The herald., 1897-05-31
noNDAY. MAY 81. 1907.
TILLMAN's TRUMPET BLAST

The dry bones in the senate always
rattle when Senator Tillman rises In
his place to make an assault on what
is euphemistically known as senatorial
courtesy. Tillman is probably the most
misunderstood man in the United
States. He came in for more severe
lampooning and abuse last fall than
Altgeld or Debs, with whom he was uni
formly classed. His latest shock to the
senate was in the matter of investigat-
ing senators as to alleged misuse of their
knowledge Of what the sugar schedule
would be for their own pecuniary ad-
vantage.
We do not wish to be unfairly partisan.
in this matter, and we do not forget
Senator McPherson's f1imsy excuse
about his cook sending off telegram tc
his brother in New York to buy sugar
stock just at the right moment when
the Wilson bill was under. consideration
in the senate. There probably is not
one unbiased and thoroughly intelligent
person in a thousand who knows ali
the circumstances who believes Nc
Phersons statement, although made
under oath. We do not wish to put it
above Senator Smith, also Democrat
from New Jersey, to make a good thing
out of sweets, should he happen to know
which way the wind was blowing in the
committee room. But we do say that
e+o L.
Aldrich, to the effect that no senator
has betrayed his trust in the matter, is
enough. The senator from Little Rhody
is fully competent to speak for himself,
and were he charged with a crime or
misdemeanor he might be able to clear
his character were he put on the stand
and questioned and cross-qu questioned as
any other person might be. his accusers
being brought face to face with him and
allowed to submit such proof as they
had
But when court of justice rules that
Henry o. Havemeyer is not under obli-
cations to answer in a senatorial in
quiry into this very matter, and when
it looks painfully suspicious that his
millions may have had an awe-inspiring
influence over the judge, and that if he
were made to give up the secrets of the
trust the way might be paved towards
learning how McPherson's cook came to
send kilograms and why newspaper re-
porters openly charge that senators are
making good thing in sugar
stocks" the candid man will begin to
think that Mr. Tillman is not so far
away from the path of rectitude and
duty when he asks for a full and
thorough investigation of these charges
Let us not forget that the Seeley din
ner episode is one of yesterday. A COM
pany Of New Yorlls gilded youth as
semble where one Of their number is
host and entertains his bachelor friends
on the eve of his marriage to a sweet
and pure American girl. This dinner is
a scene of debauchery which rivals in
its indecency the revels Of pagan Rome:
1t is an orgie that recalls the days of
scarlet shamelessness in Babylon. or the
! DI.l
The matter is let drift along for time
and then is to be dismissed in the inter-
est of deceney, Of good morals and
purity of life.
1t is not so long ago that Editor Stead
so shocked London by telling the truth
about mobiles, royalties and high digni
taries of the church. We all may recall
how suddenly the Gazette became
dumb. 1t was reported that the arch
bishop of Canterbury pleaded for
silence, arguing that TO tell the truth
would shock the throne and church to-
gether.
What is to be done? Are we to be-
come a modern Sodom and match an
cent Gomorrah, or rival decaying Rome
in the days of the Praetorian guard.
until we merit a shower of fire from
heaven or visit from Atilla, the
scourge of God. rather than probe these