Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-09-08
BISHOP DEFENDS THE
COLORED SOLDIERS
SUSPEND VERDICT ON HOUSTON
RIOT, is PLEA.
Bishop Smith of n NJ. Il. Church Says
Snap Judgment Not Warranted.


Snap Judgment Not Warranted.
Detroit Free Press, Aug. 81, 1919
TO the Editor: The drastic tone
of your editorial in Saturdays Free
Press, ancnt the recent disturbance
III Houston, Texas, was a painful sur
prise to mo, being quite in contrast
with the usual temperate character
OF your uttcrances.
Thore arc so many currents and
counter-currents Of n disturbing ma
lure in evidence that this is no time
for hasty unterances. Public judg-
ment should be suspended until all the
material facts in the unfortunate and
rcsreuabie occurrence have been fully
investigated and the result made
known by the war department.
The stories emanating from Hous.
ton are onc-sidcd and reflect the pre-
JUDGES OF the dominant clement in
houston instead OF the facts in tho
case. ~ Negro =. military uniform Is
rs eXasperating to the average Texan
rs Is the face OF al enraged bull.
when the Titanic disaster was re-
ported, 1t was said Mr.. Andrew Car
hesic laconically inquired; "What was
she doing up there anyway?" having
reference to the extreme northern
course the ship had taken. 1t is
equally pertinent to inquire, why
were the Negro troops sent to Texas
anyway particularly those Of the reru.
lar army? Has the remembrance of
the brownsville affair entirely faded
rom pubic memory? Is it so soon
forgotten that but n few DAVIS ago
PuDllclty was given to the report that
Negro troops were In q clash
WIN the; authorities Of Waco Texas?
-, W tfncC ilnclup''{sl fs,U> red
curing the Spanish American war are
sun lresh III my memory-the threat
TO dynamite train load of Negro regu
lars by the dominant element of Tex
arKana, Ark, and the merciless as
sault made on train load Of Negro
volunteers at Nashville, Tenn, while
natl. W
SUSPEND JUDGMENT, IS PLEA
Hon. Joe II. Eagle, NJ. c.. for the
!,oaston district, in a dispatch to
me secretary Of war said; "Withont
s'atlng who is to blame, it IS clearly
a race riot and is a tragedy sufficient
10 compel the statement that It Is n
.l"slc blunder to send the Negro troons
10 southern camps"
VINO is to blame for this tragic
Dlunder? The Negro troops went to
houston in obedience to the orders
OF thelr superiors whose right If is
70 airect their movement" "A race riot ?
%, ana mat statement coming from
congressman on the ground, and
INC CHOSEN representatives OF tho
aoihlhant element of Houston, ought
TO DC sufficient to induce the public tn
suspend Judgment for the time heinz
PRESIDENT Wilson made n trench.
ant statement in speech in Philadei-
phia to the effect that "a man nav
DC too proud to fight" with eouol
,orcc 1t may be said that a man NAV
DO 100 manly to continually submit To
extreme brutal treatment. Even the
patlent OK may be goaded to desnnro-
ton. W u''pei"-
inc fact Is the white race by pre.
clpItatng a world-war has tnrnod
mans earthly abode into a yeritobla
nell, and there is no telling when tho
iires or damnatiOn will be extinpuish.
eu or what elements will he consnu.
Ell wh1ie they are raging. II \ nIaio
speaking is in order let both sides he
Nothing that I have written is to he
construed as indicating the least do
sire on my part to condone any in.
traction Of discipline by the Negro
troops In question. Let no guilty man
With sad heart,
G. s. SMITH,
Bishop A. M. T.. Church.