Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1907 — MIDNIGHT ASSASSINS [ARTICLE]

MIDNIGHT ASSASSINS

What the President Calls the Men . Who “Shot Up” Brownsville, Tex. SENDS IN SOME MORE PROOF ) Declares It Absolutely Conclusive of Their Guilt Admits One Error in His Judgment on the Case, and Revokes That Part —Reception in the Senate. Washington, Jan. 15. President Roosevelt, In a special message sent to the senate, revoked part of his now famous ordetudischarging three companies of negro soldiers in the army scandal at Brownsville, Tex. He restores to all the right to obtain “civil employment under the’ government.” He refuses, however, ever to permit the negroes in question to re-enllst in the army or enter the navy. But he says if any disgraced man clears himself of culpability in or knowledge of the Brownsville crimes he will deal with such man’s case on Its merits as the facts warrant. Calls Them “Midnight Assassins.” President Roosevelt declares there Is no power that can review his acl In dismissing the negro soldiers. He calls the disgraced troops ’“midnight assassins,” and says “there Is no doubt of my constitutional and legal power" In discharging them without honor. He admits that the revoked part of his order was invalid. With the message Roosevelt sent bullets and shells aud special reports showing, he asserts, that the fatal firing in Brownsville is Indubtiality fastened on ten to twenty of the negro soldiers, and that the others discharged must have had guilty knowledge of the crime, but shielded their comrades.

Senators Listen Attentively. The message, accompaiied by a box neatly wrapped and tied with red tape containing cartridges and shells as exhibits in tlie case, was read immediately after its receipt by the senate, and was attentively listened to. The exhibit was not opened, however, but remained on the desk of the vice president. At the conclusion of the reading Foraker requested that It lie printed with the accompanying exhibits. Lodge expressed a desire that the message and evidence be printed in the record, commenting that there was no way so successfully to conceal information as to print it as a document, but he recognized that In the present Instance the exhibits were too long.

DOES NOT SATISFY FORAKER Message Fails, He Says, to Meet What He Is After. After the message had been read Foraker, saying he was not going to make a speech “but a few remarks,” observed that the testimony amounted to a great deal—“ For the president tells us it is conclusive. But it does not remove the objection I have had from the beginning of this proceeding. What I have been trying to contend for. and I hope I will ire successful, is to secure hearing for the men charged witli this serious crime. This testimony has been taken as the other was, behind closed doors, without anyliody representing tlie men. That is the reason I shall not desist, notwithstanding what tlie president has said as to the character of it, from pressing for an investigation of the subject where especially the men who are charged with the crimes of murder, perjury and conspiracy can be heard.” Tlie speeehmaking on the subject then began and continued until 5:30 o’clock. Mallory, indorsing tlie action of the president, held that the president might have gone too far in preenting tlie re-enlistment of tlie soldiers involved, but otherwise he approved the president’s order of discharge. Clay followed, and the debate was given a lively turn by Tillman’s interruptions. Clay said the people of Georgia heartily indorsed tlie president’s action. Bacon followed witli what he said was a precedent for the Brownsville order in the discharge of a company of South Carolina National Guardsmen by Tillman when he was governor. This Involved Tillman again in the debate. Spooner was In the midst of a constitutional discussion of the authority of the president in the case when adjournment was taken. Spooner holds that when the president exercises his powers ns commander-in-chlef of the army the senate has no Jurisdiction to review his actions. He also contended that congress lias no power to legislate specifically to restore the soldiers discharged In the present case, declarIjig that review enn only lie had by Impeachment proceedings, which must originate in the house of representatives. ,