The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-17
DEFENDS ROOSEVELT
SENATOR LODGE SPEARS Ol
 aBR0wNsvrLEE AFFAIR.
Aa . Fs1<nd ok Neero Race He De- cIsres Injury Was Done Blacks
 By Flea for speeiai Con- alteration.

Washington. D. c, Dec. is.--The Brownsvtile analf was the subject CT a speech made in the senate today hy Senator Lodge. who Is d member or the committee on military anairs. which investigated the {charges thar soidiers Of the 18th Regiment shot up the town. z
 Mir Lodge opened his remarks py saying that he would make no refer ence whatever to the report of the in- vestigation referred to by the Prest- dent ta his recent message to Con- gress.
 The Senate galleries were hiied when MryLsodse began his speeek very many of the hearers being negro pan and women. ltather more Democrats than Republicans remained in the chamber while Mrs Lodge was speak ing in acoSrdance with his request he was not interrupted while speak ing.
 In opening n ls speech on the Browne vilte effaif, SenAtvr Lodge referred to two ansstions to De disgusssd In this or tnnocence Of the soldiers. and the ether -tc the pill presented by senator Forakers compelling the President to After hearing ana examining ali the Senate Comfaittes, of which l was a s rsnrOss cpartnartiai S @ Sa saa Srs Sstors s ths cittsenst committee said Mr. Lodge, rsferring to the shooting affray in iscs hsys on come @ sas aSs os Clear Ass co eiiision that the sieotlng was aone by soldiers ot the sstn infantry. stationed
 "FEis, O Rs said. was also the oonclu- slen of the citizens commIttee of Rrowhsvtlle. and Of the Renrose court martial. 1t was also th opinion of 2. dssssivs mnai.Gsisy Of the Senate Com Ing that Slis Ssisht of of the % tsstisaOny Ssssl snow sn., ws yshst nope of the ,soldlara os the patsd h the shooting anray5; Was re- jected bysfA vote of II 10 n. and the propagation that, in the opinion of the commALtSe tue shooting was done by iSsastry sSs 1aSsss %ss aSesss to voss tas to 4s one senator not voting. Thus 1t will De seen that every ofiicIal body decidsd that the shootink at Brown8- is0s. was the work of. soldiers of the ''sn Mr. i Lodss declared that while there Is q great deal of evidence that the shooting wae done by the soldiers, was done by. any body eIse There is, he aaids no physical impossibility of time. dlstatlce, or allbl to prevent our attributing the shooting 10 the sol
 Ais, Motive for Deed.
 "In fact" he said. it was .eauier for the eoidieFs to do 1t than for anybody organized. Motive was not lacking Some ok the soldiers had had trouble with some of the Inhabitants. Justly or unjustly, some of them had been mall treated by some Of the inhabitants and they had felt, in greater or lesser de- gree, the bitternebs yof race-pre Judice . Their freedom of movement had just been curtAlled owing to an affair in which white woman was involved. They were sumertne. therafore at the moment from the troubled which had arisen between them and some of the people of Browusvtile."
 Mr. Lodge referred to testimony of witnesses to show that eleven appear ing before the Senate -committee, be- fore the HlocksnAn and Purdy. Inquiry, or in the Penrose court-nkrtial teatified that the men swho did the shooting were recegntzsd by thema soldiers and ne- gfoAB. Five withesses recognized them as soldiers and six witnesses recognized them as negfoesRpy their voices.
 'l submit" said Mir Lodge, that that is Fnaas os direct evidence sufficient to sustain any affirmative proposition In court and not to be done away with by suRReationa about the darkness of the night and differences that all these wifs nesses were lying because the artificial lights were few and there was DC
 Mr. Lodge reviewed essential features oE ehe testimony in the Brownsville ak. taIr and said that the bullets found in the houses and the she'll In the streets. IakeA ko@akheg could have heen used tD only one rifle. and that was the Spring. Held New Model and there were no new model Springflelds in the possession Of anyone except the troops. of the United states. He spoke of the testimony of the soldiers as constituting "a un1fevn.
 ''sTh1t which renders aii thia tests. mony. to me. of doubtful value, and de- prives 1t of thel weight which it would OtherwtRe have, said Mir. Lodge. "is tts extraordinary uniformity. It is possible for ls0 or goo men to tell without ez- ception a story agreed upon before hand, but no two AkitnessAs can tell the truth, as they undarstand 1t. in precise. ly the same way. about the saTne event The soldiers have the strongest possible motive for denying participation In or knowledge of tlis shooting. There could not haye been any strong personal mo. tive tos induce the witnesses on the truthfully 4S A
 Friend ef Negroes.
 Mir. Lodge declared that he was bred- up with profound sympathy for, and interest in the negroes of the United States and has always tried to aid and serve them, the Ebill which he reported and which passed the House of Repre- sentativSe Representing the last at. tempt made to secure them their po- litical rights in the South.
 T have encountered criticism, odiuIn, and political attack in their behalf, which cannot be said of many of those who outside of this chamber have for one reason or another, busied them selves with this affair and sought to make capital out of 1t. I speak there fore as their friend, when [ say that no greater misfortune has happened to them in late years than this effort to make a race Issuesout of case of mili- tary discipline .'.
 seIf.seieeted champions of these sol- diers in various parts of the country sought. he said, not for equality be- fore the law but for special treatment for the Brownsville soldiers on the ground of race.
 GAS a friend of. the negro race I de. pIore tls~ sagitation which had this end In view he said. These soldiers are diers and citizens that white men would be entitled to. neither more nor
 He depiored any appeal to sympathy for criminals. which he said has be- come the fashion of the time. If action in this matter, is' to be deter mined by sympathy. he said, his sym 3id fha shooting, but to the harmless boy who was killed. to the Lieutenant of Police, dangerously wounded and tn- jured for life in the performance Of his duty and to the women and child. ren, covering on the floor while bul-