The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-01-15

torted Mr. Tlllman. q was trying to locate the man who was more responsible than the soldiers for this trouble"
 T think no one mroe responsible than
 the men who did the shooting" said Mr.
 Clay.
 But you can't find who they are,' per-
 sisted Mr. Tillman, "so you punish 167
 men for crime with which not more than
 twenty at most have been charged
 MT. Tillman insisted he could not get
 away from the fundamental principle that
 every man charged with crime should
 have fair trial.
 q say." he continued, that the Pres
 ident has been derelict; he transended his authority and was untrue to the duties or
 his office in not holding the troops in the
 army until he had exhausted every means to ascertain the guilty ones.'
 MT Clay had said that court martial would have resulted in nothing. He in- sisted that the evidences of the former
 escapades of this regiment justified their
 discharge.
 Ignorant of Character. That they were not discharged as the result of any previous offenses, MT. Till
 man interrupted to say, was evidence that
 the President and the Secretary of War
 were ignorant of the character of the
 negro soldiers.
 .'Well.p exclaimed Mir. Clay "the sen- ator ought to congratulate him that he has acted right at last" Again announcing his adherence to the
 principles of liberty, MT. Tillman said he did not allow such prejudice or feel ing to lead him from demanding substan- tial justice
 T did not know that the senator had prejudice" replied Mir. Clay. 1 T acknowledge that l have got 'em, | Mr hAn1 if say you have not, well, I won't say what" MT Clay placed himself emphatically on 1 record as indorsng the Presidents ac- 1 ton, and said he believed he voiced the 1 sentiment of a majority of the people OF 1 Georgia MT. Bacon had the clerk read
 newspaper clipping announcing that 1t
 cited precedent for the Presidents ac- ton. It told of the dismissal of com 1 pany of the South Carolina National 1 Guard by Senator Tillman, then governor, 1 because they refused to obey orders dur l ing a disturbance over the enforcement 1 of the liquor laws.
 l Bandbox Soldiers. 1 Mr. Tillman explained the occurrence, declaring the company in question band ] box soldiers, who wanted their uniforms
 and brass buttons to help them with the l girls
 MT Bacon said he thought both the sen l ator and the President had done right. l Senator Spooner remarked that he pre- sumed the South Carolina company was | a white company, otherwise he said, 'the
 senator would have had them lynched." Continuing, MT. Spooner said he would l have a very great contempt for himself 1 if he could not discuss the questions in- 1 volved without reference to the color of l the soldiers. It was, he said. only legal l questions that could be involved. MT. 1 Spooner denounced the criticism which
 had been made of the Twenty-fifth resi- ment both in the letter of Senator Gull
 person protesting against sending the ne- l gro troops to Brownsville and by Sena- 1 tor Tillman.
 MT. Tillman then said he had arisen to | state that he had not criticised the whole regiment. He added there were many good
 negroes. As this seemed to surprise MT; l Spooner, Mir Tillman said he had good
 negroes working for him for thirty years, and he believed there were milloins Of 1 good ones. ,W.tf q do not hate the race" be added, T
 simply feel that I am superior to it-1hat
 is all M
 That is a question I decline to dis- i cuss" retorted MT. Spooner. m sohie ways the senator is superior. Mir. TilIman's Retort. l This elicited from MT. Tillman the ex- l clamation: "When I say I, l mean that | the white race Is superlor to the oieu | race. Now. will the senator understand me?' .. MT. spooner disclaimed any intention to diecuss the race question. which he said was entirely outside the present question
 He took the ground that it was not the function of the Senate to investigate the act of the President in his executive ca na citv. Peculiar functions had been im- nosed upon the House of Representatives | r. alone could initiate, prepare and pre- i sent impeachment proceedings The Sem 1 ate in the exercise of its most solemn | function was constituted the court in such l cases. He called attention to the serious condition if the Senate as court should find itself ''prejudged," having investi-