Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-17

although that step was taken there re-
3nained the broader fact that I'm the
Brownsville affair the government sent
agents OF several departments to Browns
Mile not to defend these wards of the ma
Zion. but to hunt down testimony looking
30 their conviction.
Stories Of Former Trouble.
Senator Foraker then proceeded to ana
Jyze the accounts which had been submitted
by the War Department of shooting up Of
Gowns by companies of the 18th Infantry.
Tile showed that only In two instances had
! loss O.. life occurred and that it had not
been traced to soldiers of this regiment
: Referring to the ARRAY at Winnemucca, he
called attention to supplementary evidence
Sent in by the War Department to the Sem
bite which showed that the 25th Infantry
had nothing to do with the ARRAY at all.
Senator Tillman asked him how about the
killing of the negro woman at Fort
Nobrara.
''They didn't kill a negro woman at
Niobrara." said Senator Foraker.
Then. what In the name of common.
sense does the War Department mean
by sending all this stun here?" demanded
Senator Tillman
THAT'S what 1 want to know" replied
Senator Foraker.
Senator Foraker went on to say that Com
'panies B. C and D. subjects of the Browns
piile affair. had not been concerned IN
hny of the ARRAYS charged to the regi-
ment to which they belonged. He said no
companies that went to Cuba had better
record than Companies b, c and D OF the
25th Infantry. He was amazed, he said,
at the spirit of ugliness shown toward
these men on all sides.
Attack on Capt. Macklin.
MIR. Foraker cited the report that Capt.
Macklin had been attacked by discharged
soldiers
6a nnd hot
that was one of the first instances of the
result OF the efforts that were being made
In behalf Of these colored soldiers who had
been discharged without honor. Now ev-
erybody knows that no discharged soldier
of the 18th Regiment had anything to do
with that attack"
Only a few days ago he said newspapers
had been filled with reports that a dis
charged soldier of the 18th had crowded
Mrs. Clifford off the street in Brownsville
and had treated her with rudeness. Now
that has been exploded, he said. The man
who crowded or pushed his lady while
crossing the street was a porter of Pull
man car who was rushing into lunch
room at high speed In order to get back
&C. mis- train before 1t pulled out No in
Civlity at all was intended.
Senator Lodge stated that the man who
had shot Capt. Macklfn was a corporal in
Company A.
But" retorted Mr.. Foraker. he was not
d discharged soldier. Everything that Is
UOne Is attributed 10 UlScndfReQ SOiQfeTS.
Now that has been exploded. Major Pen
rose himself says there Is no truth in that
statement"
Mr.. Foraker said that he had no intention
of discussing the race question. He pre-
ferred To wait until the facts in relation to
the Brownsville affair were secured before
coming to a conclusion as to what hap
Pened there. He said that the Senate and
the President can wait until the facts are
known. Every one. he sad would be found
brave enough to have the truth given. He
Bald that the soldiers could not be tried
because there was no evidence against
them.
He read from the decision in the Milliken
case in the United States Supreme Court
TO the effect that ito inf1ict punishment be-
cause evidence cannot be obtained is never
excusabe because 1t leads to anarchy.
No Evidence Against the Men.
He said there was no evidence that fl
teen or sixteen men of the 25th Regiment
had committed the crime charged against
Them. If they had done so. the commits
teioned officers in charge Of the gun racks
and the sentinel on duty must have known
IT and must have been party to it, If
tfhese sixteen or twenty men rushed out of
quarters. through the gates or jumped
over the fence, 1t must have been known
40 the commissioned officers and the SEN
itinel
If these men were guilty, the officers and
fhe sentinel were accessories before inc
fact If they did not in fact participate In
what happened.
If 1T was desirable to establish guilt it
should have been done by ordering trial.
THAT. he said Is what the authorities at
Brownsville started out to do.
The civil authorities at Brownsville ar
rested thirteen of these men. The men ar
rested were sergeant of the guard, SEN
tinel. men in charge of the quarters, who
field the keys of the gunracks, and others"
These men would have been brought to
punishment if there had been evidence to
warrant trial. but they were not tried, ex-
Cept by executive order, and in that way
they were judged, tried and convicted and
discharged, and not one of them was given
a chance to be heard, which to his mind
Tnder all the circumstances was proceed
Ding without authority of law, and If that
proceeding should be proved to be with au-
thority of law. II would be disgrace to the
American people.
7 Without taking action on the resolution
Nhe Senate. on motion of Mr.. Carmack, pro-
ceeded to hear eulogies the late Sena-
tor Bate of Tennessee.