The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-01
TlLLMAN AND IRBY TACKLE.
HOT SHOTS FIRED At EACH OTHER
IN THE CONVENTION.

trugc Articic-Ehe Voter at thc
Mercy of the Partisan Supervisor
Under the Proposed Lnw-Mr. Pat
ton shakes His Finger in Senator
TiIImnn's Face.
Columbia. S c., oct. 3l.-This morning.
after wasting about an hour. the consti-
tutional convention once more took UP the
suffrage problem and was busy on il the
entire morning. Senator Irby got the
floor and made a long speech. attacking
the report of the committee He used
vigorous language and was listened TO
very closely. No one interrupted him.
lie was pretty hard on Senator Tnlman
and others. His speech was somewhat
sensational In his speech Senator Irby
said, among other things: Il say now. not
withstandng some slurs cast upon me In
my absence, that / am not the migrate
that would accept the highest office in
South Carolina from the poor and litter
ate white men and then trample them be-
meath my feet. They have been my
friends, sir, and 50 help me God. in
tend to be their friend, and endeavor 10
protect them from what I believe to be
an iniquity politically. l say that by way
Of preface. fearing to trust myself, In
| disposed as ] have been. 1 have written
what / conceive to be a protest against
the perpetra;ion OF this outrage. 1 have
to say, sir that l am not governed by
what other men may do. Thank God, /
think and act for myself. and l stand
here to-day TO tell the members Of this
convention that 1 will vote with the ne
grOes when they propose TO lndehmtey
postpone this bill ST we leave the condi-
uons OF this section as they are. shall
vote against the whole report, If 1 am the
only white man on the floor who does so.
] conceive that to be my duty, SIR ana
in spite Of anything to the contrary !
am willing to go before the people OF
South Carolina and their verdict VIII 1
abide by, but l cannot be frightened or
rldlculed or driven from my p0sluQh OF
honesty and gratitude, because the MEM
bers of this convention think otherwise.
Mr.. President. ! dare TO say nine
| tenths Of the refOrmers of this convention
| could not have been elected If they had
| had this plan and advocated 1t before the
people on the stump. This may be a guide
/ 20 you. ASK yourselves as honest men
/ Could you have been elected II you had
/ frankly and boldly told the people TINS
was your scheme of suffrage.
/ Mr.. Patton, in his argument the other
/ day said 10 was either TO be honestly or
! dishonesty Administered. lie was TSht.
/ That is the only way you can look at II.
| II il is honestly administered, nine-tenths
| of the illiterate men in this state will fan
behind the dead line and be disfranchised
| and there Is no use for any intelligent man
sGperyising officer. appointed by the gov
| ernor of the state. to disfranchise any
! man, white or black, who Is not able 70
| interpret every section of the constitution.
| When the report says any II only means,
| sir, any that the supervisor may see nt
| TO PROFOUND If the man who presents mimi
| self belongs to the same political faction
! that the supervisor does when party lines
/ are tightly drawn and partisan spirit runs
] high. IL will matter little whether he eN-
| plains 1t or not he will get his certificate.
! "The provisions Of being able to read
| and write Is intended for the protection
| Of that class who are educated. II IS
/ unconstitutional beyond a doubt. II you
| qualify the 1900 or 10000 people in this
! state who cannot read and write under
your understanding clause, honestly or
/ dishonesty, your supervisor may De en-
joined. This question may be carried be
fore the supreme court OF the United
| states and win be- and the supreme court
| may strike IL out as unconstitutional.
| Then where, sir, the promise that not
! a single white man should be disqualincdy
/ 1t will be too late then, because this
/ convention viii have adjourned. don
think the people OF this state VIII ever
| have another one in the next 100 years
II am no coat-tail swinger, thank GOD.
| / never hang on to any man coat talls
and sneeze every time he takes snuiI. 4
| would rather be man than an once hold-
| er. The people of Laurens county thought
| enough of me to send me TO the leglsla-
! ture in 1885. when Mr.. Ttllmans s highest
| ambition was only to be trustee OF
! Clemson College. until the people Of south
| Carolina sent me to the United states
/ Senate. / nave always lflcu 10 De uoAtoN
| and sincere. ! would not swing 10 the
/ coat-taN Of any man to be President Of
| the United States When those people a
home took me from the plantation anu
| elected me against my viii (the newspa-
per men can report that IT they WisHDt
| / admitted upon the stump that dlq
| not think that / could be elected, but
/ that / would make the fight. Ihere are
! delegates here who know that that IS the
/ truth ] went TO the legislature ana my
| record was consistent throughout and
| win not now swing to any man coat
/ tails though ! am reformert ana De-
lieve that my record as a reformer Will
| Size uD with that of any other man In
! South Carolina, but as reformer ana a
true man who wants to represent the
! people whose votes put him in ofhce, l
| Drefer political death, even a natural
| death before 1 would strike this cruel
When the convention reassembled the
! hattie royal which has been expected Tor
! months was precpitated at the very out
! set and South Cardinals two United States
| senator's locked horns. Senator Iillman
| coming out the winner, so Iar as the
| vote was concerned. 1t was pretty bout,
| and both senators displayed great ear
nestness in what they said. Ana tnen
/ followed the long-lOoked FOR speech or
/ Senator Ttllman on the Suffrage problem
( He spoke for over two hours ana half,
! and presented this situation In South Car
/ DINA in the greatest detail he never
spoke in his life with more deehIbe3ration
/ SPECTATORS and from start TO finish he
| was listened to with an absorbing inter
| est and at times pm Tan WOulu nave
| made a great noise so intent were the
| neople present in their desire to hear
/ everything that was said.
Senator Irby precipitated the, fight by
| moving to take up the report Of the edu-
| cafional committee out Of its order post
poning the suffrage matter. He explained
| why.
/ nounced this as a flank movement to keep
| him from speaking. Senator lrby told
/ him he had not devoted that much
/ thought to him. Senator Tillman moved
/ 70 table his motion and Senator Irby de-
nounced it as a gag law which he would
! NOT submit to- A roll call was demanded
| on Senator Irby's motion and 1t was killed
| by a vote Of % 70 %.
| Then Senator Tillman spoke He made
| the speech of his life. The first hour and
a half of it was a review of the grotesque
! satIrnaiia Of crime and robbery in this
! state under the republican rule. He gave
a mass Of facts and figures which he said
he intended TO go to the world as justifi-
cation Of what this convention was about
/ to do That government, while largely
/ composed Of native and carpet-bag whites
1 was based on the black vote and sus-
/ tanned by it, and the purpose Of this body
! was TO eliminate that vote as far as the
! fourteenth and fifteenth amendments
/ would allow.