Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-20
SENATOR FORAKER
| AND BROWNSVILLE
He Talks to the CoIored People
of Ohio.
MEN HAVE BEEN HEARD
Whatever the Investigation Has Done
That Much Is Scored.
COMPLIMENTS FOR ROOSEVELT
If Senator Is Eliminated From Public
Life He Has a Certain
Satisfaction.
Whatever the Investigation Has Done
That Much Is Scored.
COMPLIMENTS FOR ROOSEVELT

Special Dispatch to The Star.
COLUMBUS Ohio, June Ex-senator ].
b. Foraker made the principal address to-
day at the commencement exercises at
Wilberforce University
There were thousands of negroes from
all over the state present, interest In his
address having been aroused by the fact
that he is understood to have taken up the
cudgels for the colored men In the investi-
cation of the 'shoot-up', of Brownsville,
Tex. Most, of the crowd that heard the
senator were from central Ohio Cities many
going from Columbus. Springfield, DAYTON.
Newark, Delaware Lancaster and. other
cities. delegation was also present from
Cincinnati.
The senator was given hearty greeting
by his hearers as he detailed legislation
affecting the negro in the United States.
The address was lengthy, containing about
10000 words and went carefully into the
testimony in the Brownsville hearing
which, he said. had demonstrated that the
negro soldiers did not shoot up the town.
Wild applause greeted this statement.
Senator to Be Endorsed,
A resolution will be passed by the wilber-
force assembly indorsing Senator Foraker
for President
Senator Foraker commenced his sneech .
by referring to his last visit to Wiberforce
IN 1SSi-twenty-two years ago. He reviewed
the events of this period-of both local and
hational character. In this connection he
| spoke of the Spansh-American war and
| the acquisition of insular possessions "a
well as Of the great development of indus
tries and power as nation. He gave the
colored people of the country credit for
having contributed their fair share TO the
accomplishment of all these great results.
and congratulated them upon the success
they have achieved.
Tribute to Mckinley.
After speaking of the political teachers of
twenty years ago. he paid a warm tribute
to the late President Mckinley and said:
AT that time Theodore Roosevelt was
barely known to the American people; but
he, too, had been laying the foundations
broad and deep which he was to build
the remarkable character that has enabled
him not only to be President of the United
States, but to fill the whole world with
the fame of his deeds.'
He spoke of the part taken by the colored
soldiers in the Spansh-American war de-
clarlng that mo Drawer troops bore the
flag to victory in that contest than the
9th and 10th Cavalry and the oath and 18th
Infantry. They were represented on every
firing line, and some of them persisted in
every clash of arms.
They died fighting side by side with the
white soldiers, and as it was in Cuba, SO
ir tI,n l,i
hard service to be rendered or dam
gerous duty to be performed they were
present and did their full share. They
would not claim any higher credit than
their white comrades are entitled to re-
ceive. 1t would be injustice to them
to give them any less credit"
The Brownsville Affair.
After discussing the race problem at con-
siderable length along the lines of his pre-
vious speeches he took up the Brownsville
affair, saying:
THE investigation has not yet been con-
cluded. We have simply taken recess
Whether there will be any further impor-
tant testimony no one knows Because of
this uncertainty 1 cannot predict what will
be the ultimate results. All know, however
what has been accomplished"
He explained that the purpose of the in
vestigation was:
Ito give the men a chance to be heard
in their defense.
ITO fix the identity of the soldiers guilty
of the shooting, if any of them were guilty
3-To ascertain and report all other i'm
portant facts connected with the shooting
which it might be possible to establish.
After recounting what had been brought
out. all of which had been published, he
said:
But however it may be as to the uues-
ton of guilt. the fact remains that the men
have had a chance to be heard in their be-
half, to tell their own story, to state their
own defense. and this they have done In a
clear, manly, straightforward way that re-
fleets on them the highest credit and salts
fies my mind that they are victims of an
injustice that has no precedent in the his
tory of the American army.
Roosevelt Misled
II do not question the good faith of tho
President or of the Secretary of War but
when l looked at the reports of Maj Block
som and Gen. Darlington. and the testi-
mony submitted Herewith. upon which the
President acted, l felt that whether 1t
was intentional not, he had been misled.
l felt that the men had not been given
a hearing and that the little they had
been permitted TO say on their own be-
half had been wgongfully denied any Gre
dence whatever.
1.-The investigation may prove futile to
establish the truth. 1t may never be known
who did the firing, but 1t will always be
known that the men have at least had a
chance to state their side OF the case. IL
for what have done in their behalf am
to be eliminated from public life, as has