Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-24
NEGRO TROOPS MAY
QUIT HOUSTON, TEX.
Secretary Baker Waiting for
Full Reports Before Taking
Definite Action.
WORD FROM GEN. PARKER

Senator Sheppard of Texas. after a
conference with Secretary Baker today,
announced that the negro troops con-
cerned in the rioting at Houston would
j be withdrawn from Texas Immediately.
Later Secretary Baker. after reading
first official reports. announced that he
could take no action OF any kind until
the affair had been investigated fully.
The Secretary also said the Houston
affair did not affect the policy of train
ing negro troops in the south.
1t is within the jurisdiction of the
commander of the Southern Depart
ment to move the troops to any other
point in his territory without orders
from Washington.
Reports from Maj. Gen. Parker. COM
manding the southern division, said the
situation was under control and that
no further rioting was feared.
Senator Sheppard asked that no negro
troops. except those of Texas origin.
be sent into Texas for training.
oficial Reports on Rioting.
Oficial reports on the troop rioting
at Houston began arriving at the War
Department early today and were hur-
ried to Secretary Baker as fast as they
came in. They were coming from the
commanding general of the Southern
Department. whose investigation pos
sibly may be supplemented by a spe-
cial inquiry by the inspector general
of the Army, as the affair Is regarded
as most serious. particularly in view
OF the fact that the negro troops con-
cerned were regulars and not National
Guardsmen or drafted troops new to
Regular Army discipline.
The similarity Of the occurrence to the
celebrated Brownsville rioting, as the re-
suit of which President Roosevelt sum-
marily dismissed two battalions of negro
troops, is marked. and officials indicate
that the affair will be investigated just as
thoroughly and dealt with as vigorously
as its nature demands. They realize that
it accentuates the delicate question of
mobilizing negro troops in the south.
from the states and which has confronted
the War Department with a very embar-
RAISING situation
Southern Members Shocked.
Southern members of Congress were
greatly shocked today at reports of
race trouble at Houston. Yex. between
negro soldiers of the Regular Army,
white civilians and white members of
the Texas and Illinois National Guard
A demand for a congressional investi-
cation TO Supplement- the inquiry set
afoot by the War Department is likely
to be made. Thus far members of Con-
without information other than con-
tanned in newspaper dispatches.
OF this. however they feel that there
Is doubt and that the press dispatches
received through private advfces
The Houston trouble has revived the
agitation among southern representa-
tives and senators to reverse the War
Department policy Of sending negro
| troops to southern training camps The
| members of Congress feel that the
Houston incident may be regarded as
an advance notice of what will occur in
the Carolinas. in Alabama and in
southern states generally where COL
| ored militiamen are to be quartered
within few weeks.
Statement Of Secretary Baker.
Later Secretary Baker issued the fol-
lowing statement in regard to the Houston
affair:
.aThe War Department announces that
| 1t has received from Gen. Parker, in COM
mand of the Southern Department, a teie-
gram stating that serious clash had oc-
CURED between approximately $50 men Of
| the oath Infantry and the civilian popula-
| ton, resulting in from nine to twelve
Casualties 50 far recorded
Gen. Parker states that he has used
Illinois troops and coast artillery COM
panies from Galveston to get control
of the situation. which, he says, is now
entirely under control. The cause of
the trouble was unknown at the time
Gem Parker sent his dispatch. He also
| reports that the Governor of Texas had
declared martial law and placed Gen.
Hulen in charge. Gen. Hulen is known
to the department as an excellent off,
Ger. who saw service in the Philippine
| insurrection. Beyond this no official
| reports have reached the department
of any kind. but Gen. Parker has been
directed to report the news exactly as
| 1t Is ascertained."
May Be Given a Hero's Funeral.
CHICAGO, August 24.-It is expected
that the body of Capt. Joseph Mates
will be brought back to Chicago and
! that bis funeral will be made a public
demonstration. He was unmarried and
| lived with his brothers and sisters in a
house on land taken out by his grand
father as a government grant many