The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-25
TiIIman Talks of DueIs-Mc.
Laurin'S Resolutions.

w ASHINGTON. Feb. 24.-The fol-
w lowing is the letter from the
White House, Withdrawing Mr..
Tillman's invitation to dine there to-
night:
White House, Feb. 24-The
president regrets that he Il cont
PEELED to withdraw the invitation
TO you to dine tonight at the
White House. Very truly yours,
GEORGE B. CoRTELYoU,
Secretary to President"
y Commenting upon the letter, Mr.. =
= Tillman said: =
y The president, of course, has =
= the right to invite anyone he :
= chooses to dine with him. officially \
+ or otherwise, and also has he the :
+ right to withdraw such invitation. =
= As l am not conscious of having =
: done anything personal or official :
y which gives the president the =
= right 10 insult. l am surprised at =
= his action. The invitation TO the y
= dinner came to me unsought and =
= unexpectedly. and so far as the =
Z withdrawal is concerned, il is a =
= matter of absolute Indifference to :
= me. 1t is the motive behind it, =
y which seeks to put me in the con-
y dition Of unworthinesS to meet
= the president and his guests before
= final action by the senate.
= Prince Henry, the presidents
y guest, comes from a country where 4
= custom makes it obligatory upon =
Z any man who regards himself a 4
y gentleman, to promptly resent an I
= insult, and the method is by chal- 4
| + lenge to a duel. That was once
/ y the custom, but it is now obsolete
+ in the United States. and we have
= been forced as a people here to
y cling to the old Anglo-SaxOn rule I
I 4 of considering the lie as the first
y blow. and no man could hold up 4
| = his head in decent society should
! = he, being near enough to answer 4
/ = the lie with a blow, not give it, (
/ = AS for my being in contempt I
1 = of the senate. which, ! presume, (
/ = is the excuse for this insult at the I
/ y hands of the president. that l I
/ = deny. That l have been guilty of
= a breach OF the rules and the :
/ y privileges of the senate, 1 admit.
/ y The senate was not sitting as a "
/ y court, but as d legislative assem-
y bly,. :
y 1t has the right to expel me if
/ y il sees fit. and l am ready to I
= abide its judgment and action. 1t I
= has the right to arrest me, and to :
/ = hold me in custody until il makes
l = disposition of my case, but ii has
/ = no right TO gag me. and the pTeSl-
( = dent has no right to jucge me I
y guilty of conduct unbecoming a (
y gentleman unless he disregards all Z
I = &c 1nTaoof91r,rE which Tcad 70 I
y believe he would have done Just (
{ y as I did under the circumstances,
AS TO which of us is the gen
= tleman in this matter, in view of (
+ the unsought invitation to dinner (
. = al the White House and its in
= decent withdrawal. l am willing
= TO abide by the judgment of ali
= brave and self-respecting men,"
There was a sensational sequel t
! the decision of the president to elimi
( nate Senator T;llman from the list @
I dinner guests. The president sent 70
/ Senator COckrell Of Missouri and aske
him as friend and Democratic col
league of Mr.. Tillman 10 suggest TO tn
latter the prOpriety of withdra wing nj
acceptance of the dinner Invitation
The president explained his attitude i
7 the matter, and said that in view @
3 tAt tbHlelilDL pEbCtCulASS. MT. iii
mans presence would not only be a
affront to the senate. but discourtes
to Prince Henry. Mr.. CockreIl accepte
the commission. and later telephone
To the president that Mr.. Tillman al
solutely refused to withdraw his &C
Ceptance. in response TO the president
suggestion. The president immediateI
! Cancelled the invitation in a note b
dispatched directly to Mr. Tillma
shortly before noon today. In thi
note, which was very brief and fol-
NAL. the president stated he regrette
that he was obliged to withdraw I'll
invitation. simultaneously Senate
Martin of Virginia vas invited 20 TAX
Mr. Tillman's place at the dinner. a
the next ranking Democratic membe
Of the senate naval affairs committe,
Mr.. Pritchard Of North Carolina sui
mitted the following letter from II
~,