigate as far as possible what
happened at Brownsville on tho 18th and
iith Of August, 1906 The report and
documents contain some Information OF
great value and some statements that
are obviously worthless. but submit
them in their entlrctly.
''Ths report enables us to nN with
tolerahle dehnitencss at least some Of the
criminals who took the lead IN the MUIR
derous shooting OF private citizens AT
! Brownsville II establishes clearly the fact
that the colored soldiers did the shoot
ing but upon this point further record
was unnecessary. as the fact that the
coored soldiers did the shooting has all
ready been established belond an pos
shility OF doubt. The investigation has
not gone far enough 10 enable ms 10 de-
termine all the facts, and we viii proceed
with II, but IL has gone far enough to de-
termine with sufficient accuracy certain
facts Of enough Importance 10 make n
advisable that I place tho report before
you. II appears that almost an the mem
hers Of Company 3 must have. been ac-
lively concerned I'm the shooting. either 10
the extent Of being participants OF to the
extent Of virtually encouraging those who
were participants. As to Companies G.
and II. there can be no question that
practically every man in them must have
had knowledge that the shooting was done
q by some Of the soldiers Of 3 troop and
possibly by one or two others in one OF
the other troops.
This concealment was itself "a grave
z onense. which was greatly aggravate 2
e bv their testifving before the Senate
committee that they were ignorant OF
what they must have known Neverthc.
less. II Is TO be said IN partial extenu.
alton that thev were probably cowed
. by threats. made by the more desperate
. Of the men who had actually been en-
gagged In the shooting. as To what would
/ happen to any man who failed to pro-
n tect the wrongdoers Moreover there
are circumstances tending 20 show thai
c these misguided men were encourage =
by outsiders 10 persist in their course
Of concealment and denial feel.
therefore. that the guilt Of tho men
who. after the event. thus shielded the
perpetrators of the wrong by refusing
10 tell the truth about them. though
serious. was in part due to the unwis,
and improper attitude Of others. and
that some measure Of allowance shoula
be made for the misconduct.
"In other words, l believe that we
can afford TO reinstate any Of these mei
who now truthfully tell what has hap
pened. give all the aid they can TO fN
the responsibility upon those who ar,
really guilty, and show that they them-
selves had no guilty knowledge before
hand and were IN no way implicated
in the affair. save by having l<nowledst
Of II afterwards and failing and refus
ing 10 divulgc II. Under the circum.
stances. and in Wow Of the length OF
time they have been out Of service ana
their loss OF the benefit that would have
accrued 20 them by continuous long,
time service. we can afford TO treat the
men who meet the requirements givei
above as having been sufficiently pun
ished by the consequences they brought
upon themselves when they rendered
necessary the exercise Of the disciplin-
arv power. I recommend that 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 examination
finds to have been innocent and whou
he finds to have done all in his power
2 70 help bring to justice the guilty.
MEANWHILE the investigation will b'
5 continued. The results have made II
| nhuinlls that only by carrNlng ON lhl