The San Francisco call., 1909-01-13
FORAKER HURLS
CHARGE AT TAFT
AND ROOSEVELT
Illegal Diversion of Public Funds
Is Accusation Made on
Senate Floor
Hiring of SIeuths to Probe
Brownsville Shooting "Atro-
ciOus, Revolving" He Says
Ohio Senator Says He Has
Never Written a Letter to
Be Ashamed OF

WASHINGTON. Jan 12.-IllegaI d.
version OF public funds by President
Roosevelt and William II. Taft while
the latter was secretary Of war, to pay
for the investigation by private detec-
tiTes into the Brownsville ahfray was
charged by Senator Joseph B. Foraker
OF Ohio in the senate today. Foraker
was replying to statements Of Herbert
J. Browne OF this city and William G.
Baldwin Of Roanoke. Va, who were
employed by the secretary of war to
secure evidence against the guilty
negro soldiers of the Twenty fifth in
fantry. United States army in shoot
ing up" Brownsville on the night of
August 1914. 1906. The governments s
use Of the private detectives was char
scteriZed by Foraker as atrociOus
shocking and revolving"
FORAKER MAKES CHARGE
This charge of illegally diverting
$4,000 from the war fund Of $4,000 600
appropriated by the deficiency act Of
March g. 1899, was made by Foraker
in concluding his remarks. which con-
sited Of a very careful consideration Of
certain legal phases of the Brownsville
affair and the reading of a number of
andavits by soldiers whose testimony
and confessions Browne alleged he had
secured 10 unravel the mystery of the
Identity Of the men who did the shoot
f.ng, and these affldavits denied with
great particularly nearly every state
ment Of Importance by the detectives
Speaking Of the $3,O00,OO0 war fund
OF 1893 appropriated as an emergency
10 meet unforeseen contingencies con
sfr~ -fc 81 70 ha 81 -,
discretion Of the president, Foraker
said:
1T viii probably be surprising in
formation that the appropriation made
10 years ago at the close Of the Span
ish-American war TO enable the presi-
dent 10 meet emergency army contin-
gencies such as were then arising in
connection with our military establish
ment should have been construed to
be permanent appropriations"
Foraker declared that the statutes
directed the head OF each department
10 make an annual report to congress,
giving a detailed statement in which
the contingent fund Of his department
has been expended.
This appropriation" he said. being
for the war department. the report
should have been made by the secretary
OF war, but so far as I can ascertain no
detailed or itemized reports to congress
OF expenditures from this fund have
been made. but only general reports"
CALLS 1T CLEARLY ILLEGAL
Senator Foraker said that, waving
all technical or doubtful objections and
assuming. for the sake of argument
that the constitutional provision quoted
does not apply, the question remains
whether such payments now under con-
sideration are legitimate and proper to
be made from it. 1t would seem that
granting all I have indicated, they are
yet nevertheless, clearly Illegal and in
fat violation Of the statutory provision:
That no employe OF the Pinkerton de-
tective agency. or similar agency, shall
be employed in any government service
or by any officer Of the district of CO.
lumbia.'
Speaking Of the use of private detec-
tives IN Investigating the Brownsville
affair. Foraker declared that 'it is i'm
possible to find language with which to
nttingly characterize such a procedure
as this detective business has been from
its inception down to the monstrous
stages it has reached. 1t is atrocious,
revolving and shocking to every sense
Of fairness, justice and even common
decency."
OPINION OF PRESIDENT
Speaking of the reply OF the president
and of the secretary of war to a senate
resolution calling for information on
the detectives investigation, Foraker
sadi:
They not only disclose determined
effort on the part Of the president to
again bolster up the case against these
men, but that he has resorted to a
method in his effort to secure such tes-
tumony that can not be willingly char
acterized without the use of language
which, II employed, might appear to be
disrespectful 10 the chief executive"
The senator had the strictest atten-
tion OF his colleagues on the floor.
nearly all Of whom were present to-
gether with a considerable number OF
members Of the house who occupied
places IN the rear OF the chamber.
Among the visitors in the gallery there
was large number OF negro men and
women, men who have been present on
every occasion when Foraker has de-
Tended the negroes OF the Twenty-ffth
regiment against the charge of having
shot up the town OF Brownsville on
The night OF August 1874, 1905.
Senator Foraker had prepared his
speech very carefully, but his reading
Of the manuscript had all of the in
uerest of an extemporaneous address.
Nearly every seat on the republican
side was occupied. Only about a fourth
Of the democrats remained in their
places throughout the discourse.
ABOUT HIS LETTERS
When Foraker commented on a state
ment Of the detectives respecting a
letter be had written TO one of the
discharged soldiers he laid down his
manuscript and with considerable We
hemence declared:
i have doubtless written some let
ters needing explanation. have doubt
less written some letters that 1 would
not have written If I had ali the in
formation I got at some other time
But ] have never written any letters
since left my mothers knee of which
am ashamed or need any lying to
explain"
The row Of seats reserved for the
president was empty throughout the
time Senator Foraker was speaking.
CALLS FOR STATEMENT
WASHINTON. Jan. 1.-THE senate
adopted a resolution today presented
by Senator Foraker, calling upon the
secretary Of the treasury for an item
5zed statement Of the expenditure OF
the $4,000, 900 appropriated by the act
OF March 5, 1893, TO be expended at the
discretion Of the president as ar