The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-01-11
TEDDY BACKED
BY CULBERS0N
Texas Senator Says President Was
Right in Discharging Negroes.
MATTER UP IN SENATE
Debate on Foraker Resolution Calling
For Investigation Promises to Be
Lively for Upper House SolOns.

@tENAI AVA SEE~@ @~S~'~~
Senator Culberson of Texas was
the first speaker in defense Of Presi-
dent Roosevelt's action in dlscharg-
ing, without honor, the Brownsville
battalion of colored troops, and re
viewed the whole subject exhaustive
~ in most interesting speech in
the senate Thursday morning.
Senator Clay is scheduled for a
speech in which he will follow Gull
berson in support of the presidents
action.
Senator Culberson scored a point
that was appreciated immensely by
the galleries, when he said 1t was
no more essential whether the battal
ION was discharged because they were
negroes than it was whether the con-
troyersy arose in the senate because
they we're negroes.
Although q senator from Texas, Gull
berson is very close to Georgia. He
was himself born in Alabama, but his
father came from Troup county, Ga,
and his mother from Columbia coun-
ty, Ga. He is closely related to many
prominent Georgia families. His
speech, the first gun in the contest,
brought about by the Foraker reso.
lution, was listened with interest.
Senator Culberson said that he
would have kept quiet but for the
fact that great injustice had been
done the peoT!e of Brownsville.
Mr.. Culberson said the conduct of
the negro soldiers had been very IT.
ritating to the Brownsville people,
and especially so to the women He
related that on August 4, last, the
day before the shooting up Of the
town, a criminal assault had been
committed by one of the soldiers on
the wife Of a reputable citizen, and
said that no arrests had been made
for the crime Mr.. Culberson defended
Captain Mcdonald Of the Texas Ran
gers, to whom Mr.. Foraker had re,
Gerred because Of Major Blocksom's
reference to him as a man who was
$50 brave that he would net hesitate
to charge he'll with a bucket Of wa
ter"
Mr.. Culberson also said he knew
Major Blocksom to be a gentleman.
In defending President Roosevelt
for his dismissal Of the troops, Mr..
Culberson said the fact that the
troops were negroes had nothing to
do with their discharge. Confusion as
to the legal questions involved was,
he said, responsible for the statement
that the president had no authority to
make the discharge The presidents
legislative authority and the author
ity given him by the articles OF war
clearly covered the case, and made
his action legal, he declared. He
commended that discharges for crimi-
nal oGensesl are covered in the arti-
cles Of war as are also the charges
made to effect punishment
To establish the motive actuating
the negro soldiers in creating the al
legged disturbance, Mr.. Culberson read
resolutions recently adopted by negro
citizens Of Boston, which admitted that
The soldiers "shot up" the town and
said they were determined to do for
themselves what the uniform of their
country would not do--protect them
from insults and punish at the Same
time the authors of their misery
Discl9iming any partisanry for the
president, Mr.. Culberson created
wave of meriment by saying: Il have
nothing to do with the president in
this matter I care nothing about him.
MY personal relations with him are
about as cordial as those of the SEN
ator from Ohio" MT. Foraker.l
In all fairness, Mr.. Culberson said,
the country ought to know that the re-
port made to the president was re-
liable.