Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-14

He challenged any one to produce in the army regulations or articles of war any foundation for the charge of con spiracy of silence, mutiny and treason made against the soldiers, although he declared there was no doubt that the soldiers were responsible for the "out- rage at Brownsville
 MT. Tillman held that it was contrary to the fundamental principles of lib erty of English and American law that the innocent should suffer because of the sins of the guilty; also he declared that a man shall be considered inno- cent until he is proved guilty. Tn this case" he said. ''167 men have been punished while not more than twenty have been charged with participation in the crime"
 Mir. Tillman maintained that the ne gro troops should not have been sent to Texas. They were sent there, he said, against the protests of one of the Texas senators and the congress man from that district. They were sent there. he continued, with a wholly inadequate number of officers, as there were only five officers for the three companies.
 This was done," Mir. Tillman ex- claimed, without any thought or care on the part of the president or secre- tary of war as to results. The first thought of the president was to pro- tect the negroes and to punish the cit izens by abandoning the post.
 Especially Major Penrose and Cap tain Macklin." Mir. Tillman said, ''are shown to have acted with gross neg ligence and incompetence"
 All of the soldiers who got in trou- ble were from Macklins company. said Mir. Tillman, who added that Macklin did not believe that a negro had seized Mrs. Evans by the hair and that he made no effort to detect the soldier. This. he believed, raised the question as to whether or not Captain Macklin was h sympathy with the men in their scheme of revenge.
 Declaring President Roosevelt was more responsible than any other man," Mir. Tillman read from an army order issued by the war department. on Feb. 8, 1906, and signed by the presi- dent:
 ''The uniform of the enlisted man is . badge of honor. It entities him to peculiar consideration. It shows that in the great majority of cases he has learned those habits of self command, of self restraint of obedience and of fearlessness in the face of danger which put him above most of his fel- lows who have not possessed similar privileges. To strive to discriminate against him in any way Is literally an infamy. for 1t is in reality one of the most serious offenses which can be committed against the stability and greatness of our nation"
 That Is the milk of the cocoanut." calculated Mir. TiIlman. who said it was this "sort of stuff' that put into the head of the negro soldier that he was entitled to demand social equality.
 Would you deny those privileges to white soldiersT Senator Nelson asked.
 "I will % as far as any man in giv- ing white men. either soldiers or citi- gems. their rights answered Mir. Till man.
 "why should not the colored soldier. if he conducts himself as a white sol dier. have the same considerationy' persisted Mir. Nelson.
 For the simple reason that God AL mighty made him colored. He did not make him vhite.- retorfed Mfr. Till man. who added that caste feeling was universal and pulsated even in the bosom of the senator from Minnesota.