Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-17

EVIDENCE IS AGAINST THEM
There Was None isainsl anybody
EIse--.N egrocs Testimony
Was Too Uniform,

Washington. Dec, 16.-The Browns
WIS AFFAIR was discussed in the senate
today by. Senator Lodge, who IS =
member Of the committee on fniiltafS
affairs. which investigated the chare-
as that soldiers OF the Twenty-iiiih
regiment shot up, The town
MI. Lodge remarked that he would
make no reference whatever 70 we
report OF The Investigation referred 10
bv the president III his recent mes
sage to Congress, ~
Rrownsvilie affair, said he had come
"a the conclusion that the shooting
had been done by soldiers Of the
Twenty-fifth infantry There was
much evidence, he said against them
n and there was no evidence agalhst
anybody else. ~
Mr.. Lodge reviewed essential feat
1,res OF the testimony in the Browns
willie affair and said that the bullets
found in the houses and the smells N
the streets. taken together. could nave
been used in only one rifle, and that
was the Springfield new model, and
there were no new model Springheids
in the possession of anyone except the
troops of the United States He spoke
OF the testimony of the soldiers as con-
stituting "a uniform denial.
'1rhat which renders all this test-
mony to nc. of doubtful value, and de-
privcs 1t Of the weight which 1T would
otherwise have" said Mr.. Lodge. is
Z its extraordinary uniformity, 1t IS
possible for $50 or 200 men to tell
without exception II story agreed upon
before hand. but no two witnesses can
tell the truth, as they understand 1t, IN
precisely the same way. about the
same event. Tho soldiers have the
strongest possible motive for denying
participation in or knowledge of the
shooting There could not have been
any strong personal motive to induce
the witnesses on the other side to testi-
5fy otherwise than truthfully.
Self selected champions of these sol.
diers in various parts Of the country
sought, he said, not for equality before
tho law, but for special treatment for
the BROWNSVILLE soldiers. on the
ground of race '.As a friend of the.
negro race deplore the agitation
which had this end in view,' he said
.,These soldiers are entitled to the
same treatment as other soldiers, and
white men would be treated no more.
and no less, He deplored any APP.
peal for sympathy for criminals, which
5he said has become the fashion of the.
time. The crime of these men was
made greater because they We're Unit
ed States soldiers, employed for the pro-
,&tection OF the people.
He favored the Warner bill, which
allows the president to restore the in
nocent to the army whenever he Is
satisfied that any of them We're blame
less. He condemned the Foraker bill,
which, he said, attempts to force back
into the army not only innocent men,
but men who were guilty Of a serious
crime He made an exhaustive argu-
Inent on the unconstitutionality OF the
Foraker bill, which obliges the presi-
dent to re-enlist these soldiers whether
he thinks they ought to be re-enlisted
or not such an act would be an
sencroachment upon the constitutional
rights Of the president, " would be
subveIsve OF. discipline in the army.
The senate galleries We're filled, very
many or the visitors being negroes
Rather more Democrats than Repub-
licans remained in the chamber while
MIR. i od sc was speaking: In accord
ar1ce with his request he was not in
terruptcd while speaking.