The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1909-01-13
He Roasfs President
Roosevelt in The
Senate
AXES A SIDE. sWfPE
AT PREsloENT-ELEcT TAFT
Foraker Alleged That Roosevelt and
Taft Illegally Diverted Public
Funds-scathins Criticism
of the President.

Washington, D. c.. Jan. l2-Illegal
diversion of public funds by the Pres
ident and William H. Taft while sec
retary of war to pay for the inyesu
CATION by private detectives into the
Brownsville affair. was charged by
Senator Joseph Benson Foraker. OF
Ohio, in the senate today in a speech
in 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 of the guilt OF negro
soldiers of the Twenty fifth infantry.
United States army. in shooting up
Brownsville on the night al August
1914, 1906. The governments Use Of
the private detectives was character
lied by Mr. Foraker as atrocious,
shocking and revolving,
This charge of nlegality divertine
$4,000 from the war fund OF $4,000
600 appropriated by the deficiency act
OF March 3. lS99, was made by Mr.
Foraker in concluding his remarks,
which consisted OF very careful con
sideration of certain legal phases Of
the Brownsville affair and the reading
of a number OF affidavits by soldiers,
whose testimony and confessions"
Mr.. Browne alleged he had secured to
unravel the mystery of the identity Of
the men who did the shooting. and
these affidavits denied with great par
ticularity nearly every Statement of
Importance made by the detectives
Money Wronefuily Used.
Speaking OF the $4,000, 900 war fund
Of 1929 appropriated as an emergency
fund to meet unforeseen contingencies
constantly arising, 10 be expended at
the discretion OF the president" Mr..
Foraker said:
IL viii probably be surprising in
foruation to the appropriations com
MI ZEE, as it win be TO most senators,
th this appropriation. made ten
years ago al the close the Spanish
American war. 70 enable the president
to meet emergency army contincen-
cies such as were then arising in con
nection with our military establish
ment should have been construed to
be permanent appropriation. and
that there IS still d large unexpended
balance ont Of which payments OF the
character now under consideration
are being made"
Continuing. ar. Foraker declared
that section 1873. of the revised stat
utcs, enacted i'll 1872 and stn in
force, directs the head of each depart
ment 10 make an annual report OF
congress. giving detail statement
OF the manner in which the contin-
gent fund Of his department has been
expended, giving th- names Of every
person to whom any portion OF such
fund has been paid
This appropriation" he said. being
for the war department, The report
should have been made by the secre-
tary Of war. and he is not relieved of
that duty By the fact that the money
can be expended only with the an
proval Of the president. The secretary
Of war evidently has entertained this
view. but so far as | can ascertain
no detailed or itemized reports to
congress Of expenditures from this
fund have been made. but only gene
raj reports. showing the aggregate
sums expended for each year.
The Contingency" under which this
use Of the war fund OF 1895 Vas used
Mr. Foraker declared was THE remote
one that men should be required tG
prove their iugocence ~ > srfme be.
fore a judge who had already pro-
nounced them guilty under a bill then
pen1lna in -ba senate Ard all rhlsr
insisted MI Foraker, in the presence
Of the fact that there was the most
bitter and determined opposition 10
the measure. and thar there uas an
other measure pending which provided
that all might be reenlisted who cared
to reinlist. but hat the rizht . sur-
ther prosecute before civil Or military
tribunals should BE reserved as to ali
against whor auv evidence might be
secured in any manner At any time
after such enactment.
President yiol=tei law
But. waving all technical Or doubt
ful objections and assuming. for the
sake Of argument. that the constitu-
tional provision quoted does not aDply.
and that the ruling Of the treasury
department. that the APPROXIMATION Is
permanent. is correct, and that il con-
tinues to stand. and will stand. as an
e--ailarle annronriationv for such prr-
nos1s a. those for which IL was in
tended. until entirely exhausted, the