The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-05-15
His Candid Admission of Criminal
Practices Infuriates His Dem
ocratic Colleagues,
SENATORS DESERT CHAMBER
Seek to Repudiate the Statement of the
South Carolina Statesman BY
Refusing to Hear Him.

WASHINGTON, d. G.. May 8
Senator Tillman yesterday con-
fessed the crimes of the demo-
cratic party in the south and al
most broke the back of the oppo-
sition to the Philippines bill.
Every other democratic senator
left the senate chamber soon after
Tiliman began to speak, and they
remained in the democratic
cloakroom until he had finished.
They sought by consplclously
and dramatically absenting them
selves to repudiate Tillman's til
rade, but in his confession of the
crimes of democrats against the
negroes in tie south he spoke so
much truth that they realize the
incalculable injury he has done
to their opposition to the Phil
ippine bill, but particularly to
their attack on the United States
army.
In the democratic cloakroom an
Indignation meeting was held
and the profanity there INDUCED
in by such men as Carmack Of
Tennessee, Jones and Berry OF
Arkansas, Martin of Virginia,
Pettus of Alabama, Patterson of
Colorado, Rawlins of Utah, and
Dubois of Idaho. could be heard
in the senate chamber. 1t was
one of the most extraordinary
scenes ever enacted in the cham
Der. Tlllman, still smarting un
der the ostracism he has felt
since he attacked his colleague
on the floor of the senate in Feb
ruary, at last broke into the de-
bate and began such a TRADE
against the republican party as
only he is capable of. His os-
tensible excuse was to- reply to
Senator McComas, who had re-
ferred to the burning of Columbia,
S. G. by Sherman in his march
to the sea as an incident of war
the commander could not pre-
vent.
Tlllman rebuked McComas for
dragging the civil war into his
debate on the Philippines bill.
Then he proceeded to discuss the
negro question. and IN an hour
he frantically and defantly con-
fessed every crime that has been
charged against the Southern
democrats III their struggle to
override the law and control the
government of those states. He
admitted and gloried in the fact
that the white men of the South
had defied the law and resorted
TO every political crime known to
man. including murder, to main
tain the white mans supremacy.
He told of the situation in his
own county of Edgefield, S. c.,
when President Grant ordered a
regiment of United States sol.
diers there to guarantee fair
election. He admitted that there
were 1000 more negroes than
whites in the county. and ten
companies of soldiers there to
see that there was a fair election.
But" said Tillman, 1--WE had
only $500 majority at the polls.
We could have made it SO, ZOO or
SO, 900 or 999, 900, but we only
needed $500 and that was our
majority in Edgefield county"
Senators Daniel and Martin of
Virginia and McLaurin of Miss
issippi were the only democrats
remaining in their seats when he
made this confession. All the
others had deserted the chamber
soon after Tillman secured the
floor, fearing that he would en-
barras them. When Martin and
Daniel heard this confession OF
ballot box stuffing they quit their
seats and joined the other Gemo-
cratic senators in the cloakroom.
McLaurin of Mississippi sat
grimly in his seat, chewing his
short mustache and trying to
look calm and unconcerned, but
when Senator Foraker who sat
near, leaned over and asked him
if he was enjoying the speech.
the Mississippian broke out.with:
$50 away; don't torment me
i like you, Foraker, but you must
not come near me at such a time. /"