Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-01-15
Lays Brownsville Outrages
to Colored Troops, But
Said Should Not Have
Been Sent There
DENOUNCED FORAKER
GRILLED ROOSEVELT
Senate Hears Fiery Speech
On Race Question

Washington, D. c., Jan. 12-Senator
Tillman spoke on the Brownsville in
cident in the senate today. He char
acterized the Presidents action in the
matter, "as nothing more nor less than
lynching." He challenged anyone to
produce in the army regulations or ar
ticles Of war any foundation for the
charge of conspiracy Of silence, mutiny
and treason made against the soldiers,
although he declared there was no
doubt that the soldiers were RESPONSE
Bile for the Outrage at Brownsville.
Mr.. Tillman held that it was con-
trary to the fundamental principles of
liberty of English and American law
that the innocent should suffer because
LOT the sins of the guilty; also, he de-
clared that man shall be considered
innocent until he is proven guilty. "1n
this case," he said, "167 men have
been punished while not more than
twenty have been charged with parti-
cipation in the crime"
Mr.. Tillman maintained that the ne
gro troops should not have been sent
to Texas. They were sent there. he
said, against the protests of one of the
| Texas senators and the congressman
|
there, he continued, with a wholly in
were only five officers for the three
companies.
| This was DONE" Mr.. Tillman eX-
claimed, without any thought or care
on the part of the President or secre-
tary IF war as to results. The first
thought of the President was to pro-
tect the negroes and to punish the cit
liens by abandoning the post"
| Especially Major Penrose and Cap
tain Macklin," Mr.. Tillman said, "are
shown to have acted without gross
negligence and incompetence"
All OF. the soldiers who got in trou-
BILE were from Macklin's company, said
Mr.. Tillman, who added that Macklin
did not believe that a negro had seized
Mrs. Evans by the hair, and that he
made no effort to detect the soldier
This he believed raised the question
as to whether or not Captain Macklin
was IN sympathy with the men in their
scheme for revenge.
Denounces Foraker.
| Turning his attention to Senator
Foraker, Mr.. Tillman declared the
Ohio senator had belittled himself by
attacking Major Blocksom as man
whose father was copperhead Are
we never to have an end of the war
and it's bitterness?" he exclaimed.
"Are the people of the north and the
south never to understand each other
and to recognize the rights of both sec
tions?
at is useless to deny that the race
question lies at the bottom of all this.
ut is equally useless to say that
these troops were discharged because
they We're negroes. If the negroes
had been treated the same way as
white regulars were treated at Athens,
Ohio, the civil authorities would have
arrested those believed to be guilty
and the matter ended in the courts. In
that Instance the war department de-
Tended The regulars, although they had
committed murder and it was declared
the troops were the wards of the ma
ton. very proper and right position
to take.
Says President is to Blame.
"The whole issue involved is one OF
race and the President is primarily
more responsible than any other man
for the position the negroes in the
south have taken on the question OF
negro rights. He gave recognition to
i Booker Washington in social way
i I -