The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-04-30
SENATOR FORAKER
Delivers Mastery Defense of
Negro Soldiers.
SENATE GALLERIES ARE PACKED
Reviews Testimony Taken at Three
Trials and Fails to Find Faintest
Evidence Of Their Cuilt-Command
ing officers Tell of Previous Good
Conduct Of Men Discharged.

national capitol has not in a genera
tion been stirred as by Senator J. b.
Forakers speech in favor of his bill
to restore to the discharged Browns
Vile soldiers their standing in the
United States army.
The public and the officials at
Washington had expected an able and
an eloquent defense of the discharged
soldiers and a powerful presentation
of the merits of Senator Foraker's
bill. But no man was prepared for
what has been pronounced upon all
sides the greatest speech heard in the
senate in a quarter of century.
His logic was flawless, his reason.
ing sound. and his analysis of the two
proposed measures which have been
formulated as a result of the senate
committee investigation was clear,
concise ana convincing.
Not in 20 years have so many peo>
pie gathered in the galleries and
about the capitol as were brought out
by Senator FOraker's speech. Negroes
from far and near were on hand, and
a perfect sea of black faces looked
down from most of the historic old
galleries, while great leaders of the
dominant race listened no less admir-
ingly and with no less interest to the
great speech.
Displayed No Malice.
Senator Foraker asserted in open.
ing his speech that he had not at any
time had any purpose to attack the
president or Secretary Taft in con-
neCtlOn with this matter or in cOnnec-
tiOn with any other matter | have
had no vengeance to seek and no oCca-
sion to seek any. | hope. In this whole
matter | have simply sought to pre-
sent to the senate, in so far as | might
he able to do so. the facts in regard
to this unfortunate affair"
The senator then, prior to discuss
ing the proposed legislation. devoted
himself to a review and analysis OF
the testimony that had been taken be-
fore the committee on military affairs.
He rcCounted the inability of the
administration and army officials to
obtain evidence of the guilt of any of
the soldiers, after the shooting up of
BrOwnsvlIIe. Tex. and then took up
the charge of conspiracy of silence"
WuCh led tie president to Issue his
order dishonorably discharging the
troops.
The gradual evolution of this last
charge is interesting. suggestive and
instructive" said Senator Foraker.
1T had its inception, so far as the
record discloses, In the following pas
sage from the report of Major Block
som, dated at Brownsville, Aug. 20,
1906:
"Thn officers aucared to be trying to
tiud the criminals but it is certainly un-
fortunate for the reputation of the bat
TALON that they have as yet hardly dis
covered single clew to such a terrible
prcconccrtrd crime, committed by so
many men.
"I believe thcbattulionhad an excellent
the stain now upon ii is the worst | have
ever seen in the army.
"Mauy of its old soldiers who had
nothing To 40 with the raid must
know something tangible as to iden-
tity of the criminals, If they do
not disclose their knowledge they
should b" made to suffer with others
more guilty, as far as the law will
permit If satisfactory evidence con-
cerning the identity Of the criminals does
not come from members of the battalion
before certain date TO be fixed by the
war department, | recommend that all
enlisted men Of the three companies
present on the NIGHT of Aug 10 be dis
charged from the service and debarred
from re-enlStmcnt in the army, navy or
marine corps"
Suggestion Took Form.
This suggestion, without the help
of any further testimony took definite
form in the order of Oct 4. 1906 is.
sued by the assistant secretary OF
war. directing General Darlington to
make an inyCSugatiOn, in the follow
ing language:
The president authorizes you to make
known to those concerned the orders
given by him in this case, namely If the
guilty parties can not be discovered, the
president approves the recommendation
,t....
Gated in this atrOcious outrage should be
dismissed, and the men forever debarred
from re-eulSlng in the army or navy OF
the United States
And in this connection the president
further authorizes YOU to make known
to thUs" concerned that unless such en-
listed men of the Twenty-fifth infantry
as may haV" knowledge of the facts re-
lating to tn" shooting, killing, and riot
GUS conduct ON the part of the men with
the organizations serving at Fort Brown,
Tex, on the night of the 18th of August
1906, port o you such facts and all
other circumstances within their knowl-
edge which Will assist in apprehending
the guilty paltics, orders will be immedi-
Htcly issued from the war department
dtSchrgiug every man in Companies B, c
ana d. Of the Tweuty-tfth infantry
without honor and forever debarring
them from r'-eulistiu% in the army or
navy Of the United states, as we'll as
from employment in any civil capacity
under the government.
THE time to be given to the enlisted
men Of Companies g. g, and d, Twenty
NTH infantry. for consideration of this
ultimatum will hc determined by you. IT.
at the end of the time designated the
facts and circumstances of the occurrence
in question hay" not been established
sufficiently clearly to Indicate a reason
able certainty of securing a conviction
of the guilty parties by evidence obtained
from enlisted men of the First battalion,
Twenty fifth infantry. you will report
the condition by wire to the military
secretary"
General Darlington made his inveS-
GigatiCn therefore. with this thought
before him, but made no further pro
gress than to suggest in a vague sort
of way that the men had possibly
come to a common understanding that
they would not give any information
of which they might be possessed
that would lead to the Identification
of any of the raiders.
ION this point he said in his report
that all the men denied guilt, or guilty
knowledge, but that these denials-
indicated possible general understand
ing among thWe!n,I.isted., men of this bat
the premises'-
"And | call the attention of sena
tors particularly to this
''but could nnd no evidence Of such un-
derstanding."
mo evidence that there was any
conspiracy of silence. emphasize
that, because that, you will discover
as we proceed is an important part
of this case in so far as there is any
case left.
upon this report. without an iota
of additional testimony-in other
words, upon the mere suggestion Of
General Darlington and others that an
agreement to withhold testimony had
been entered into among the men, of
which CpuprnI EarliOu ut0O woc noraful