Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-20
BATTING AN EDITOR.
PAsTlNE OF THE s. C. CONVENTION
Resolutions Condemnatory of Mir. Gonzales Adopted After a Hot Debate-Till- !
 mans frofine Datrbe.

Columbia, s. C., Sept 19-The eonstitu-H tional convention today devoted most of it's session to the discussion of the Pat terson resolution to denounce the edi- torial statement in the State. newspaper, and vindicate Governor Evans, presi- dent of the convention, from the charge of having wilfully misstated the vote on resolution on Monday last, and there was another sensational session in con sequence. Things were lively from start to finish, particularly when Senator Till man made ore of his hottest speeches. pointing his finger at Editor Gonzales. who was on the floor of the hall until the vote had been taken. and the Pat terson resolution had been passed by vote of 123 to 23.
 It was a matter of great public in terest and the galleries were filled with spectators from the time the days pro ceedings were opened until the nnai vote was taken, about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Aside from this matter there was no other feature of the days session, although great many ordinances and resolutions Of more or less importance were presented near the close of the days session. The coming storm was scented at the opening of the days ses- sion, even in the prayer of the Rev. MT Parrott. who prayed that they might have pleasant, peaceful and profitable session and made a reference to editors.
 MT. Patterson presented a substi- tute for his resolution introduced yester- day, which concluded as follows:
 As said editorial statement is un- supported by facts, Senator 1rby having announced upon the floor of the conVen- tion that the announcement m said vote by the president was correct, and as said G6i dol ic raAft and integrity of the president of this convention, and an insult to this body. be it
 Resolved 2. That the convention desires to express Its entire confidence in the in tegrty honesty and faifness of our pres ident, the Hon. John Gary Evans, and we do hereby declare the statement in the aforesaid editorial to be unsustained by the facts and untrue.
 Resolved 3. That We consider the edi- torial in question an abuse of the privt- lege granted the press in admitting its members to the floor of the convention.
 MT Patterson made quite speech on the resolution. saying 1t was rebuke that they owed to the people to make.
 They as a convention had right to revoke the privileges granted the press and could punish for contempt, but this he refrained from urging, because he did not wish the writer of the defama- tory article to appear as martyr.
 MT. Bates wanted merely to reafhrm the confidence of the convention in the honesty and integrity of the president This substitute was lost
 Colonel Aldrich offered the following as an amendment to MT. Patterson s res olutions to be substituted for the third resolution:
 That the said newspaper, the State, has abused the privileges allowed to the press by this convention, and that for the balance of the session its representatives be denied admission to the floor of the convention, and that the sergeant-at- arms be charged with the enforcement of this resolution.
 Colonel Aldrich in his speech said they all knew that the elevating influence ex- ercised on society by the press was gone. They all knew that in the morning when they saw something in paper of a sen sational and defamatory nature they nev- CT even bothered themselves to find out of it was true or not. Any honest man, particularly their president, could afford not to notice it at all. His impulse would have been not to notice 1t at all. The pa per had abused it's. privileges and the only thing for them to do was to cut OH that privilege that the convention had given it. The representatives of the press were granted the privilege to sit there and report the proceedings or the session for the benefit of the public and their own advancement so long as they behaved leges were abused the only thing the convention could do was to put them out. A strong speech was made by eX-GoV- ernor Sheppard against the Patterson resolution, in which he stated that Col onel Aldrich's resolution should not be adopted because the reporter or the pa per on the floor had demeaned himself as a gentlemen and furnished fair and full reports He had no objection to re affirming his confidence in the paper ana thought it meant well.
 Many speeches were made on poth sides some taking the position that In stating the vote the second vote bore out what it was claimed the first vote was. If requiring them to swear to what they knew was not true, although the presi- dent had been honestly mistaken Tn an- nounciDg 1t.
 Many were opposed to the convention taking any notice of it. MT. Aldrlchs resolution was tabled.
 Senator Tillman made one of his not test speeches, drawing the factlonal llnes and saying that 1t was not persona matter where you could frall man Wltn a stick. Pointing to Editor Gonzales he said: But such things are beneath the dignity of that gentleman over there, who has dished out more hell fire and damnatio in this state than has come from any mouth save mine"
 Mir. Gonzales smiled and bowed to him ironically. Fractional feeling was there' it was cropping out on all sides. He iumped on the conservative members. Governor Sheppard later resented the motives imputed to himself and other conservatives.
 A viva voce vote was finally taken, TiIlman demanding the roll call. The Patterson resolution was adopted by a vote of 123 to 23. some ten or twenty members having their reasons for their votes spread on the journal. Later Till man apologized to the conservative mem bcrs for the language he had used in re- gard 10 their motives. saying that their had appeared spacious to him.
 During the day a petition was received from the state Woman's Christian Tenn nerapce union asking the convention to raise the age of consent from 10 to IS