The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-05-14
SENSATION BY TlLLMAN.
Discharges a Stream ofHot Adjec-
tives at Republicans Who De-
fend a Savage War.

sensational turn again today. Mr..
McComas of Maryland referring to the
alleged cruelties of American soldiers
in the Philippines-cruelties which he
deeply deplored-told of some Of the
cruelties which had occurred on both
sides during the Civil war. Neither
side, he held, was to be held response
bic for those regrettable occurrences
as neither side approved Of them.
Referring to elections in the south,
Mr.. McComas said that the senators
from South Carolina and Mississippi
(Tillman and Money cried out against
the small percentage Of voters in the
early elections in the Philippines.
After discussing the election meth
DDS in the States referred to he said:
We behold senators from the two
States where there is less popular lib
erty than in any others, shouting loud
est for constitutional liberty on the
other side of the globe"
These remarks drew sensational
reply from Mr.. Tillman of South Car
olina. He charged that McComas had
passed over with complacency the
"outrages and iniquities and barbara
ties'' which had been, he said, com
mitted by American soldiers. !" He
declared that when the light had been
turned on in full upon the Philippine
situation the American people would
see to it next November that the ma
| jority in one branch of congress would
not. be committed to this Infamous
policy
'1I can have my way" ne declared,
you shall not pass this bill until full
light has being turned on the Philip
pine situation.
He declared that it was no longer
possible to sneer away the responsible
ity for the cruelties and infamies COM
mitted by the American soldiers IN the
Philippines. Referring to the situa-
tion Of the colored people in the south,
Mr.. Tillman declared the senator's
from those States were prepared to
meet any legislation which might be
brought into congress upon that ques-
tion.
He discussed the situation in the
south during and subsequent to the
Civil war and declared that if it had
been known prior to the conclusion of
the war that in the south the reins Of
government were to be tuned over to
the negroes there would have been in
| augurated a guerrilla warfare in the
swamps of the south that would have
been kept up indefinitely.
AS he discussed the question, he
said he was scarcely able to control
himself when he recalled the indigni-
| ties and humiliationS to which the
people of his State were subjected dur
ing the reconstruction period, from
1868 to 1876. In his own State, he
said, there were 20O, GOO more negroes
than whites and in Mississippi there
were 300,0 more colored than white
people. In order to maintain their
self respect the whites, he declared,
were obliged to take the reins of gov
ernment in the south by whatever
means they could-using the shotgun
as one of the means.
Referring to the inauguration Of
white supremacy in South Carolina he
said the whites had secured majority
Of 8, 900. It might just as easily have
been, he said, SO, coo or 90, 900. They
simply got such majority as was nee
essary.
He referred to the outrages in the
Philippines and then said he had
heard only of the application of ''sand
cure'' in the south He thought the
sand cure as described was murder.
"When,'' he declared, we get ready
to put negro's face in the sand, we
put his body there too-
He insisted that the Republicans
contention was that the negroes of the
south were fitted to govern in this
country, but that the Filippinos were
not fitted to govern themselves in the
Philippines. In the United States,
be maintained, serious problem con-
fronted the governnent-the negro
problem-and we might better try to
solve that than to hunt for trouble in
the Philippines.
Throughout the south,'' he said,
there is horror hanging over every
household for this awful fear of
rapine. And yet you turn your back
upon it and march to the east, where
you murder and butcher and torture
the poor Filipinos. And you are
doing all this in the name Of Christian
ity and humanity and liberty. 1 can
see the hypocrisy oozing out of you all
over" Laughter.
AS Confederates, - the senator
said, I'VE cannot think it right to go
into the Philippines and desolate the
islands with fire and sword''
Adverting further along to the situa-
tion in the south, Mr.. Tillman assert
ed. "We will not submit to negro
domination and the sooner you under
stand that the better. - He urged
that discussion of the southern race
question should cease. You are
taunting u.s. said he, about our
treatment of the negroes of the south,
hoping at the same time that we will |
not interfere with your game Of devil |
try in the Philippines. We hope you
will help us of the south to get rid of |
the threat of negro domination which
hangs over us like the sword of Damo-
cles Lynch;ngs will continue as long
as those fiends rape our wives and
daughters. -
While Mr.. Tillman was speaking
many of the Democratic senators left
the chamber, his audience on the floor
being largely on the Republican side.
Mr.. Burton of Kansas vigorously ar