Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-01-31
TILLMAN'S PITCHFORK!
Cory With the Blood Of
Senatorial Dignity.
UNMERCIFUL TO CLEVELAND.
The Junior Senator From South Car
olina Makes a Speech, the Like
of Which Is Not Often
Heard In Congress.

hcdlu u LII OouE 1Coo'
Senator Tillman made his long-look-
ed-for maiden speech in the United
States senate last Wednesday. 1t was
the speech of his life and produced
profound sensation that is likely to be
the talk of the whole country for
weeks to come. No comment on its
character is necessary. Almost every
man in South Carolina has heard the
to senator on the stump and knew what
expect. That is what the senate got
and it got it in way to take away its
breath. "Senatorial dignity" was COM
pletely riddled, and senators, the pres
ident and others in high official posi-
ton were assaulted with the same i'm
punity as if they had been South Car
olina politicians.
The galleries were crowded with
people, and many members of the
house came over to hear the speech.
Although provided with manuscript,
the senator spoke extemporaneously.
He was frequently applauded. Dur
ing his arraignment of the president,
he told how he had come to Washing
ton at the.inauguration and stood four
hours in the snow, and then he con-
cuded, II ask God to forgive me for
doing it," He asked the Republicans
why they did not impeach Cleveland.
Senator Hawley asked why the last
house did not do it. "He is not i'm
peached," Tillman replied" because
he carries out your Republican policy.
The last house was no better than
this" We would be glad to give a
full report of the remarkable speech
but the papers of yesterday only con-
tanned a synopsis of it. The Associate
Press report is as follows:
Senator Tillman, in his Introductory
remarks, referred to the so-called senato-
rial dignity which does not permit ap-
plause from the floor or galleries. He
was farmer pure and simple, he said,
accustomed to speaking in the open air
upon the hustings, where men were free
to applaud if they felt so disposed. In the
senate it was considered undignitied to
and the senators confronting the orator
with "a senatorial stare which turned
him into stOne." Senators got up like
schoolboys and read essays in monoton-
| Gus tone to empty chairs. Where was the
purpose of the founders of the country
when they made the senate the greatest
deliberative body in the world? 1t was
never intended that the speeches ola sem
ator should he buried in the archives,
which was now the case.
"How much of this, Mr.. President"
| al rrillr,,on ttiS dino Golf
compacency, to the feeling among YOU
I hardly feel prepared yet to say among
us-that you are the senate? How much
of this so-called senatorial dignity, of
which we hear SO much and see so much,
is worthy of preservation? 1t hangs over
this chamber like a wet blanket; it
smothers down Independent action it
obliterates the man and we are here the
puppets, the cogs in the wheel OF party, to
do the bidding of the manipulators of the
party machines"
These words, uttered with much ener-
gy, provoked the first manifestation of
applause in the galleries, which the
senator hardly seemed to notice. He
returned to the assertion that he was the
only farmer, pure and simple, in the
senate, although out OF IO,OOO,OOO people,
pursuits. AS a farmer, he had broken
the barrier and forced his way into the
senate, and he proposed to give utterance
to their wrongs.
Before 1 get through" said he, ''you
will realize the fact that / speak plainly
and bluntly and use the language of the
common people, for | am one of them,
and expect to tell you how they feel and
what they think and what they want"
Mr.. Tillman began by saying he would
use plain Anglo-SaXon, the language OF
the common people, for he was one OF
them. He spoke bitterly of the essay
reading indulged in by the senators. He
referred to the statement of the senator
| from Ohio (Sherman) that the silver ques-
ton had been thrashed out, saying ''yes,
it had been thrashed by the speculators
but not by the farmers. AS farmer, he
would thrash it again, taking up the
whole subject on pitchtork, ready, II
need be, to uncover the manure likely to
be found"
Senator Tilman closed ut o'clock.
With sarcastic irony he thanked his col
leagues for not having adjourned and left
him to deliver his speech to All empty
hall. At the close of his remarks the
members of the house from South Caroli-
ma and many others crowded around nm
and congratulated him.
MIR. President" he said, "it is not say
ing too much and feel warranted in charg-
ing that the arrangement i'll our FINANCES
and all this cry about sound money and
maintaining the honor and credit OF the
United States are all Il part and parcel OF a
damnable scheme of robbery which mad
for its object, first, the utter destruction
of silver as money metal; second, the
increase of the public debt by the issue OF
bonds payable in gold and third, the sur
render to corporations OF the power 10
CONTINUED on SECOND PAGE.