The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-30
TILLMAN AND HIS PITcHFoRK.
THE SENATOR MAKES A SAVAGE
ATTACK on THE PRESIDENT.

ANN w Il1Af HhE>lDENIs
He Accuses Him of PrOstitutinE Hts
High Omce for Personal Gain.
The Democratic Party Declared
Completely Wreckcd-His speech
More Suitable for Gathering OF
Anarchists Than for the United
States senate.
Washington. Jan. Ex-senator Tillman
and his pitchfork were in evidence in the
Senate to-day, and he amused the MEM
bers of the Senate and the occupants Of
the galleries with his plain, blunt utter
ances, SO familiar to South Carolina au-
diences. He left his seat on the back row
and moved down to the seat in the front
row, vacated by his late rival and imme-
diate predecessor, Gen. Butler At2 o'clock
he took the floor to discuss the pending
bond bin with the free silver substitute.
He wore a long black Prince Albert coat,
closely buttoned across his breast. with
trousers to match a standing collar ana
black necStie, completed his costume.
1t was his maiden effort, and there was
considerable curiosity among the sena-
tors to witness the great rough-and-tum-
bic debator from South Carolina on the
occasion OF his debut. Representatives
Latimer Talbert. Stokes. Elliott, McLau-
rim, Strait and Wilson of the South Caro-
lima delegation, together with a number
of other members of the House, were
present. Senator Irby sat far over to the
right Of the presiding officer. next to
Senator Hin and followed closely the re-
marks of his erstwhile idol, but now politi-
cal enemy.
Mr.. Tnlman was a senatorial novelty
for the first ten minutes of his speech,
during which he spoke without notes, but
when he settled down to talk finance Sc
riously, interest seemed to languish. His
Introduction, which was not prepared. was
about as breezy and al the same time as
sarcastic as anything that has appeared
on the records OF the Senate for many
years. Senatorial courtesy and senatorial
dignity were rudely tossed on farmer
Ben's pitchfork when he described, with
keen humor and more truth than poetry,
the ditiidence of new senator on coming
into such a distinguished body. He said
he had been a close observer and regu-
lar attendant during the present session,
and he had learned that according to the
traditions of the body and senatorial
courtesy, n newcomer was expected to be
seen and not heard He added that IL
newcomer ATTEMPTED to make himself
conspicuous, he was greeted with what is
known as the Senatorial stare" as IL to
warn the offender that he was too pre-
Vious'
He then provoked much rnerriment by
describing his plain, common people way
of discussing public questions at home
IN the open air, under the trees Of the old
Palmetto state. Then he turned the lhugh
on his senatorial associates when he ridl-
culed the so-called debate In the Senate
on great public questions School boy es-
says, he said, were solemnly read to the
presiding officer and the official reporters
while senator's afflicted with that tired
feeling retired to the cloak room. He
declared that he was, perhaps, the only
practical farmer In the Senate, and would,
therefore, be pardoned for the plain speech
he proposed to indulge In. He created a
laugh by remarking that the farmer had
to use his pitchfork to handle manure,
and he would probably have to use his
pitchfork to clear his path as he pro-
ceeded.
He then took up the printed sheets of
his speech and read one OF the bitterest
attacks upon President Cleveland ever
heard in the Senate While he hurled his
the democratic senators sat silently in
their seats, while the republicans enjoyed
the apparent discontinue Of their oppo-
nents across the aisle. He charged openly
that President Cleveland had prostituted
his high office for personal gain and had
wrecked the democratic party so com
pletely that, he said, he was warranted in
predicting that the democratic party, as
now organized, will never again elect
democrat President OF the United States.
From senatorial standpoint the speech
was a success, for, after listening to
few of the South Carolina senator's
roughly carved sentences, they waited pa
tiently around wondering what he would
say next He made his charges with un-
usual frankness, but his harangue would
have sounded better in the open air to
crowd of populists and anarchists than
in the United States Senate before an au-
dience of intelligent and lawabiding cit
liens. An idea Of the impression he made
upon his associates can be drawn from
the fact that he received congratulations
from but two senators-Stewart, the ven
erable silver agitator from Nevada, who
forever sees visions of "the crime Of 49,"
and Kyle, the populist from North Da-
kota.