Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1909-01-15
Foraker's Charge Against
Roosevelt and Taft.
BROWNSVILLE AFFAIR UP
Ohio Senator Makes Carefully Pre-.
pared Address in Reply to Presi'
dents Last Message on tho Subject
and characterizes the Use Of Pri-
vate Detectives as "Atrocious,
Shocking and Revolving"


Washington, Jan. 13-Illegal diver.
sion of public funds by the president
and William H. Taft, while secretary
Of war, to pay for the investigation
by private detectives into the Browns
vile affair was charged by Senator
Foraker of Ohio in the senate 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
Of Aug. 1914, 1906. The government
use of the private detectives was
characterized by Mr.. Foraker az
"atrocious. shocking and revolving"
This charge of illegally diverting
$4,000 from the war fund of $3,OO0,-
900 appropriated by the deficiency act
Of March 3. 1899. was made by Mr..
Foraker in concluding his remarks,
which consisted of a very careful con-
sideration of certain legal phases Of
the Brownsville affair and the reading
of 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 afidavits denied with great par
ticularity nearly every statement OF
Importance by the detectives.
Alleges Violation Of Statutes.
Speaking CT the employment of pri,
vate detectives Mr.. Foraker declares
it is clearly in violation of the follow
ing statutory provision enacted in
1898:
THAT hereafter no employe of the
Pinkerton detective agency Or sim
liar agency shall be employed in any
government service or by any officer
Of the District of Columbia"
In concluding his speech Senator
Foraker said:
1T will appear from the presidents
message and the exhibits thereto at
tached showing the mode in which
the detectives are operating and the
testimony in answer thereto that
fraudulent impersonation, misrepre
sentation, lying, deceit, treachery
liquor and intoxication, coupled with
promises of immunity and the excite
ment of hope and fear and the offe1
of employment and remunerative
wages, have been resorted to to Sc
cure the testimony sought for and
! that the so called confessions are
not confined to such as affect the
parties making them or to those af
fected by them who may be present
when such confessions are made, but
extend also to those not present when
they are made, but who are absent
and without knowledge of what is
transpiring and without any oppor
tunity whatever to be heard in their
own defense-even to make an OBJ.
lection that such statements and such
confessions are untruthful."
Resents Being spied Upon.
When Mr.. Foraker commented on
a statement of the detectives respect
Ing letter he had written to one of
the discharged soldiers he laid down
his manuscript and with considerable
vehemence declared:
Il have doubtless written some let
tiers needing explanation. I have
doubtless written some letters that I
would not have written if l had all
the information got at some other
time. But I have never written any
letter since l left my mothers knee
of which I have been ashamed or
that needed any lying to explain"
AS he proceeded his voice grew
more and more intense.
If I have shown any undue zeal
in commenting on this proceeding"
he said, again departing from his
manuscript, lit is not through anger,
but through that indignant resentment
that every self-respecting man feels
who is spied upon by the government
he is attempting to serve. No Ian.
guage can completely describe such a
. shameful performance and do not
, exempt anybody from that remark
who has been connected with it, from
the highest to the lowest
There will be time he said,
as he threw his manuscript down on
his desk and looked over the senate
chamber, when men will not lightly