The sun., 1908-05-13
RlYvER RAPS The PRESIDENT
ygE ENILING COL. STEWART As
CONTENTIOUS PERSON"

NIf NillthfNN hNNAN ANWNHfNNtN AHVhNNNf '
winch Abounds In COntemptuOus Phrases
Iikcns II All 10 the DrcYus Ease.
N,sHINdroN, May i2.-,In language that
r.m.l with irony, in the use Of which he
, uast master, Senator lsidor Rayner Of
...yIiud arraigned the President Of the
Iuncd states to-day for the treatment he
...i given Col. William +. Stewart. vet
.lr ofHcer OF the army Floor and galleries
rba senate Chamber we're crowded for
., poriod Of Senator Rayner's speech.
..I close attention was shown through
..r the development OF his argument
,al President Roosevelt had violated the
a-ututon and the laws in exling this
soldier TO an ungarTisoned post in, the
v..ls of Arizona without a trial or even a
earring,
There was much laughter over some
Nlr. Rayner's sarcastic salles at the eX-
use Of the President, and II was loudest
len he suggested parallel between the
.dracter Of the President and the char
.ter Of Col. Stewart 'as the President had
.-cribedit.
Mr. Rayner's address was in support Of
resolution for a court Of inquiry 10 in-
q. -tigate the charges against Col, Stewart.
il. showed that the resolution was exactly
-mihr with the exception Of one word. 10
resolution enacted in the Forty-third
ngress concerning Gen. o. o. Howard
r.lt resolution had been oheyed by the
.pcutive.
lu the course Of hisTemarks Mr.. Rayner
Lad the clerk read the letter which he had
l..piyed from President Roosevelt detail
.ng the reasons why Col Stewart had been
r,Ilnd 10 Arizona. 1t was remarkable
,tcr, in which Mr.. Roosevelt, in reference
ilCol Stewart, used such terms as grossly
,.fr' "a nuisance to thstservioe.' tenn
u,ramentally unfit to exercise command
lIr. Rayner rang the changes on Mr.. Roose-
volts references 10 Col. Stewards tenn
ornamental unhtness.' and his audience
vas in a sniGter every time he did so, the
aIusion being too poinUedly directed 10 the
President 10 be mbunderstood
Mr. Rayner was particularly elective
when, after likening the treatment Of
Stewart to that Of Dreyfus, he said;
What does the President mean? Who
are his advisers2 Is man entitled TO a
trial? The President says I am satisfied
lee is guilty, and ] do notwant to hear the
aefence.' What would you think Of a
Iudge upon the bench who promulgated
such a brutal decree astiratG
aIt makes the blood boil 20 fever heat
,1 see the President announce such a
.9.trine as that 10 theSenate Of the United
s,.,es II the man ts guilty. convict him
ls he is innoceut acquit him, But the
.r.ltest felon IN the land Is entitled 10 a
-I. and certainly this man ought to be
Titled to one after forty years Of dis
guished service 20 his country He
into a quarrel withya plumber. How
any ouarreIs has the President got into
.rh plumbers and evetybody else9 Sup
..,a the Presideukwas sent 10 n place IKE
,.,s for every quarrel he got INTO aud for
ary emphatic expression he made use of
Iris man is convicted because hs was
.altoting the exampls-of the Commander
a Chief"
President Rooseve1trssletts- is grch1 an
.ypeedingly long communications that 4ts
text cannot conveniently be gwen IN thll
at the following extracts fDoan It ara
.iRcient to show its trsnd md the Presi.
Tents attitude
lie tCol. Stewart refusesJto rgire unless
lie il made a BrigadeT-Qenerd,
shall certainly not make him y BTigadIer~
General, because he is grossly unit not merely
10 be Brigadler-Gsnsrel but to hold his
resent rank in the army. His career has
not been distinguished FORE uumberyof years
ls usefulness has been dfminishtng. indeed
l.. aaa1 hat ha IA a
iuisance IN the seIvioa being both lncomps-
,snt ana temperameutally unfit TO exercise
,omraand over enllsted men. or to control
other officers, OF 10 behave with propriety
when brought In contact with civilians.
"A Gen. Duvali reports. II is we'll known
throughout the artillery service that Col
stewart is an impossible" comm anding ON
Ger. and he IL q man who IN civil life could
urder no circumstances have risen 10 any
position roi Influence or authority over his
fellows.
The President narrates stories Of quaITels
between Col. Stewart and civilians and
adds:
These were only some among the instances
~ Incounpetency and temperamental short
,omings which were brought 10 the attention
ui the Department.
Gen. PrederickD Grant is quoted as say
ing that Col. Stewards temperamental
shortcomings caused him 70 irTitate those
around him and the only way 10 meet the
defect was TO get rid Of the irritant' Col
Stowart's department commander declined
TO recommend Col. Stewards application
10 be appointed Bngadier-General and
stated, says the President, that Col. SeeW.
arts arrogant naFrowness. his suspicion Of
hose about him, his frequent II not habdtual
tyrannles and his apparent malice and
yindictiveness toward those who had re-
ceiyed bis resentment were not faults which
could be ignoredT
The President says that II was on the
,dyioe OF Gems. Grant NDuvall, Davis and
Murray that Col. Stewart was sent to Fort
rirant, where, Mr.. Roosevelt adds. there
are no enlisted men or Junior officers over
whom Col. Stewart can tyrannize, but few
civilians with whom he can quarrel and no
,,y1oet Of superior rank to'whose command
he might, TO the great detriment OF the army
.ome d ~ succeed
Thery was more OF this, and In conclusion
the President said.
Now . TO your suggestions TO trial. For
tDe ,easons given above, and also In the mem
utandum which herewith forward, there Is
no point in having a oourt-martial. AZ pres
,pt do not see hoWa court OF INQUIRY could
.. Of use, for do not see how any court OF
ngulrv would express an opinion 10 which
-hould nav more heedNhan to the judgment
u Gems. Wade, Grant, Murray. DuYall and