The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-06-29
:COlOred
Soldiers
NoT DISSEMINATED AGAINST IN
UNITED STATE ARMY lsY
PRESIDENT TAFT.
Law on the Subject
Set Forth in Detail Shows No Dis.
examination in The Statutes.
Which Rev. j. Milton Waldron
Evidently Failed to Read.
Especial to The Advocate. J

Especial to The Advocate.)
Washington, ID. c., June 29--The
open letter Of Rev. j. Milton Wal
dron, pastor of the Shiloh Baptist
Church of this city, and National Or
ganlZer OF the National independent
Political League, to President Taft
alleging discrimination against Ne
gro soldiers in the Army, has caused
your correspondent to make some in
,, Vestlgatons to accertain the truth
Or falsity of DR.. Waldron's charges.
Assuming that DR.. Waldron's anX-
+ lety in the premises is in good faith
and not Influenced by any political
motive, justice to the officials of the
Army Establishment and fairness to-
ward the President as Commanders
ln-chief, impels the student Of condi-
uons to carefully search out the
facts before forming an opinion on
the questions involved in the con-
troversy at hand. Without attemDt-
ing to volunteer as counsel for the
Army, 1T may be asserted with some
'pauslbility that there have been and
may be now specific cases Of dis
elimination therein$ but DR.. Wal
dron presents no specific case; and
yet he, in effect, commands the
| President to give cOlOred soldiers,
! as we'll as soldiers of Jewish or
| Hebrew extraction, the same privi-
leges and opportunity for promotion
offered white soldiers" "
DR.. Waldon assumes that Presi-
dent Taft can order any soldier
whom he may desire, up to take ex-
animation for promotion, for in his
letter he says:
| 'The examination Of enlisted men
FOR promotion to the position of I'd
lieutenant in the Regular Army,
which you have ordered and which
appeared in the public press Of June
9TH, does not contain the name of a
single cOlOred soldier, nor have we
seen the name Of any such soldier
| in any list for examination which
has been ordered by you since your
lncumDencY Of the office of Chief
Executive Of the Nation"
Continuing, Dr.. Waldron says:
1T must be that your failure to
order such men before the EXamina-
ton Board Of the Army is an over
sight"
DR.. WaldrOn, because Of his un-
lamllarlty with army laws and regu-
latlons respecting promotions, holds
the president responsible for some
thing over which he has no control
II no colored soldiers have been
ordered before the Examination
board, 1T IS their fault and not that
or the President, as will be seen by
reading the Act Of July 80, 1892
which provides that:
All unmarried soldiers under
thirty years Of age, who are citi,
Zens of the United States, are ply
slcally sound, who have served hon
orably not less than two years in
the Army may compete for promo
ton under any system authorized by
this Act.'
Thus it will be seen that the Act
cOntenances no discrimination. The
existing regulations, prescribed by
the President for the examination OF
enlisted applicants for appointment
as second lieutenants under the Act
Of July 80, 1892, contains the follow
ing provisions, applicable to whites
and blacks alike:
1.-The enlisted man who desires to
, appear for examination will submit
through military channels an appii-
cation 80 that it will reach his de-
Dartment commander on or before
February 1st Of each year in which
| hn lob
The Company Commander in for.
Ward1ng such application will verify
the statement Of service given, and
will state specifically whether, in his
opinion, the soldier fulfills each of
the conditions hereinbefore required
''The post commander will on re-
cepit Of such application cause the
applicant to be examined by a medi-
cal officer as to his physical uualif-
cations and will forward the report
Of such examination with the appli-
cation"
Each Department Commander
viii each year convene q board OF
five officers, two Of whom shall be
nrdita officers whose duties will he
confined TO innuiring into and re-
lOrting the physical qualifications
o. the applicants to conduct
| the preliminary examination. lie
/ will order before this Board such
applicants in his command as ap-
pear to fulfill all the requirements
herein Indicated"
Sow it may be Of interest to Dr
" aldrcn and others TO know nov
vacancies are filled. Here is the !aN
bearing upon that impOrtanc point
"&*% That vacancies in the Gradt
&C second lieutenant occurring IN any
(, ll~cal year shall DC filled by the ap
pOin[ment in the following or Ter