The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1908-05-28
FORAKER |
Giees His Reasons For
-. Postponement
Says 1t Was Utterly Impossible to
Pass His Bill at This Time and
its Defeat Meant Disatrection
IN the Republican Party.

.A'N4yA 4yAuA%OAiAhut ~ &SSW 1OIh, CIldil-
man Of the executive, committee of
tho Constitutional League Of the Uni
ted States, In which, In reply to an
inquiry from Mr.. ulholland, he ex-
plains his reasons for agreeing to q
postponement Of a,vote on his bill to
permit the restoration to the army of
the Negro soldiers. discharged with
out hNpor. for alleged participation in
the Brownsville ARRAY.
Mr.. Foraker's statement is embod-
led In an extract from Letter on the
subject which he wrote to Richard d.
White, Of Cambridge, Mass. The let
ter to Mr.. Mulholland follows:
Il have your Letter Of May 18, and
do not know how better to answer
your inquiry In regard to the post
ponement Of the Brownsville bill than
by quoting from letter written by
me day or two ago to Mr.. Richard
D. White, of Cambridge, Mass, in
answer to similar inquiry.
Had Thirty-Fiye Votes.
''On this point said to Mr.. White:
With the president active in his
opposition, personally importuning
senator's, was unable to get vote,
even If succeeded In getting the bill
before the senate, and unable to pass
the bill If did getsa vote. At most,
| could get assurances OF only 35
votes, and some Of thoese were wa
Verng. 1t was necessary to have. At.
"a vote at this time, therefore,
meant defeat and the end of. all hope
of restoring the soldiers. Postpone
ment was better, because, in, the first
place, it could not be worse: and in
the second place, 1t keeps the subject
alive and in practical form for con-
sideration during the present cam
paign. The whole country knows
that the Brownsville subject has
been narrowed down to a question of
my bill, which means complete resto-
raqtion :; or the rners Il. 4 Rish
4 i .thiaan NJ .Ssise
president may see fit to allow, and
that, j am satisfied, would be very
little, If anything. - = ..,.
What ,tlaat Letter Contained.
AS late as April "a he wrote to
Senator William Alden Smith, Of
Michigan. that he thought many, If
not all, the soldiers guilty, and that
there was no more excuse for sympa-
thy for them than there would be for
sympathy with Czolgosz or NGuiteau,
and that my bill meant only to force
lot OF murderers and perjurers back
into the army, and that he would feel
1t his duty IL we passed the bill to We
to it, and If we passed it over his
veto he would refuse to enforce it.
I have no doubt of passing the
lGll In December, because enough re-
publicans have promised me that If
l would allow the bill to go over un-
til then they would at that time vote
with me to pass It,, but in view Of the
presidents frame Of mind, and his
expressed purpose to veto the bill, we
must, If possible, have a two-thirds
vote, and this brings up a feature Of
this newly made situation that will,
l hope, enable us to get this addi-
tional strength.
Keeps NegOres in Line.
If the bill had been voted upon
and defeated at this session, the coll
ored voters Of the country would not
have had any means Of showing their
displeasure, except by voting
against the party in spirit Of re-
Venge.
Now, with the bill postponed,
they have at least living issue, and
they have right to demand Of re-
publican candidates for office, inclu-
ding our candidates for president and
vice president and all other candi-
dates for reelection to the senate
and to the house Of representatives
that they will pledge themselves to
support the Foraker bill. In this
way the 100000 colored people
Of the United States can greatly help,
not only the soldiers, but the whole
race, by causing themselves to be felt
and appreciated as they never have
been before. When they come to re-
alize their opportunity / think they
will all be proud to take a direct and
effective part In what should be to
them labor of love.
May BE for the Best.
! am a firm believer in the in
terVention Of Divine Providence in
the affairs Of men. While postpone
ment was to me o bitter and reluc-
tant conclusion, yet I feel that after
all it WIS of Gods ordering, and that
in due time we shall all see and ap-
preciate that what now appears to be
so disappointing and discouraging, is
for the best
Hoping this quotation from my
letter to Mr.. White will answer your
inquiry, and that the answer may be
satisfactory, remain,
Very truly yours, &C.,
-. b. FORAKER,