Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13

OF these COlOreC people tney are III
the cause of social equality.
They may have been driven out of the
army by their great and good friend, Theo-
dore Roosevelt. ne continued, but II any
man knows the colored race these men
same as their heroes today. Churches and
conventions OF colored people for several
months ma e been passing resolutions con-
demning tie curse of the President.
He referred 10 the forthcoming message
of the President transmitting additional tes-
timony on the Brownsville affair and said
that he expected II would be mere legal
lied treatment of the subject with little
elaboration. After the present investigation
by the War Department is concluded he
expected the country would still be In the
dark TO who the culprits are. The trou-
BILE is. he declared, the efforts to get at the
facts in this case should have been made
while the men were In the service Of the
United States and not after they were scat
tered over the country.
II do not like to refer to the Secretary OF
War. said Mr.. Tilman, las INDUCING in
special pleading. The Secretary of War is
gentleman of such geniality. jovialty and
big-heartedness. he makes so many friends
among people who come in contact with
him that | do not like to refer to him in
any uncompltmentary way. But he seems
to be the author of the phrase conspiracy
of silence He lays himself liable to the
charge Of special pleading in the defense of
the President. / do not like to charge a
judge or an ex-judge with special pleading,
although l have charged senator's with It.
on the Brownsville affair." with the inference
that the Secretary's statement was put
forth merely in order to justify what had
been done rather than as fair statement
of the facts.
Following a colloquy with Senator Gull
berson on his position to the Presidents
authority under the articles of war to dis
charge the soldiers. Mr.. Tillman remarked
that none of the negroes discharged would
return to Texas.
zone of them" he continued, that ia
nous sergeant. Mingo Sanders comes from
Mngo and shake his hand But he amt
going back to South Carolina and let me
know he is coming
Why not?" interiected Senator Foraker
Because the suspicion that might pre-
vail as to who really did the killing would
make it unhealthy for him down there. I
wish it wasn't So but 1 can't help it. If
he had been discharged honorably he could
have come down there and been the big
gest man at negro camp meetings and re-
ceived respectful treatment from the
whites"
What would probably happen to him?"
persisted Mr.. Foraker.
oh" CALCULATED Mr.. Tillman. with evil
dence of Impotence, Il am going to dis
Cuss the race question directly" and as the
evidence of amusement at his retort sub
sided. he added:
Don't you greet. l am going to get right
down to the milk in the cocoanut but
don't want the fire alarm to go off until
tHe Deil rings tLauSuter)
A Washington Illustration.
Senator Tilman convulsed the galleries
and amused many senator's a minute later
by illustrating the discrimination between
the races in Washington. Negroes are not
allowed to drink at all the bars in Wash
tngton, as you all know" he said. The last
three words were given especial emphasis
and the senator waved his hand to include
the whole Senate.
Mr. Tilman said there were some times
when he wished to be dispassionate and
deliberate and he had prepared in writing
his discussion of the question and
would read it. The war had settled the
question of slavery and also the question
of whether we were to be a confederation
a nation. We were, he said. a nation
with big IN but the southern half of
the country had no conception OF the word
nation except it is connected with
the word "nigger-and more's the pity"
To question from Senator Beveridge
that remedy be suggested. Mr.. Tillman
declined to enter into that phase of the
discussion. He said he had arisen from Q
sick bed TO speak. and to follow the sug-
gestion of the question would involve an
other two hours speech. 1t had simply
been his object to point out that the people
of the south were on the crest of vol
cano. and confronted with a situation of
which the people of the north had no con-
ception AS to the Brownsville matter, he
ought not to be punished because there
were some guilty, and I think the Presi-
dent has made some very grave blunders
in dealing with this subject"
Senator Patterson followed Mr.. Tilman.
announcing his belief that the President
had the legal right to take the action he
had, but he believed the wisdom or pro-
priety OF that action might be open to queS-
ton. He had no doubt the President was
moved from the highest motives, and as
serted that the censure by the senator from
South Carolina that the President was
moved by race prejudice was unjust. He
believed the Booker Washington luncheon
disproved such conclusion Mr.. Patter-
son gave as his reason for speaking that
he did not by his silence wish to be held
TO indorse the sentiments on the race ques
ton just expressed.
The Senate in the next session. he said
would have but two democratic senators
from the north. and it was his belief that
a short time in the future would the
political dividing line completely drawn be-
tween the north and south.
II such speeches as had just been
delivered. he maintained, which would
hasten this condition. Mr. Tillman. he
said. was not alone in advocacy of repeal
ing the fourteenth and fifteenth amend
ments. Gov. Vardaman of Mississippi. and
Hoke Smith, soon to be governor, If he was
not already governor of Georgia" had
made the same declaration. and there was
rapidly being organized a sentiment toward
uniting the people of the north and south
in the repeal of these constitutional pro-
visions and which would result in prac-
teal return to a condition of peonage for
the negro.
Ascertaining that Mr.. Patterson had
never been in the black belt" of Ala
bama Mississippi. Mr.. Tillman suggested
that it might be well for him to go down
there and learn something"
Both Mr.. Patterson and Mr. Tillman
agreed that the colonization of the negro
was not the solution but Mr. Tillman COM
planned when Mr., Patterson insisted that
the reason Senator Tillman would not
agree 10 have the negroes deported was
of selfshness because of the value of
the negro as labOrer rather than. as Mr.
Tillman had just explained, one of extreme
cruelty TO the negro.
MI. Tillman's Retort.
Il sorry the senator cannot give me
credit for disinterested and honest state
ment,' retorted Mr.. Timan. He added
that the race question in the near future
would be appalling and unless something
Is done to undo the mistakes of the past.
a struggle between the races is inevitable,
and when the TWO races get a. each others
threats, those who now stand off and
theorize about it will not be present at the
throat cutting"
When MIR. Patterson explained that his
purpose was 20 correctly state the position
OF the northern democrat as opposed to