Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-04-20
HIS FIRST SPEECH
Senator Borah Does Not Want
 Any Leniency Shown Harry Orchard.

Borah of Idaho, who as special coun- sel for that state, conducted the prosecution of w. D. Haywood, sec retary of the Western Federation of Miners, whose trial on the charge of murdering former Governor Steunen- berg attracted wide attention last year, to-day found opportunity in his maiden speech in the senate to ex- press his disapproval of any effort to secure lenity for Harry Orchard. the self-confessed thrOwer of the bomb which caused Steunenberg s death The utterance was part of a speech by the senator on the Brownsville affray and was made in connection with condemnation of all efforts to condone the offense at Brownsville He said:
 "A cold blooded inhuman incarnate blows to pieces an ex-governor on the doors of his home, is caught and confesses before the grave of the man who died a martyr to law and order is green, sentimentalism puts halo on the brow of the blackest spirit that ever escaped the crypts of hell.
 "Men wearing the uniform of a soldier of the Union, the insignia of government and the symbol of law and order, in the quiet of night, while homes are defenselesS, assault and attempt to murder whole fam | Rno c,tannnd In m f. ting one murder.
 To compromise with such an act or such a deed is cowardice; it is betrayal of government; it is an in suit to every intelligent and right thinking negro for it presupposes he is a traitor to his country and a criminal at heart"
 Besides containing an analysis of the testimony taken in the Browns vile case the speech was in reply to Senator Foraker's recent discussion of the same subject.
 Mir Borah made very clear his be- lief that the evidence established a conspiracy on the part of some of the negro soldiers of the 25th regi- ment to shoot up the town.
 'I contend" said MT Borah, 'that the evidence in this case is simply overwhelming and conclusive against the colored soldiers unless you re- sort to the proposition of conspir- acy which manufactured the evil dence and that is evidently the view taken by the defense"
 The morale of the army, he said, is paramount to any mans right to remain in 1t. If any man in the 25th regiment participated in the riot and if the others connived at the crime by concealing knowledge of it to shield the guilty parties. Then both were alike, he declared.
 Mir Borah called attention to MT Foraker's suggestion that the citi- zens of Brownsville might have shot up their own town to secure the re- moval of the negro soldiers.
 'I confess" he said, that there might possibly have been desire to take the soldiers, but 1t seems that this conspiracy, if 1t had an existence, would not have turned it's guns upon it's own people"
 He referred to the judgment passed upon these soldiers by their own of- ficers and quoted their testimony tc that effect given prior to the senate investigation. He said they had full knowledge of the acts and added: 'I think they were fully satisfied that the men were guilty"
 Mir Borah reviewed at length the testimony in the case and then an nounced his conclusion that it dis closes the guilt of certain members of the 25th infantry as participants in the Brownsville raid, beyond reasonable doubt. ''If," he added they were guilty at all. they were guilty of deliberate murder-murder planned and deliberated on and ac. complished with deadly precision. The one point in which the rioters failed was with respect to the number of their victims. They evidently ex- pected to kill more than they did"
 Mir Borah then dwelt upon the enormity of the offense and the nec- essity for condign punishment, say ing:
 No more serious charge known Ahdn AhiS was EftA luuue dBdl1SI a soldier of the United States. For less offenses many soldier has been con- and shot at sunrise. To my mind it was treason: if not technical ly SO, yet morally treason in a most 1 aggravated form.
 Finding lawlessness there 1n the l armyl so close to the vital forces of l this government what was the duty I of those entrusted with the power and l responsibility of dealing with it: 1 strike it down"
 Mir BOrah dwelt at some length up- on the accomplishments of the negro l race since the abolition of slavery and l found much cause for congratulation: but he said, this fact could not excuse from punishment for I crime even if Ieniency should lps in l the interests of the race which 1t would not be.