The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-13
Handles Race Question and Says
President is Responsible
PATTERSON GETS HOT REPLY.
Says South VIII Stand for White Su-
premacy Without Democrats of
the North-Strange Align
ment on Brownsville.

washington, january lZ.-Ine dnHounSC-
ment that Senator Tillman would speak
today on the race question in connection
with the proposed investigation of the
Brownsville affair, had the effect Of at
tracing to the capital an exceptionally
large number of people. Long before the
Senate convened the corridors were
crowded, and when the doors were opened
at Ii 80 the galleries soon filled up, leay-
ing many in the corridors. In the crowd
there was an unusual number of negroes,
and interested as they were in the coming
discussion, they were no more eager to
get inside the doors than were the whites.
1t was nearly l o'clock when the Senate
opened it's morning business and the
Brownsville matter was taken up. Many
members of the House were in the cham
ber, and every possible space in the GAL
leries was occupied when Mr.. Tillman
took the floor to make his address.
Mr.. Tillman prefaced his discussion Of
the question with the characterization
that it resembled case in court. Ser
tain enlisted men of the Twenty-fifth reg
iment were under Indictment" he said.
'the President of the United States is the
prosecutor as we'll as the executioner.
The array of counsel for the defense and
prosecution is not yet complete. So far as
their names have appeared on the rec
ord there is an element of incongruity and
of the ridiculous. For instance, attorneys
aiding the prosecution, we have the dis
tinguished senator from Texas (M.r Cul-
berson( a democrat the distinguished
senator romMassachusetts CMr. Lodge),
a republican,; the distinguished senator
,f11
Ridiculous Situation.
"And for the defense, if it shall be so
considered when ] get through | VIII
be put in the record as aiding the distln-
puished senator from Ohio (Mr. Foraker).
OF course. being nothing more than
corn field lawyer, my contribution to the
legal discussion of the legal question Will
be very limited. probably comparatively
worthless.
"My colleague and brother attorney (Mr.
Foraker) himself realizes that so far as
legal assistance will go. he will get little
or no aid from me, and thus far | do
not think he needs any.
"But the righteousness of the situation
is again apparant when one considers that
the senator from the north, who by rea-
son of his radical and aggressive utter
ances and probably actions in the past,
once gave him the name of fire alarm
"The senator finds himself aligned with
that senator from the south (Mr. Tillman
hmselD. who is usually supposed to have
a broiled negro for breakfast daughter)'
who is known to justify lynching for rape
and whose attitude, IL not that OF hatred
to the negro is a feeling akin to it. in the
belief that white men are made after
better clay and that white men alone are
entitled to participate In the government
And SO this alliance is an odd one
Reads Presidents Order.
Declaring that President Roosevelt was
more responsible "than any other man,
Mr. Tillman read from order NO. ~, Is
sued by the war department February g.
1soe and signed by the President, as fol-
lows:
"The uniform of the enlisted men is
badge of honor 1t entities him to peculiar
consideration 1t shows that in the great
majority of cases he has learned tlose
habits of self-command. of self-restra1nt
of boldness and fearlessness in the face
of danger, which put him above most
of his fellows. who have not possessed
similar privileges. To strive to dlscrimi-
nate against him in any way is nteraiy
an infamy; for it is in reanty one oa
the most serious offenses which can pc
committed against the stability ana
greatness of our nation"
'That is the milk in the cocoanut'
calculated Mr.. Tillman who said 1t was
this "sort of stuff" that put into the
heads
entitled to demand social equality.
At this point Mr.. Tillman was inter-
rupted for the first time, Senator Nelson
asking:
would you deny those privileges to
white soldiers?"
IT will go as far as any man in giving
white men, either soldiers citizens,
their rights answered Mr. Tillman.
s'Why should not the colored soldier, II
he conducts himself as a white soldier,
have the same consideration" persisted
Mr.. Nelson.
Caste Feeling Universal.
"ror the simple reason that God AL
mighty made him colored He did not
make him white" retorted Mr.. Tillman.
who added that caste feeling uni
versal that it pulsated even In the bosom
of the Senator from Minnesota, Mr. Nell
son.
Following a colloquy with Senator Cul-
berson on his position as to the Presi-
dents authority in the articles of war
IN discharge the soldiers. Mr. Tillman
remarked that none of the negroes dis
charged would return to Texas. "One of
them" he continued, that famous SER
peant Mingo Sanders comes from South
carolina I would like to meet Mingo and
e.-,e his hand. But he is not going back
~ South Carolina and let me know that
he is coming"
sWhy not" interjected Senator Fora
ker.
s.Because the suspicion that might pre-
vail as to who really did the killing
would make it unhealthy for him down
there. I wish it was not so. but I can't
help It, If he had been discharged hon
orablv he could have come down there
and been the biggest man at negro camp
meetings and received respected treat
ment from the whites as. ...-.,,.s
..What would probably happen to hm?"
~orsfstad Mr. Foraker
.oh." calculated Mr.. Tillman, with evil
dence of impatence, II am going to dis
cuss the race question directly" and as
the evidence of amusement at his retort
subsded, he added:
Don't you fret; I am going to get
right down to the milk in the cocoanut
but 7 don't want the fire alarm to go
off until the bell rings" Uaughter.)
convuIses Gallersies.
Senator Tilman convused the galleries
and amused many senators minute later
by illustrating the discrimination between