The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-06-18

the Secretary of War captures he VIII
get with the sword.
If Senator Foraker ever was disposed
70 acquiesce in any harmony programme
he has given it up as the result Of the
declaration by Representative Burton. OF
Cleveland. that Foraker must be elimi-
mated from Ohio politics. Mr.. Burton
was supposed to be speaking for Secrc-
tary Taft. That declaration was re-
garded by Senator Foraker and his
friends as more than political affront.
They contend that it was q personal in
suit.
There have been some suggestions since
the Eastern visit Of Arthur /. Norys, the
Taft manager, that a harmony pro-
gramme was TO be arranged and submit
ted 10 Senator Foraker whereby he should
acquiesce in a Taft delegation be allowed
20 return % the Senate. and have the pTiyi-
lege OF placing Taft i'm nomination for
President Senator Forakers friends say
that no such suggestion has been sub
mitted to him and would not be accepted
if proposed
Senator Foraker returned TO Washing
ton from Philadelphia yesterday and will
go to Ohio this afternoon to remain until
Congress meets. He declined 10 discuss
politics, except to say that the Ohio sill
uation was entirely satisfactory to him.
Has No Announcements.
lie viii make no announcements His
friends have advised him that about
dozen counties only ont of a total Of
lightweight have declared for Taft and
in some Of these the resolutions Of in
dorsement were passed by fewer than a
majority Of the entire membership.
The senior Senator Will so 20 Cincin-
natl, arriving there tomorrow, and on
Thursday will deliver an address AT VIII
berf0rce University, negro educational
Institution. In his speech ne will handle
the question of responsibility for the
Brownsville ARRAY. On Friday he will
speak on railroad legislation before the
national convention of the freight traffic
agents at Put-in-Bay. He has an invita-
ton 10 so 90 Toledo on Saturday The
Senator will be kept busy with invita-
tons for public speeches. some Of them
on political matters. While averse 10
discussing politics. Mr.. Foraker showed
a willingness to talk about the Browns
Vile hearing before the Senate Committee
en- Military Affairs. which closed last
week. He has not been convinced by the
testimony taken that the soldiers shot up
the Texas town In this connection he
gave out the following statement:
Statement nv Foraker
Ny attention has just been called to
the statement published in a New York
paper Of Sunday. purporting to be a
review and analysis OF the testimony
that has been taken in the
Brownsville investigation. and set
ting forth the claim that It shows con
clusively that the soldiers Of the
Twenty Battalion did the shooting.
II is so grossly inaccurate and unjust
that plain duty to the truth. as well as
to the accused soldiers, requires that
something be said in answer and mas
much as I am more familiar with the
testimony than anybody else. this duty
seems to fall upon me
The testimony given by the SOL
diers i'm their own behalf is not. in my
opinion. shaken by the testimony given
by the citizens Of Brownsville. That
testimony. I'm the first place. is but a
repetition Of what was first taken by
the citizens committee and afterward
more deliberately retaken by Mr. Purdy.
No important item Of new evidence has
been brought forward against the sol
diers in this examination.
Ninety per cent Of what the citizens
have testified about had relation to
matters over which there was no con,
troversy. For instance. everybody con-
cedes that the town was shot up: that
somebody did it,, that these people who
did il passed through the streets and
alleys where the shooting was done
and that they had guns or revolvers. or
firearms Of some sort. and that one man
was killed and another wounded. The
only dispute is as to whether the raid
ers were identified as soldiers Of the
garrison
Two Kinds of Evidence.
There are two kinds Of evidence. rs-
lied upon TO show that the soldiers id
it, One consists of the shells and bullets
that were secured from the streets and
houses of Brownsville. The results Of the
microscopic inspection. interpreted in the
light of the other testimony Of the case
completely disposed of this part Of the
case. The only other testimony is that Of
people who claim TO have been eye
witnesses TO the shooting. This consists
of statements by various people that
when they heard the firing they looked
ont OF their windows and houses and
down dark alleys, where there were no
lights, at distances varying all the way
from 80 feet Up TO 80 feet, and recognized
the men who were doing the firing as
negroes wearing the uniform of United
States soldiers. The officers of the bat
TALON have testified generally and spe-
officially as 20 the darkness Of the night.
BY specifically 1 mean. have given specific
Incidents coming within their personal
experiences that illustrated how dark the
night WAS. According to this testimony.
in the language Of Mai Penrose. the
night was so dark that he could not dis
tinguish one OF his officers. who were all
white men, from one Of his enlisted men.
who were all colorcd. At a distance of
ten feet nor could he at that distance
tell anything about how a man was
dressed.
Rcfuted by Officers.
All these officers have testified that the
claims Of the citizens who testified that
they saw the raiders and recognized them
as soldiers ut the distances and under the
circumstances stated by them, are utterly
impossible. These officers are intelligent,
honorable men. At one time.
when the case was only partially inyesti-
gated, they were of the opinion. and
frankly stated it, that their men were
guilty, but that fact only strengthens
their testimony as they now give it that
the testimony Of the citizens, by which
they claim 10 identify their soldiers. is
utterly unreliable. untrustwOrthy. and
by them unbelievable
q do not know whether any more testi-
mony viii be taken. and Of course, dc not