Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-23
DECISION is. DUE TODAY
Discharged Colored Soldiers to Be
Allowed to Re-Enlist.
MUST FIRST SATISFY A BOARD
Review of Issue Which Has Occu-
pied Upper Branch of Congress
for Several Years.


cation, wrangling and presidential mes
sages the Senate will act this afternoon
on the Brownsville affair" Under a spe-
cial order adopted several weeks ago a
vote will be taken on Senator Aldrich's
substitute for Senator Foraker's bill al
lowing the colored soldiers who were dis
charged without honor as a result OF the
shooting up of Brownsville, Tex. the night
of August 1914, 1906. to re-enlist when
their applications have been passed on
by court of inquiry of five army officers.
1t is generally understood that the sub
stitute will be adopted by substantial
ma iority 1t is likely that all of the re-
publicans will vote for 1t, and that the
only negative votes will be by the south
ern democrats.
No General Desire to Speak.
BY agreement the measure was laid be-
| fore the Senate at 1 o'clock this after
noon The time from then until o'clock
was to have been consumed by Senators
who wish to make ten-minute speeches.
No one cared, however. to speak at
that time except Senator Daniel of Vir-
ginia who upheld the action Of the Pres
ident in discharging the troopers and
moved to strike out of the substitute the
| of the men who may re-enlist be con-
sidered to have done SO Immediately after
| their discharge and to be entitled to pay
and other rights and benefits from that
da-e.
The vote on MIR. Daniels amendment
| was postponed until 4 o'clock under the
special order.
| The bill was then laid aside tempor-
| arily in order to make way for the dip
| lomatic and consular, fOrtlficatiOns. and
1 Iii 4 he
understanding that any senator who wish
| ed to discuss the Brownsville fray for ten
minutes might do so during the afternoon
Substitute a Compromise Measure.
The Aldrich substitute is a compromise
measure, accepted by Senator Foraker
1 who has led the fight against the Presi-
dent in the Senate on this question. and
| by Senator Warner, the Presidents repre-
sentative in the matter, and the other re-
publican senators. 1t is understood to be
satisfactory to the President.
The Brownsville controversy has been
one of the most troublesome that the
| Senate has had to deal with in recent
| years.
| 1t started with an investigation of the
shooting affray, made at the instance Of
Mr.. Foraker during the early part Of the
| session which began in December, 1905.
All the next summer the military affairs
committee examined witnesses, ana when
| Congress convened against the members
were widely divided. Senator Warren,
chairman, submitted one report uphold
ing the Presidents action. and providing
for the re-enlstment of the soldiers in
the discretion of the President.
| This report was subscribed to by Sena-
| tors Warner, Lodge and others on the
! committee. Senators Foraker and Bulk
! ley took the opposite ground that the SOL
diers were guiltleSs. Senator Scott pre-
sented report of his own taking middle
| course. The democrats on the committee
unanimously voted to uphold the action of
| the President.
Hard to Reach Agreement.
| When the three reports came into the
Senate it soon became evident that it
would be hard to reach an agreement
upon either the Foraker or Warner bill.
| This belief became stronger after the
President transmitted to the Senate a re-
port of private detectives employed by
him in an effort to establish the guilt of
the soldiers. which report was denounced
| by Mi. Foraker full of misstatements.
| 1t was then that Senator Aldrich decided
| to present the substitute for the Fora
ker bill Senator Foraker was not en-
I tirely sat.sned. but he yielded.
| 1t Appeared for awhile as, ii the demo-
| Gratis would tilibuster against any mea-
| sure to allow the re-enlistment of the SOL
| diers. but after Mr.. Foraker had made an
| appeal Tor d vote on the proposition before
| he left the Senate for good March this
/ oppC SitiOn to voting faded away.