Mr Smith: Yep, splitting hairs is a very good thing. Always--as such constant splitting helps move the disicission away from what individuals believe to what can be veriified from the record. I hope you will agree.

Use the Leckie example I cited. Over the past nearly 35 years, their own as well as the research (aka hair splitting) of others has caused the Leckies to an about face on the question of discrimination in the distribution of arms, equipment and horses to the black regular cavalry regiments in the period between when these units were first organized (l866) and the beginning of the Spanish American War.

When enough folks cite material from the Leckies' "revised edition" instead of the original l967 version--a process that may well take another thirty five or more years-I will know that this hair splitting business has caught on .

Tom Phillips