The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-12-17
WOULD REINSTATE
COLORED TROOPS
Presidents nt'shleSSageOn Shooting
Up Of Brownsville.
NO QUESTION OF THEIR GUILT

But Those Who Shielded the Perpe
traitors Must Tell What They Know
and Aid In Fixing the Responsibility
Upon Those Who Are Really Guilty.
Washington. Dec Is. - President
Roosevelt sent to the sen.e a special
message on the shooting ~ Browns
vile. Tex, in August, 1900 VIII ch he
proposes to reinstate members Of the
colored battalion OF regular troops,
which were discharged In disgrace
from the army as responsible for the
affair. The president says:
u inclose herewith a letter from
the secretary OF war transmitting a
report of the investigation made by
Mr.. Herbert ]. Browne. employed by
the department in conjunction with
Captain w. G. Baldwin to inves igate
as far as possible what happened at
Brownsville on the 18th and 18th OF
August. 1906. The report and docu'
ments contain some information OF
great value and some statements that
are obviously worthless, but ! submit
them in their entirety.
This report enables us to fix with
tolerable defniteness 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 the colored soldiers did
the shooting; but upon this point fur-
ther record was unnecessary, as the
fact that the colored soldiers did the
shooting has already been established
beyond all possibility of doubt The
investigation has not gone far enough
to enable us to determine all the facts,
and we will proceed with II, but It has
gone far enough 10 determine with
sufficient accuracy certain facts OF
enough importance to make II adyis-
able that place the report before you.
No Question Of Their Guilt.
'Tt appears that almost all the mem
bers 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 en-
couraging those who were particl-
pants. 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 grave
offense. which was greatly aggravated
by their testifying before the senate
committee that they were ignorant OF
what they must have known. Neyerthe-
less. It is to be said in partial exten-
uation that they were probably cowed
by threats. made by the more desper-
ate of the men who had actually been
engaged in the shooting. as to what
would happen TO any man who failed
to protect the wrongdoers. Moreover,
there are circumstances tending TO
show that these misguided men were
encouraged by outsiders to persist in
their course OF concealment and denial.
Would Reinstate Men.
81 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 the mis-
conduct. In other words. believe we
can afford to relnstate any OF these
men who now truthfully tell what has
happened, give all the aid they can 20
fix the responsibility upon those who
are really guilty, and show that they
themselves had no guilty knowledge !
beforehand and we're In no way impli- |
Gated in the affair, save by having |
knowledge OF it afterwards and falling
and refusing to divulge 1t.
"Under the circumstances, and In |
view Of the length Of time they have |
been out of the service, and their loss |
of the benefit that would have accrued
to them by continuous longtime ser
vice, 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 the
power
81 recommend that law be passed |
allowing the secretary Of war. within |
a fixed period of time, say year to !
reinstate any Of these soldiers whom
he, after careful examination, finds to
have been innocent and whom he finds