Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-27
Much Interest in Case
Of Negro Troops.
Holidays Full Of Plans For Et.
tective Reply to Foraker.
An Investigating Committee Will
Probably Go Into Matter.

| w dSuIllStUH. IL. T., Dec. S6.-tsopec-
iaD.-Guns are being loaded up to the
muzZle. The Christmas holidays are
| filled with hostile preparations. The
| days that should have flown by with
| pleasant greetings are spent in Office
and library. digging for data. Clerks
are scurrying. No curtailed working
| hours for them. There IS serious bus
mess ahead.
All this because President Roosevelt
has discharged without honor three
companies. constituting a battalion of
| the 18th Infantry, which is a negro
regiment. and because Senator Fora
| ker, "Firc-Ialarm'' Foraker as he was
known i'll the earlier days, has taken
up the popular agitation against the
Presidents action. THE country as
the domain of the United States of
| America outside the District of Column
! ba is termed here, seems to be taking
! the matter rather seriously. The less
/ than 10 miles square of land which
comprises the National Capitol and the
| District OF Columbia. thinks it is Il
i mighty serious thing. Everybody is
agOg with more OR less excitement.
| The brigade of long noses scent Il row.
A row Of almost any kind interests
Washington.
| The quarrel was shaping up several
weeks ago. but it had slumbered along
IN the Senate till it began to seem like
an affair for some time after the hol-
| days. But Senator Foraker is MOTH
| ing if not aggressive. Securing the
| floor the very last day before the adj
| iournment, he spoke to his resolution
| Ire i,.in in Z iua+ Of he Il
charge Of the soldiers alleged to have
| been implicated in the shooting up
of brownsville. Tex. His speech was a
| trcbrand. Senator Lodge of Massa-
chusctts. as the Presidents defender,
but claiming only fair play for the
President and all concerned. hit back
| Senate adjourned that day in Il fer
mcnt. There was plainly trouble
| ahead.
| Thin came TIL, shooting il Okla
homa OF Capt. Edgar \. -lacslin. who
had Eern uiiicec of the day when the
| Brownsyiil" ;!fray occurred. An assas-
sin called TIE captain to the back door
and several shots were poured into his
body. President Roosevelt had al
ready beer stirred with resentment ut
the attack uuon himself by Senator
| Foraker. II made him long for a chance
to have il out with the senator and
hardly had the Senate adjourned be-
fore orders went over to the war de-
partnl"nt. which is just acrGss the
| sire It i?or! the White House offices.
TO get busy" and dig out the records
| OH cases that Scnato' Foraker had
Dcen citing. Tho argument Of the
| ll!!Iant orator ana rcsourceful lawyer
| had struck home to The White House
Eut III. shooting Of capt. Macklin
| was ia",c than the President could
stand. There were fireworks around
| the White House Offices the morning
| tho newspaper diSpatc hes told about il.
| III" President believes it was In part
1t least. TIL" oltsruwth of the aT!t,-
| tioU against the discharge of the
| truorS. II" bldn'S Senator Foraker
ana Ii" hi~mcs Gilchrist Stewart of the
New York Constitutional League. Eut
| h'' tId not rest quiet with expressions
Of *chtHc!lt. ii" called in Secretary
"i state i;uol. who Was one" secretary
l"f VAR. ANA Secretary Of War Taft.
/ III" tNu trUd.od ever to the White
House carry in Il day that everybody
supposed would j." a very quiet and
uneNcntful d"y. being the last Satur-
da! before Christians. Around Wash
| inGton. "si"ti tally Ill government cir
Giles, il is something. of an offcn@c to
| york ON the last Saturday before
Christmas When Christmas comes car
~ tho following week.
| However. the President meant BUSH
ness AID he had important things to
TAX over with tho two secretaries. He
| lauSt !.avc new evidence, FOR h" in
! t"nd& - meet the issue with Senator
| Foraker suGareiy The tire" talked
1t over ara Milton D. Purdy., who has
| ihc official title OF Assistant to the At
| torney General. where the other as
siYtarts are known as Assistant At
torncys General. was picked as the
best man. Mr.. Puruy is a shrewd.r
| ann an ADLER man than he looks. He
is smooth Of face but be-spectacled
and would pass in a crowd for young
man Of 30 or 81. He has more years
| than that to his credit He is nearer
| forty, but while that is Young in a
comparative sense. Mr.. Purdy is Old in
| irust-husting He b, gan graphing
| with the tcntacles of the Octopus way
back in the days of the Northern Sc
| tui 'tiS case itiel he WAS Il lawyer
| in Minnesota. served as United States
| District Attorney and served so well
| that Senator Knox. then attorney gen
er2l brought him down to Washington
AMI put him in the Department Of JUS
tice. lie continued to grapple the
| tentGcles of the Octopus, every time
| one was thrust within view of the de-
| partment and continued also 10 give a
good account of himself in the strug-
gle. Eventually there was Il vacancy
| in the office of Assistant to the Attor-
ney General. which Office was created
| to have immediate supervision over
trust busting. He has served there
for fully three years and what there is
about trust smashing that Mr.. Purd!-
Goes not know is hardly worth know