The Wilmington daily Republican., 1900-02-27
THE KILLING
OF NEGR0S.
South Carolina Democrat
Opens Fire on 'Blo0dy
Shirt" Question in
the State.

! Washington. Feb. 26.-In the
Senate today Mr.. Tillman of Soutl
Carolina admitted that ballot boxe.
had been stuffed and that nesroe:
had been shot in the South t.
maintain white domination.
Mr.. Tillman's sensational utter
ances we're brought out in debate
on the Hawaiian Government bill,
| and following his speech an amend
mcnt was made to the bill striking
out the property qualification of vo-
ters Tor members of the Legisla.
turc.
Earlier in the session formal dis.
cusslon OF the right of !ormcr Sena-
tor Quay to a seat in the Senate as
a member from PENNSYLVANIA was
begun today by Mr.. Turley (Tenn).
He presented constitutional ar
gument against the seating Of Mr..
Quay which received close attention
by his colleagues.
When the Hawaiin bill was taken
up Mr.. Cullom offered several nil
nor amendments and one s:rik :ng
out the property qualifications of
those who desired to vote for Rep
resentatives and Senators in the
Hawaiian Legislature.
MIR. Tillman argued that his
amendment substituting the suf-
frage provisions in the Constitution
oil South Carolina was in all senses
a better provision than that offered
by the committee reporting the bill.
He said;
"rhe people of South Carolina in
their Constitution, have done their
level best to prevent the nggers'
from voting. What l now ask you
to do is to give the kanakas and
Portuguese OF the Hawalin Islands
the same power Of suffrage as we
in South Caroline have given the
'niggers. q"
In reply to question of Mr..
Spooner, Mr.. Tillman said the 500
property qualification had been put
into the South Carolina Constitu-
tion for the benefit of the negro.
"No provision was needed for the
whites, said Mr.. Tilman, "be-
cause the whites would get through
anyhow. We have some con-
science in the South as to treatment
of the 'nigger. You have been
sneering at us long time and l
don t like it.
In brief, temperate speech Mr..
Spoener deprecated discussion at
this time OF the racial question
which have been precipitated by
Mr.. Tillman.
"if the Senator from South Caro-
limo, said Mr.. Spooner, wants
debate upon this question he can
have it. The Senator has said that
the people of South Carolina have
sedulously excluded the negro vote.
They are now accomplishing their
purpose through the State Constltu-
Lion, but they did not always do it
by constitutional amendment.
He then appealed to Mr.. Till
nan to lay aside the bloody shirt.
MIR. Tillman replied that his only
'eason for rehabilitating the bloody
shirt before it was finally and ire
'ocably laid to rest was that he
wanted the position of the Southern
people 10 be understood.
"l'm getting tired of these taunts
md snecrs. said he. "You won't
ct us alone
1.-The Senator won't let us let
lin alone" suggested Mr. Spooncr,
mid laughter
"ln every State where the whites
ave divided in politics between
he Democrats and Populists-and
is so in every Southern State cx-
ept South Carolina, said Mr.. Till
1an, .the 'niggsrs' held the bal
nee of power. AS such they stand
here as menace to pure SUI
'age and to good government be-
ause they are purchasablc quail
y, educated or uneducatcd.
1--WE are charged with fraud and
orruption and ballot.box stutting.
'inally after the bayonets had
ome to lis again in 1876, we rose
righteousness and might. We
'ok the Government. We stuffed
allot boxes, we Culldozcd the mig
ers and we shot EN-. And we are
1t ashamed OF it.,