The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-02-25

Evidence was abundant that the secre
| session had been more or less exciting
Nearly every Senator i'll the chamber was
OH his feet. Groups of Senators wer,
gathered here and there about the cham
Der, all discussing the portcntious event
which hah thrown the dignified body into
a fervent.
| AS soon as order could be restored Sen,
ator Blackburn said that as the seal O
secrecy had been removed from the sc
cret session just held, lie was at libert,
to say that during that session he had
made statement to the Senate Of wha,
| the Senator Of South Carolina (Tillman
was prepared and pleased to say to the
| Senate. He explained that both Sen.
ators from South Carolina had been dc
clared by the Senate to be in contempt
| What he desires now to know, and he
| wanted the Chair to rule upon the point,
| was whether any statement could be
| made to the Senate in open session by
either Of the Senators while they were
! III contempt of the Senate.
Senator Foraker Interrupted to suggest
| that unanimous consent be given to
the Senators to make their statement.
! AQUEsTIoN OR oRDER
Senator Blackburn declined to hear
for a moment any suggestion that unan
imous consent to be gwen them to adj
dress the Senate. That they were in
contempt all SenatorS--all the world
--now knew. What he wanted to know
was whether Senators i'll contempt could
address the Senate, not as a matter of
courtesy, but as a matter of right? On
that point he demanded ruling by the
chair.
The discussion on this question was
quite long, and was participated in by
Senator Blackburn, Senator Patterson,
Senator Foraker and Senator Teller.
THE SPEAKERS DECISION.
Other senators showed disposition to
discuss the subject further, but President
Pro TEN Frye announced that he was
ready TO rule and said:
while these two senators arc declared
to be i'll contempt the chair could not
recognize either if he should rise and adj
dress the chair, but OH motion made by
any senator that they be heard the chair
would recognize the senator making the
motion and would hold that the motion
was in order. In the ordinary transgres-
sion of the rules or violation of order the
senator violating it must take his chair
and he cannot be recognized by the pre-
siding officer again until the senate has
relieved him of that by motion. Of
course the senators from South Carolina
can be relieved from the condition in
which they arcsnow SO far as recognition
by the chair is concerned by motion
| and by a majority vote. What will hap
pen after the two senators have purped
themselves SO far as it is possible of the
contempt the chair will be prepared to
rule whenever that question is raised"
At the conclusion of the ruling of
President frye Senator Blackburn said
~ move that the senior senator from
South Carolina be given the floor"
why one senator from South Carroll
| na?" interjected Senator Spooner.
! II move that the two senators from
South Carolina" began Senator Black
turn
'"rhat's right" said Senator Spooner.
| "-be given the floor" continued Sena-
| tor Blackburn, "to make any statement
| i'll their own way to the senate to purge
| themselves of the contempt"
The motion was carried.
III a breathlcss silence Senator Tillman
rose to address the senate. He was cain,
and collected and gave no indication by
| his manner of the tremendous scene in
which lie had been one Of the principal
actors but short time before lie spoke
deliberately and either one of the hun.
| dreds of the auditors leaned forward
eagerly to catch his words. Said he:
SENATOR TILI.MAN's APOLOGY.
"Mr. President: have always es.
! teemed il an honor and privilege 10 be a
member Of this body. I had never had
any Legislative experience when I came
here and my previous service as governor
Of South Carolina for four years had ull.
fitted ne i'll a measure to enter this ALL.
gust assembly with that dignity and re.
gard, proper regard, l will say, for its
traditions and habits and rules that is
! desirable.
81 have been here seven years. I have
in that time learned to Judge men with a
little more oatholcity Of spirit than did
when came here. I have found great
many people here III whose personal in.
tegrty and honor and regard for their
obligations as gentlemen I have implicit
confidence; but have seen so much OF
partisanslip, l have seen SO much OF
what I consider slavish submission to
party domination, that l confess have
felt somewhat al a loss how to Judge men
who in one aspect appeared to be so high
and clean and honorable and in another
appeared more or less despicable. I say
this because Of the fact that one of the
senators has seen fit to allude to some
matters that occurred in the debate this
afternoon. | now want to say that so fai
as any action Of mine has caused any
senator here, or the senate as body, or
the people Of the Uuited States to fee
that have been derelict, and that have
not shown that courtesy and proper OBJ
servance of the rules Of this body, that
regret it; l apologize for it was ready
to do that two minutes after l hal acted
but under the provocation which wa:
known to all of you I could not have
acted otherwise than ! did, and while
apologize TO the senate and an sorry tina
it has occurred. have nothing more tt
say"
SENATOR M'LAURIN'S APOLOGY.
Senator McI.aurin rose at the conclu
sion of Senator Tillman's address He
too, was calm, but it was evident that III
was suppressing his emotion by All effol {
He spoke with greater feeling than hat
been manifested by his colleague, particu
larly when he told the senate how sorel
he had been tried by the accusation
| Il, ~, -. E.