The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-01-10
CONGRESS AT WORK
Both Houses Of Congress Resume
Work After Holiday Recess.

A
Work After Holiday Recess.
SooS after the Senate met Senator
Foraker's resolution providing for
sn inquiry By the Senate into Inc
discharge Of the negro troops Of tie
Twenty -fifth Infantry of account 81
the Brownsville, Texas, episode, was
laid before the Senste and Senator
Culberson made an address on the |
subject. He said that he would have |
kept quiet but for the fact that great
Unjust had been done the people oil
Brown, i!le-.
Mr. CuIbers0n said thu: the con-
duet of the negro soldiers had been
very irritating 10 the Brownsville
people and especially so TO the won-
en-. lie related that on August i,
last, the day before the shooting
up" of the town, criminal assault
had been committed by one of the
soldiers on the wife of reputable
citizen and said that no arrests had
been made for the crime. Mr.. Cul-
berson defended Captain Mcdonald,
IF the Texas Rengers, TO whom Mr.
Foraker had referred because OF
| Major Blocksom s reference TO him
as man who was $50 brave that
he would not hesitate to charge he'll
with a bucket Of water Mr.. Cu!-
berson also said that he knew MAJOR
Blocksom TO be a gentleman.
Defends the President.
In defending President Roosevelt
for his dismissal of the troops, Mr..
CuIberson said the fact that the
troops were negroes had nothing
to do with their discharge. Confu-
sion as to the legal question involved
was. he said, responsible for the state
ment that the President had no an-
thority to make the discharge. The
PRESIDENT constitutional authority
and the authority given him by the
articles of war clearly covered the
case and made his action legal, he
declared, He contended that dis
charges for criminal offenses are Gov
cred in the articles of war as are alsC
discharges made to effect punishment
Mr.. Culberson said that there wa:
distinction between discharge
without HONOR In the former cas-
the President could exercise his dis
erection as he had done in the instance
: only he made as the result of court
martial He instanced several case
to sustain his position.
Negro Soldiers Motive.
To establish the motive actuatln;
the negro soldiers in creating the al
legged disturbance, Mr.. Culbersol
read resolutions recently adopted b.
y negro citizens of Boston, which ad
, mitted that the soldiers "shot up
: the town and said they ''were dc
= termined to do for themselves wha
., the uniform of their country woul
" not do-protect them from insult
| ana punish at TIC SdillS tAihN -
! authors of their misery. y
/" Disclaiming any partlsanshlp 1t
q the President, Mr. Culberson create
u wave of merriment by saying:
Il 81 have ntohing to do with tt
II President in the matter. l care mott
&c ing about him. My personal rel
= tions with him are about as cordl
IA as those Of the Senator from OHIO.
! (Mr. Foraker.)
"a In all fairness. Mr.. Culberson sal
't the country ought to know that Il
), report made to the President was ]
~ liable.
ii In the House.
! Within Is minutes from the tn
- the gavel of Speaker Cannon II
:" calling together the House of Repre-
-. 80 entatives, after the holiday rece'
~ the lower branch of Congress a
i. iourned, the absence OF quoru
~ bringing about the early adjournme
Il The House was a trifs late
" meeting due to the absence from
Speakers table Of the badge Of a
IL thority, the gavel, and in cons
u ouence the small membership of t
ne House present we're kept standing
" minute or two longer than usual
o1 til the Speaker obtained the "ha
81 mer." But when the gavel was
~ [" ceived a responding whack broue
u the House face to face with WI
Is bids fair to be busy session.
rs w. F. Englebright, of the ii
as California district, and Charles
Washburn, of the third Massael
sets district, we're sworn in as me
bers of the 59th Congress to ia
'p- the places of James N. Norris G