Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-14
the continuing law of the land until

the continuing law of the land until
} epealed.
This re-'nactmens vas in 1893. and
read AS follows
rl:, hereafter, no employee of the
Pinkerton Detective Agency, or sim'l-
ar agency, shall be employed in any
government service or by any officer
of the District Of Columbia
"This statute is still in force and
effect, unrepealed and unqualified It
was in full force and effect at the
time when these contracts with
Browne and Baldwin We're made by
the secretary of war.
I'm view of these statutes, all these
payments are clearly Illegal, not only
without warrant or authority Of law,
but In plain violation thereof"
The Brownsville Incident.
"In the message he sent to the sen
ate after the report of the committee
on military affairs, he reiterated that
the facts of the Brownsville affair,
claimed by him had been by that tes-
timony thoroughly established.
Hence 1t was that when the COM
mittee reported everybody apparent
ly supposed the investigation was
ended, and If any one had thought
about 1t at all, he surely would have
supposed that the president who had
formally in his messages to the senate
over and over again, more than q doz-
en- Zines, asserted that the testimony
and beyond any doubt and SO
thoroughly as to admit of mo honest
difference of opinion about it, estab-
lished the guilt of the soldiers, would
be content to rest upon the testimony
that had in these numerous ways been
gathered together.
But not So AS though conscious
that, notwithstanding all his asser.
lions and declarations as to the suf-
fiency of the testimony it was in fact,
unreliable and insufficient to justify
his order of discharge, we were favor
ed with the further message of Deem
Der IA 1908, in which we We're inform
ed that detectives had been employed
by the war department and that they
have been at work for months-ever
since April 1G, 190S-traveling about
over the country, visiting these dis,
: charged soldiers trying to secure from
them discriminating statements and
confessions OF guilt and that, as a
result, we now have another batch of
conclusive testimony"
Talks on Presidents Reply.
Speaking of the reply of the presi.
dent and of the secretary of war to a
senate resolution calling for infor.
nation on the detectives investiga
tions into the Brownsville affair, Mr.
Foraker said:
This message of the president with
it's exhibits and this report of the sec,
rotary of war present new and most
serious feature of this unhappy bust
ness They not only disclose deter.
mined effort on the part of the presi
dent to again bolster up the case
against these men which he has here
tofore, on numerous occasions, both
officially and unofflcially character
lied as conclusive and 'overwhelm
ing but that he has resorted to q
method in his effort to secure such
testimony that can not be fittingly
| characterized without the use oil
language which, if employed might ap
| pear to be disrespectful to the CHIEF
executive. And worst Of all, in this
endeavor to secure such testimony the
president has. himself, committed the
serious condemned by every
court that administers the common
law, that has ever had occasion te
! speak on the subject-of holding ou
| to these men an inducement, or {
reward, for giving such testimony, il
the form Of re-enlistment, with full
pay, and reinstatement to all thei
rights as soldiers.
/ Claims Fraudulent Impersonation.
ut will appear from the president.
message and the exhibits thereto at
| tached showing the mode in which TIL,
| detectives are operating, and the ties
/ timony in answer thereto, that frad
/ ulent impersonation, misrepresenta
ton, lying, deceit, treachery, liquo
and intoxication, coupled with prom
ises OF immunity and the excitemen