The Colorado statesman., 1908-02-29
The AFFRAY AT
BROWNSVILLE
SENATE COMMITTEE FINDS
SHOOTING WAS DONE BY
NEGROES.
MINORITY DISAGREES
FIGHT WILL NOW BE CARRIED
TO FLOOR OF THE
SENATE.

WdSnlHSIOn.-1na nat the SnOOt1nE al
fray at Brownsville, Texas, the night
of August 1914, 1906, was done by
some negro soldiers of the Twenty
Fifth United States infantry and that
the testimony taken before the senate
committee on military affairs fails to
identify the guilty persons, is the opin-
ion of eight members of the commit
tee
Four members of the committee
voted against this decision, and one
member did not vote.
The resolution declaring the guilt of
the negroes was submitted by Senator
Lodge and was adopted after five reso-
| lutions by Senator Foraker, one by
Senator Dupont and one by Senator
Scott, all of which were offered as sub
stitutes, had been voted down.
The vote Tuesday was reached after
prolonged investigation extending over
two sessions of Congress and after evil
dence had been taken covering thou
sands of rages.
Practically every negro of the three
companies of infantry dishonorably
discharged by President Roosevelt tes.
tilted in his own behalf. while evidence
in support of the President was given
by many army officers and citizens of
Brownsville
Throughout the entire controversy
which in many sections of the country
had been made a political issue. the
nti-administration side has been di-
rected by Senator Foraker. In the
final vote in the committee a majority
by the Republican members came to
his support The Ohio senator ex-
i'm o1f
it was apparent from the outset that
all of the Democratic members were
convinced that the negroes did the
shooting.
The fight will be carried to the floor
of the Senate. The reports of the com
mittee will not be made for about ten
days, as Senator Warner, who CON
Quoted the examination of witnesses
on behalf of the administration will
be absent from Washington for that
period. Action by the committee there
fore will be postponed until his return.
After the reports have been made to
the Senate it is expected that Senator
Foraker will press the matter to
vote there. If he should secure the
same proportion of the Republican
members of the Senate as he had in
the committee, the vote will be closer
than has been anticipated. The Ohio
senator purposes also to introduce a
bill to restore to the military service
such of the discharged negroes as
were shown beyond reasonable
doubt to have been innocent of any
offense connected with the affray.
The committee was in session Tues
day for nearly three hours. 1t was in
the main harmonious. Practically the
only passages at arms were of par
liamentary nature.
The lineup defined so clearly that
the senators wasted no time in trying
to change each others views. Senator
Lodge offered resolution as follows:
That in the opinion of this commit
tee the shooting affray in Brownsville
on the night of August 1914, 1906, was
done by some of the soldiers belonging
to the Twenty-fifth United States in
fantry, then stationed at Fort Brown,
Texas"
Senator Foraker offered as a substi-
tute the following:
The testimony wholly fails to iden-
| tify the individuals or any of them,
who participated in the shooting af-
| fray"
The Foraker substitute was defeated
by vote of eight to five, and the
Lodge resolution was adopted by the
same division.