Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-14
President Sends Senate Report
Made by Herbert ]. Browne
And Capt. w. G. Baldwin.
SOME FACTS ESTABLISHED / 5 E
First, That the CoIored Soldiers
Did Shoot Up the
Town.
Almost All Members Of Company u
Engaged III Raid anu Members OF
Had Knowledge Of IL.

b ~ ~ 7 j b. 4. Il
washington, Dec. 14-Senator Fora
ker today introduced an amendment 10
the bill providing for the re-enllstment
az the negro troops Discharged without
honor because OF alleged participation
in the ARRAY at BROWNSVILLE and ad-
dressed the senate concerning the
amendment. He proposes in his new
measure to establish tribunal con-
slsting of retired army officers. before
whom evidence may be submitted as to
the guilt of, defendants and before
whom the defendants themselves might
appear to answer to charges me
measure is so drawn as to practically
take out of the hands of the executive
and to give tribunal appointed by
Congress full authority to consider the
Brownsville questions and by its find
sings provide for the reenlistment OF the
discharged negroes.
In addressing the senate Mi. Foraker
said that during the summer letters had
been coming to him from these dis
charged negro soldiers declaring that
4 detectives were constantly engaging
them in conversation.
81 The senator spoke of the actlNi-t
ties of the detectives as outlined by
his correspondents, saying that IN
many cases they went 50 far as to take
IN their dwelling with the discharged
soldiers for the purpose of securing
their confidence ana spying upon their
movements.
He approved ferreting out the
facts and declared that there was q
right way TO do 1T.
Upon the conclusion of Mr. Fora
Hers remarks, Mr.. Culberson asked
that the presidents message on the
Brownsville affair he read, and Vice
President Fairbanks asked that that
be done.
All the senators present remained
in their seats and much interest was
shown in the document. The presi-
dent today sent to the senate
special message in the Brownsville at
fair. The message follows:
spECIAE MESSAGE
.Dro the Senate: enclose herewith
II lelteI IIO1I. lllG aSeCEeltil VI wei
hitting report of the investigation,
made by MI. Herbert J. Browne, em-
iployed by the department in conJunc-
ton with Capt. w. G. Baldwin to In
vestigate as far as possible what nap,
pened at Brownsville on the 18th and
18th OF August, 1906. The report and
documents contain some information
of great value and some statements
that are obviously worthless, but j
submit them in their entirety.
WHO DID SHOOTING.
This report enables us to fix with
tolcrabIe definiteness Mt least some Oh
the criminals who took the lead in the
!nurdercus shooting OF private citizens
at Brownsville. 1t establishes clearly
the fact that the colored soldiers did
the shooting: but upon this point fur
Their record was unnecessary, as the
x fact that the colored soldiers
did the shooting has already
been established beyond all pos
sbiltv CT doubt. The investigation has
not gone far enough to enable us to
determine all the facts, and
we will proceed with it. but
It has gone far enough to
determine with sufficient accuracy GER
tain facts of enough Importance to
make 1t advisable that ] place the re-
port before you.
COMPANIES b AND C.
1T appears that almost all the menl-
hers of companyB, must have been &C
lively concerned in The shooting, either
to the extent of being participants or
to0the extent of virtually. encouraging
those who were participants. As TO
companies C and D, there can be no
question that practically every man
in them must have rad knowledge that
! the shooting was done by some of the
soldiers of b troop, and possibly by.
one or two others in one Of the other
troops. This concealment was of itself
a grave offense, which was greatly ag-
gravated by their testlfying before the
senate committee that they We're ig-
norant of what they must have known.
4 Nevertheless, 1t Is to be said in partial
extenuation that they We're probably
coWed by threats made by the more
desperate of the men who had actually
been engaged in the shooting as to
what would happen to any man who
failed to protect the wrong doors,
Moreover, there are circumstances
tending to show that these misguided
men were encouraged by outsiders to
persist In their course of concealinent.
and denial. / feel. therefore, that the
guilt of tho men who, after the event,
thus Shielded the perpetrators Of the
= wrong by refusing to tell the truth
tIfluS Tit
of the wrong by refusing 10
tell the truth about them, though
serious, was in part due to the unWisc
and improper attitude of others, and
that some measure Of allowance should
I lie made for the misconduct mother
words believe we can afford to re-
fnstate Sany OF these men VINO now
trutilfuily tell what has happened. give
all the aid they Gun to fix the respop-
sibiliSy upon those Who are really
guilty. and show that they themselves
had no guilty knowledge beforeland
and We're in no way implicated in the
; affair, save BY having knowledge Of
stafterwaris and failing and refusing
To livulge it. Under the circum
stances. and III view of the length of
time they have been out of the ser
T vice, and tlleif. loss OF the benefit that
would have accrued 10 them by con
4tinuous long time service. we can al =
ford TO treat the men who meet the
requirements given above as having
s i,een sufficiently punished by the COR
sequences they brought upon them.
selves when they rendered necessary
y,