The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-04
South Carolina Senator
Eventually Persuaded
to Be Patient.


again made good progress on the tar
if bill today, covering about ten pages
Of the metal schedule and almost COM
pleting it. The formal contest against
the measure was maintained, but all
the amendments tending to change the
bill, as reported, were voted down and
the finance committee sustained The
debate was mainly of a technical char
acter, the Republican senators contin-
uing the policy of refraining from max
ing speeches.
Before the tariff bill was taken up
Senator Tillman Is. c. gave the SEN
ate another hour of exciting controver-
sy over the proposed sugar investiga-
ton. He defended himself from pub
lished charges relative to his adminis-
tration Of the governorship of South
Carolina, and then moved that the
committee having charge of the sugar
resolution, be discharged from further
consideration of 1t, thus bringing the
subject directly before the senate.
Mr.. Gallinger IN. H. in behalf Of
the committee, made spirited protest
against this course and also urged that
the senate should not turn aside from
it's public work to Investigate charges
affecting the private character of SEN
ators. There were frequent lively ex-
changes between Mr.. Tillman, Mr.. Gall
ingerc and Mr.. Jones (Nev), but in the
end Mr.. Tillman withdrew his motion.
Mr. Tillman began his statement by
presenting a newspaper clipping which
referred to charges made against him
in connection with his administration
while governor of South Carolina.
These charges, he declared, were stale.
He had met them before and he read
an open letter, written to the people
of South Carolina, characteriZing the
charges as ISLANDERS. This was an at
tempt to divert attention from the sugar
scandal, the senator declared, but the
attempt would fail. All the crimes in
the decalogue had been charged
against him. He had appealed to his
people and they had sustained him,
sending him to the senate after a
heated canvass Now the same old
eggs were brought forward. If any
man desired to look into his character
then, said Mr. Tillman, he courted the
fullest inquiry. And any other senator
against whom there was the breath of
scandal should have the scandal
probed to the bottom and the scandal
dispelled
Mr. Gallinger then secured recogni-
ton for statement of the attitude Of
the committee. Every man in public
life feels the sting of false charges, :"
he said, "and must the senate pause
every time such accusations are
brought, to spend it's time and the
money of the United States in pursuing
these charges? If that was to be
the case then there would never be a
tariff bill or any other bill" AS for
himself, Mr.. Gallinger said, he would
decline to enter into an inquiry as to
the character of the senator from South
Carolina or of any other member of
the senate. In it's own good time and
after the resolution had been carefully
examined there would be a report to
the senate.
Mr.. Vest suggested that there was a
precedent for igoring charges against
the personal character Of a senator.
He referred to the attitude of Senator
Thurman when an investigation was
proposed against one of his associates.
He had held that the courts were open
for private redress, and that it was not
for the senate to undertake to right a
private wrong.
Mr.. Tillman was again on his feet.
fire in his rear, he said, while he was
engaged in a fire in front. His reso-
luton simply sought to determine
whether the finance committee was the
creature of the Sugar trust, whether
senators were the tools and paid
agents of the sugar trust or whether
they were here performing their duties
as honorable men.
Mr.. Gallinger, proceeding, said the
people of each senator's state, must
pass upon his character. Intimations
and vague charges had been made
against the members of the finance
committee and against the senator
from New Jersey (Smith). Those who
knew these senator's. needed no in
vestigation to show that the charges
were false. The senator from Rhode
Island (Aldrich), a leading member of
the finance committee, had risen and
had made a complete and sweeping
denial to the senate. SO that, declared
the senator it is the word of Nelson w.
Aldrich against that of the correspon-
dent of New York newspaper. Which
was the senate to accept? Was there
to be a moments hesitation in accept
ing the statement of Mr. Aldrich I?
Can Senator Aldrich and the commit
tee deny a hearing?" queried Mr.. Till
man, when the paper making the
charge offered to appear and prove the
charge!
Mr.. Gallinger said this investigation
of charges might go on indefinitely.
Suppose another paper made another
charge. Must the senate start an in
vestigation of that charge?
Mr. Tillman was still standing at
his desk and hurled back the answer:
"If these charges are false then it is
time to stop the lies spread before
the public, this slander of ink. and to
punish the men guilty of the falsehood;
and until you do so you stand con-
victed before the American people
The time had not arrived, Mr.. Gal
linger proceeded, calmly, when the
American press was to be muzzled in
the manner suggested by the senator
from South Carolina. Mr.. Gallinger
closed with an earnest protest against
"railroading'' the resolution out OF the
committee in defiance of precedent and
the usual courtesy prevailing.
After Mr.. Gallinger concluded Mr.
Tillman made the statement that Sem
ator Jones, of Nevada had told him
that he was ready to report the investi-
CATION resolution.
Mr.. Gallinger said this could hardly
be true as the committee had not act
ed. Mr.. Tillman repeated his assertion,
whereupon Mr.. Jones (Ark.). the other
member of the committee, arose and in