The Saint Paul globe., 1901-06-06
|T IS Up 10 T|uNAN NOW
GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA
SAYS THE MAN WITH THE
PITCHFORk CAN GO
SENDS HIM CAUsTIC LETTER
Tar Heel Chief Executive Advises
the IrascibIe BenjamIn That an
Unconditional Resignation
VIII He Accepted

Will He Accepted.
COLUMBIA, s. c., June 5.-Decidedly
the most sensational development in the
senatorial tangle in this state is a letter
which Gov. McSweeney sent to Senator
Tillman today. In his communication
the governor informed Senator Tillman
that if he still wishes to resign and will
send to his office an unconditional res
ignation, I will exercise the authority
the power vested in me by the people"
This means that the governor will ac-
cept Senator Tillmans resignation if it
shall be formulated on that line.
"Sir-Your letter OF June l has been
received. | have carefully noted it's con-
tents, and the most charitable view which
! can take of 1t is that 1T was written in
the heat of passion and without due con-
S1deratton. l note that you say that [
nave transcribed my authority and that
the governor cannot compel a member
of the United States senate to hold his
commission and exercise the functions
of that office If he chooses to surrender
it, and that you decline for the present
to withdraw your resigna don, Had you
read carefully my letter addressed to you
and to Senator McLaurin you must have
seen that l did not express any desire to
compel member of the United States
senate to hold his commission if he chose
to surrender 1t. My sole purpose in re-
turning the resignation was to ask you,
gentlemen, to consider calmly and
thoughtfully the consequences to the
people Of what 1 judged to be q hasty
act, and what you admit to have been a
haSty act, and / must confess that | am
somewhat surprised at the tone Of your
answer to my request l considered the
course which 1 took in this matter to be
for the best interest of the people of
South Carolina, and l am responsible to
them alone for my action, and, further
I halinXvp hat hoo
met the APPROVAL Of a majority of the citi-
zens of the state; nor do consider them
unthinking citizens, but men who know
and recognize as fully as any people on
earth the rights and duties and respons-
Utilities of citizenship and who do not
need the services of any one to tell them
their duty.
TILLMAN CALLED TO TIME.
Your inslnuation that have been
'importuned' to await the convenience
Of any present would-be aspirants Who
are not just ready, for various reasons,
to enter the contest brought on SO unex-
pectedly, and that for this reason my ac-
tion has taken the direction it has, Is un-
worthy of a man holding the high COM
mission which has been given you by the
people of South Carolina and deserve no
notice in this connection. However,
say for your benefit that l alone am re-
sponSible for my reply, and will give ac-
count for the course l have taken to the
people who have honored me, and not to
done what l thought best calculated to
promote the present prosperity and con-
tentment of the people of my state and
shall continue to do so, regardless Of
what any one man may say or think Of
my course. l did not think that po-
htical campaign this summer could do
any good and acted according to my be-
lief. However had the designations been
unconditional and unrestricted, my ac-
tion might have been otherwise. With
due regard for your opinion, / think 1
have as high conception of the Office
of senator and Its powers as you or any
other citizen of this state, and you must
have known that the brief interview to
which you refer meant / would simply
meet the responsibility and perform my
duty under the existing conditions. If
you still wish to resign your commission
and will send to this office an uncondi-
tional resignation l will exercise the au-
thority vested in me by the people.
M B. McSweeney, Governor"
TILLMAN PULLS THE STRING.
Senator Tillman, protesting against the
governors right to reject the senatorial
designations, tonight withdrew his reslg-
nation. In his letter to Gov. McSwee-
ney, Senator Tillman says:
IT have Senator McLaurins communi-
cation, in which he graciously consents
to your request to hold on to his com
mission as United states senator and
continue to serve the state as he has
done in the past to the best of his abil-
ity.
This leaves me one Of three alterna-
tiVeS: To appeal to the Democratic eX-
ecutive committee to take the matter up
and determine what the best interest Of
the party requires to be done; to appeal
to the senate itself to determine the uues-
tion as to whether a resignation from
that body, to take effect at some future
time, Is binding, or withdraw my own
resignation.
There are no precedents on this sub
ject, because in the 1S years of our ma
ton life, with more than 200 designations
from thu senate, no senator has hitherto
been willing to occupy the despicable at
titude now assumed by Senator McLau-
rim and forced on me. I am certain Of
cne thing: That the executive of a state
has no authority to decline a resignation
that has been rendered, and ! am equally
certain that had your eXcellency confined
your action within legal bounds your ap-
pointees would be seated In the senate
when that body meets in December, and
should act in January. My chief regret
is that 1 am forced by your action to en-
gage in what the outside world will con-
slider a game Of opera bouffe, by with
drawing my own resignation after Sena-
tor McLaurtn'S undignified and puerile
action, but the purpose for which 1t was
rendered has been thrawted by Senator
McLaurtn's precipitoUs acceptance of ex-
ecutiVe advice. Bob Acres has been out
done for once. l have already said had
no motive or purpose in resigning eX-
cept to force McLaurin's resignation, and
there is nothing for me to do but accept
the situation and withdraw my own res
ignation, If it be lawful to do So"