Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-04-11
WEDNESDAY,, APRIL II. 1917.
(San Antonio Lightly

cuIRO> u muu III SOfultT UNIFORM
should walk up to you and say: you are
under arrest.'' If YOU were a civilian. in
no way connected with the military. You
would resent it. You might resent arrest
at the hands of a duly authorized and
recognized policeman of your city, too,
especially if you had a clear conscience.
But whether you felt innocent or guilty,
you would most likely feel that your rights
rs a citizen were being violated if a sol
der should accost you with those fear
some words: "You are under arrest
Under normal conditions it is not the
function of a soldier to arrest people. Pol
icemen, detectives, sheriffs and country
constables-apd sometimes. sergeants-at-
arms Pf kbf4f1.bitif-ar Are charged
with tfat duty. In fines a peace military
authority is fubHrdinate TO civil authority
a policeman might arrest a soldier, as pol
ieemen1 frequently do, bat -unless-a police
man should. run amuck on federal terri
tory hR-sxapld hardlE-
rest by a soldier. Only under martial law
is milifpry authority supreme.
But sometimes justice stands mt uron
the orr Ter Of things legal as presefsbed in
beginning in II ia ans 1kasf nd reach
ed its climax hf4ioM xsnplifies
a reve|al of NE process Of Justice which
s sa,s I ],s snisi iAaass -f'sss4s4sNsss
A MIN boarded = train at Texarkana,
seated himself by II passenger who had
preceded him, and soon began To criti-
else the President of the United States, the
congress, the army, the navy and the entire
country. He used abusive language, until
his feHow-passenger arose and left the
coach. Returning, the latter presented him
self in the uniform of a United States sol
der, apd informed the other: "You are
under arrest" The man who had spoken
abusivdy of the United States, its presi-
dent, IFS army, and it, navy, wanted to
know Nv what authority the soldier was
acting. Pointing significantly to his SER
vice revolver, the soldier replied: "That's
authority enough, | guess"
Though the authority cited by this man
of-armk was not as comprehensive. as that
claimed by Ethan Allen when he demanded
the surrender of the British ut Ticonder-
oga, In revolutionary days, it was, indeed,
quite sufficient for all practical purposes.
In a strict legal sense the soldier NAV not
have been authorized to make the arrest :
that he realized his lack of technical au-
thority was indicated by his act in turning
his mar over to the civil authorities upon
reaching San Antonio. But there is prob
ably not a true American under the Stars
and Stripes who would censure this sol
der for his extra-legal act. Rather would
he be applauded, particularly inasmuch as
1T turned out that the man whom he had ar
rested pore papers of discharge from the
German army.
AT such times a the present, when spies
OF the enemy may be working on everv
hand, extra-legal acts, on the part not only
OF soldiers but of civilians as well. might
easily become necessary TO guard the safe
ty of the public. If a civilian had arrest
ed the German ex-sailor who boarded the
train nj Texarkana, his act though not
legal in the strict sense, would not have
been such as to merit punishment. As
Major General Pershing said in recent or
ders to the troops in his department.
'Whenever an individual, either in the
army or in civil life, fails to pay the pre-
scribed honors TO the flag, his patriotism
ut oncd falls under suspicion" IL one
does not show respect for the flag i 10 be
suspected of d~isloyalty, more serious sus-
pician will be directed at those who openly
abuse what the flag stands for: failure TO
show respect for the flag is negative. an
act of omission, while ~outspoken reroga-
ton of what the flag stands for j. posi-
tive, an act of commission.
In a democratic country it is the people