The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-17
WORDS OF MOST BITTER WAR.
ANGRY AND EXCITED SCENES AT
THE COLUMBIA CONVENTION.

bering Volcano Hidden Under
the Fair and Calm Exterior of the
First Weeks Session, and Bursts
Forth With UnexnmpIed Fury.
Words Uttered by ImpassiOned Men
That Naught Can Ever Wipe FROM
the Page of south CarOIina's His
tory.
Columbia, S. c., Sept. 16.-"When Greek
meets Greek, then comes the tug of war"
How peculiarly appropriate to the sensa-
tional scenes enacted on the floor of the
/ constitutional convention to-day are the
above words. The two greatest Of the
1 recognized reform leaders-Tillman ana
/ Irby-along with other stalwarts of the
/ South Carolina political world. became
I entangled in a personal and political con-
troversy that caused Irby to rake Tillman
/ fore and aft.
Fraternal relations We're cast to the
winds by the Tillman brothers and time
and time again the president had to call
upon the sergeant-at-arms Of the con-
vention and order him to preserve the
/ peace. No such sensational event, il is
| safe TO say, has ever occurred in the state
of South Carolina within the past decade.
| The .slumbering volcano began to give
forth its premOnitory rumblngs soon
after the speech of ex-Congressman Till
man on Saturday, and during sunday
night these rumblings became louder and
more threatening in character
| The atmosphere was warm. The mass
/ of birthstone flowed downward in every in
| creasing volume and the peaceful bosom
| of the sea of harmony upon the orders of
/ which the delegates have been standing
for a whole week, was made tumultuous.
In fact peace and harmony was engulfed
and disappeared as completely as ever did
| Pompeii. There were scenes enacted there
| that those who witnessed them will never
! forget; words were uttered by impassioned
/ men that nothing can ever wipe from the
| pages of South Carolina history The Illl-
/ man brothers were particularly severe
/ upon one another.
/ One single wOrd-Butler-wa the cause
/ of the whole explosion and the flow of
/ dynamite-charged verbal darts that were
| fired thick and fast.
/ The whole thing came from George ID.
! Tillman's speech in regard to the estab-
/ hshment Of Butler county and the action
| of the convention in so establishing and
naming the county in the absence OF
/ Senator Tillman. The senator was never
more bitter, perhaps, in his whole career.
/ Things that he said of Gen, Butler were
/ rough in the extreme and he did not
mince words in speaking of his elder
| brother His whole frame as he spoke
/ seemed TO QulNer with passion. lfDys lOOs
| spoke with more energy ana passion than
1 he has ever yet been known to display.
Ben Tillman attacked the character Of
! Gen. Butler in strong language. He said
| Butler had disgraced his name He spoke
| of his absence when his brother spoke on
| Saturday.
fortunate that l was not here. for from
| what l read in the papers as to the speech
maze on this floor, and what have heard
from gentlemen since my arrival as to
il, / might have been unable to discuss the
matter in cold blood"
Now, however, he considers the matter
| deliberately from the standpoint of rea-
son.
"There are reasons of a two-fold char
acter why | would pray God to be deliver
ed from the task but whenever duty
calls me, l have answered to the scall.
1T cannot be Said that 1 have yet shirk-
ed any duty or remained quiet under such
| circumstances. l have, therefore, risen,
sir, to do justice to the living and to the
dead. Three-fourths of the people of the
section composing the new county wanted
the name of Saluda.
''Some had said that it was because he
was opposed to giving the county the
name of that man Butler; well, that was
true, but that was not the greatest rea-
son. Already the news had been flashed
far and wide that the reform convention
of South Carolina had sat down upon the
reform legislature of South Carolina,
which repudiated Butler and elected him
(Tillman) to the Senate, They tell you
to leave out NJ. c. Butler in naming the
county; you cannot divorce the name from
NJ. c. Butler, and it will be heralded from
one end of South Carolina and of the coun-
your legislature. M. c. Butler is the only
living representative of that name.
Why can not we afford to
when the ordinance appeared? Talk
about names of families. Why have you
no counties named for your illustrious
Haynes, McDuftiies, Hamlins and others?
l say that this last representative of the
name OF Butler has disgraced it. You
will ask how, why and when? / will tell
you. We are told that prejudice rose
against him because he could not give or
flee to the horde that followed him beg
ging for patronage like hounds after a
rabbit. You know whether that is true
or not You have been told, too, that IL
will be a long time ere this state will be
represented by his superior and that there
was fear that 1t would be long time
before this state would have even his
equal there. can take that stab coming
from whence it does without a word. /
don't blow my horn. 1 only know this,
that 1 have met all my opponents, who
have fought me as bitterly as man ever
was fought on the stump, and everywhere
that have been called upon to face them
and the people have expressed their ver-
dict. 1 can afford to pass by in contempt
''As to my friend on the right by his
vote on Saturday, l can only say that
he seems to have pleaded guilty of the
charge of inferiority to this person. /
here assert that to-day NJ. c. Butler cannot
get one hundred votes in his county for
dnylnlnB Ibat ne might desire. w no would
dare dispute it?'
Senator Irby said he would not stoop
to engage in this debate if he had not
been attacked for voting for Butler coun-
ty. Speaking of Tillman, he said with
his Characteristic consistency, after MAX
ing one of the bitterest speeches of his |
life, he ends it by saying that he hopes
there will be no factional feeling on this
floor
THE gentleman dares to criticise me
because 1 dared to exercise the right
of a member to vote as l pleased / did |
not intend it as a special compliment to
NJ. G. Butler, but 1 throw it back in his
teeth that nothing NJ. G. Butler may
do whl ever disgrace the name Of Butler |
in South Carolina. It will live facing
Senator Tillman and shaking his finger
at him) when you are dead and forgotten
Cloud applause) / am not the champion
of Mr. Butler. I have fought him as ear
nestly as any man and no man fn this
state had more to do with his defeat than
I did, but Gen. Butler went down and |
you had not magnanimity enough to let |
this man. pass and not follow him into |
this convention. We are not here as the l
adherents of any man. So help me God
! will not vote for any law that will NOT /
fit both factions in this state. (Applause) l
Il sincerely regret that the great leader /
Of the people of South Carolina should i
so far forget himself al the very thresh-
hold Of this conventions session, when If 4