Birmingham state herald., 1895-11-01
PULLMAN VS. lRBY.
They Made the Speeches of Their Lives, But Tillman Won When it Came to
 a Vote.


 ing. 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. He was pretty
 heavy on Senator Tillman and others.
 His speech was somewhat sensational.
 Amendment after amendemnt to the plan
 has been voted down today, and early in
 the night session all these amendments
 will be disposed of, and then Tillman will
 take the floor and make his speech
 In his speech today Senator Irby said among other things
 T say now, notwithstanding some
 slurs cast upon me in my absence, that
 l am not an migrate that would accept this highest office in South Carolina from
 the poor and illiterate white men and then trampIe them beneath my feet. They have been my friends sir, and so help me God I intend to be their friend and endeavor to protect them from what I believe to be an iniquity politically. l
 say that by way of preface. Fearing to trust myself, indisposed as have been, 1 have written what l conceive to be a protest against the perpetration Of this outrage I have to say, sir, that l am not governed by what other men may do. Thank God, think and act for my self, and I stand here today to tell the
 members of this convention that l VIII vote with the negroes when they propose to indefinitely postpone this bill If we leave the conditions of this section Tor you as they are. I shall vote against the whole report if am the only white
 man on the floor who does so. l con ceive that to be my duty, sir, and in spite of anything to contrary am willing to go before the people of South Carolina ana their verdict will abide by, but cannot be frigh tened or ridiculed or driven rom my position of honesty and gratitude be- cause the members of this convention think otherwise.
 Mr. President, I dare to say not one tenth of the reformers of this convention could have been elected if they could have had this plan and advocated 1t be- fore the people on the stump. This may be a guide to you. Ask yourselves as honest men could you have been elected if you had. frankly and boldly, told the people this was your scheme of suffrage. MT. Patton in his argument the other night said 1t was to be honestly or dis honestly administered. He was right. That is the only way you can look at 1t. If 1t Is absolutely administered nine tenths of the illiterate men in this state will fall behind the dead line and be dis franchised, and there is no use for any intelligent man to deny it. It puts it in the power of the supervising officer ap- ! pointed by the governor of the state to disfranchise any man, white or black. who IS not able to interpret every sec- tion of the constitution. When the re- port says any" it only means, sir, any that the supervisor may see fit to pro- pound. If the man who presents him. self belongs to the same political fac ton that the supervisor does, when par ty lines are tightly drawn and partisan spirit runs high. 1t will matter little whether he explains or not, he will get his certificate.
 The provision of being able to read and write is intended for the protection of that class who are educated. It Is constitutional beyond a doubt. If you qualify the 15,000 or 10000 people in this state who cannot read and write, under your understanding clause, honestly or dishonestly, your supervisor may be en- joined. This question may be carried before the supreme court of the United States, and will be, and the supreme court may strike 1t out as unconstitutional. Then. sir, where is the promise that not a single white man should be disquali- fled? It will be too late then, because this convention will have adjourned. I do not think the people of this state will ever have another one in the next 100 years I am no coat tail Swinger thank God I never hang on to my mans coat tails and sneeze every time he takes snuff. I would rather be man than an office-holder. The people of Laurens county thought enough of me to send me
  mans highest ambition was only to be a trustee of Clemson college, until the people of South Carolina sent me to the United States senate. l have always tried to be honest and sincere. l would not swing to the coat tail of any man to be president of the United States. When the people at home took me from planta- ton and elected me, against my will | 0he newspaper men can report that II | they wish), I admitted upon the stump l that did not think that could be elect ed but that I would make the fight. There are delegates here who know that that is the truth.-I went to the legisla- 1 ture and my record was consistent throughout and I will not now, though l am reformer, and believe that my rec | ord as a reformer will say so up with that | of any other man in South Carolina, but as a reformer and true man who wants | to represent the people, whose votes put 1 him in office, I prefer political death, l even a natural death, before l would strike the poor man this cruel blow. When the convention reassemb1ed the grand battle royal, which has been ex- l pected for months was precipitated at | the very outset, and South Carolinas | two United States senators locked horns. l Tillman coming out the winner so far as | the vote was concerned.
 It was pretty bout and both the sen ators displayed great earnestness in what | they said. And then followed the long | looked for speech of Senator Tillman on | the suffrage problem He spoke for over | two hours and half and presented the situation in South Carolina in the great est detail. He never spoke in his life with more deliberation and vigor The hall was we'll filled with spectators and from start to finish he was listened to with an absorbing interest and at times pins fall would have made a great noise, so intent were the people present in their desire to hear everything that was said.
 Irby precipitated the fight by moving | to take up the report of the educational committee out of it's order proposing the suffrage matter. I.S explained why. Tillman denounced this as a flank movement to keep him from speaking to- night A roll was demanded on Irby's motion and 1t was killed by vote of 52 to S6. Then I1llman opened He made the speech of his life. For an~hour and a half it was a review of grotesque satur- nalia 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 justi- flcation for what this convention was about to do. That government. while