New-York tribune., 1906-12-21
DEBATE ON NEGROES
LIYELY TILT IN SENATE.
Mr.. Lodge AnszCers Nr. FOraber,s
Criticism of President.
Iron The Tribune Bureau. ]

OF his resolution instructing the Military A.
fairs COMMITTEES TO conduct investigation 0f
the Brownsville incident delivered a powerful
and, at least for time. telling arraignment 0r
the action Of the President IN dismissing the
Negro soldiers. and Senator Lodge replying
briefly but effectively. demonstrated to the Sen
ate the decidedly parse character OF Mr.
Forakers remarks. AS a special pleading. the
speech Of the Senator from Ohio was brilliant.
and he made progress toward accomplishing his
purpose OF getting the Senate 70 tnvsstigate ths
Brownsville affair further
Senator Lodge made plea for justice 20 the
President and the Secretary or War VINO had.
he said. been charged with the disagrseabIe duty
or dealing with this unfortunate occurrence. and
who had doubtless given many days OF most
careful thought TO the subject before reaching
a decision In closing Mr.. Lodge read from the
evidence the fact that the Negroes OF the 25tn
Infantry had shot up four towns before their
Brownsville escapade and by reading in fun tho
testimony Of witnesses whom Mr.. Foraker had
quoted only in part established the belief in the
Senate that Mr. Foraker had. in his enthusiasts
championship OF the dismissed Negroes, been
unfair to the President and his advisors.
Mr. Lodge spoke for only ten minutes and
canGtdly confessed that he is less familiar with
the evidence than Senator Foraker who said
yesterday that he had enjoyed an opportunity
to examine the Presidents message before IL
was sent TO Congress. Mr.. Foraker vas COM
PEELED to admit that he had read though h.
omitted TO refer to 1t. the facts relating to ons
Of the shooting ARRAYS Of members OF the 25th
before the Brownsville affair.
ATTACKS MAJOR BLOCKsOM.
Senator Foraker appeared to resent the face
that the President in his message. apparently
replying TO the charge that General Darlington
was South Carolinian. had emphasized the
fact that Major BlOcksOm. the inspector who
conducted the first investigation was from Ohfo-i
In reply. Mr.. Foraker said that Major BIOcksou,
was the son Of valIandigham Democrat ana
had been brought up antipathy TO the Negro-
He also emphasized the fact that General Car
HngtOn Southerner. but his introduction
Of this was generally regarded as mistake,
both from the points of view OF fairness and
of tactics, as it probably insures the antagonlsn
Of every Democrat in the Senate.
Major BlocksOm, Mr. Foraker said. had evf-
IDENTIFY developed an enthusiastic admiration for
one OF the witnesses. a Captain Mcdonald OF
the Texas Rangers. as was shown by the state
ment IN his report that "ths man was so brave
that he would charge hell with bucket OF
water"
Il would like to cross-examine a man so brave
as that" remarked the Senator
Senator Lodge when he replied to this sait
that he did not in the least from what
state any of the officers concerned IN the in
vestigatiOn came for it inCOnceivable TO
him that any officer OF the army would be
guilty of the Unspeakabe infamy OF distOrting
the facts. would even be prejudiced by the
place Of his nativity the political Affiliations
of his father
Senator Foraker alleged that the President
had far exceeded his constitutional powers by
dismissing the Negro troops. and quoted articles
Of war in support Of his contention that the
should have been tried by court martial
Replying 10 Mr. Lodge. he said that the 352
discharges without honor OF last year were
wholly different from the case Of the men OF ths
25th- He then proceeded to analyze the re-
port OF Major Blockson and the testimony
taken by him. reading parts Of the testimony Of
the witnesses. and addressing himself TO dis
proof Of the Presidents assertion that scores
OF witnesses" had testified 70 the guilt OF tn.
dismissed soldiers. The Senator from Ohts
handled this part OF his argument with excep-
tionaI dexterity and apparently convinced many
Senators that the evidence which had led 10 tho
dismissal Of the soldiers without honor was noe
such as would have proved sufficient to have
established their guilt in a court OF Justice
Mr.. Foraker held that the case did not presensT
an open question, but that the authorities gav.
instances of cases along similar lines. in all OF
which justice had been administered after trial
by court martial
Congress has always been careful" he con-
tinued. Ito provide that found guilty OF
an offence should be punished otherwise than
as Congress might direct
DIsCREDITs THE WITNESSES.
The President says this is the most atroctous
crime ever committed II these men committed
the crime. and did shoot up Brownsville. agree
with him. have sympathy with that so-s
OF thing. and it may be that IL done. Bus
I repeat that what 1 TO call attention 20 10
that the President has misconceived both his
constitutional power and the evidence IN this
case The President says the guilt OF these
men has been established by the testimony Of
scores Of eyewitnesses. as shown by the report
OF Major BlOcksOm. have counted the witt,
nesses In the report OF Major BlOcAsom. and
there are Just twenty-One OF them
would mean at least twenty. Their testimony
was taken by a seIf-cOnstituted citizens COM
mittee. and no oaths were administered
Mr.. Foraker then went through the evidences
in question. reading extracts from the testi-
mony and eliminating eyewitnesses thoss
who said they had not seen those who did the
shooting. until he had reduced the actual num-
Der Of eyewitnesses 10 eight As to these he re-
marked that their testimony was utterly
satisfactory and insufficient 10 ind the men
guilty OF the crime with which they wers
charged
Mr. Foraker repeated several times during his
speech that he believed the President had been
imposed upon But he added Il believe no
is big enough man and just enough 20
undo what he has done when ne finds tho
situation"
Replying 10 a question from Senator Knox a.
10 whether there was no evidence except that
furnished In the Blocksom report Mr.. Foraker