The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-03-01
THE TWO SENATORS
SHARPLY CENSURED
Continued from First Page

| the face makes the case one Of such
exceptional misbehavior that a majority
of the committee are of the opinion thai
this offense was of much greater gravity
than that of Mr.. McLaurin.
THE penalty of a cenSure by the Sen
ate in the nature of things must vary
| in actual severity in proportion to the
public sense of the gravity of the of
| Tense of which the offender has been ad-
| judged guilty. Therefore, notwithstand-
| ing the fact that in the opinion of a
majority of the committee, there is diff
ference in the gravity of the offenses un-
der consideration your committee are OF
| the opinion that public good and the dig
nifty of the Senate will be alike best
promoted and protected so far as this
| particular case is concerned, by imposing
upon each Senator by formal vote The
censure of the Senate for the offense
| bv him committed and therefore, recon-
mend the adoption of the resolution
FOUR SENATORS DISSENT.
At the conclusion of the reading of the
majority report, Mr.. Bailey (Tex), offered
the following statement as representing
the views of himself and four other Sem
ators:
! eve dissent from so much of the re-
| port of the committee as asserts the pow
| er of the Senate to suspend senator
| and thus deprive State OF its vote,
and so much as describes the offenses OF
the Senator'S as of different gravity; but
we approve the resolution reported.
THE MINORITY REPORT.
The report of the minority of the COM
milton then was read. In this state
ment the Senators signing it say that
while they accept the statement OF the
| case as made in the principal report they
| do not agree with the majority or the
| committee as to the punishment propos-
! ed by the majority. They then say:
"The Junior Senator from South Caro-
| lima is guilty of supplementary Ian
ouage. The senior Senator from South
| Carolina is guilty of physical violence.
! Neither in the statutes of any State nor
| in the common opinion of mankind, are
/ these two offenses the same. IL the
| Senate is to retain the respect OF the
| country it must retain it's own self re-
! spect. This cannot be done by llghtly
| passing over the grave otfenses IL mas
| suffered. The lightest form of PUNISH
/ ment is a reprimand or censure. III is
! the latter which the majority proposes
to inflict for two offenses differing IN
/ character and gravity. The minority oil
| the committee are of the opinion that
J this punishment is inadequate, and that
to ignore the difference between the OIL
lenses is unjust. The minority of the
committee is of opinion that suspension
of the two offending Senator'S from their
Senatorial privileges heretofore iniilcted
should now be formally adjudged and
/ continued for different periods of time.
The minority report then enters upon
an extended argument in support OF this
nroposition. The argument is based
upon the second clause, fifth section CT
the Constitution, comforting upon each
House of Congress power to punish us
members for disorderly behavior. Ihe
report concludes by recommending that
. Senator McLaurin be suspended from
; his functions as a Senator for five days,
and that Senator Tillman be suspended
| for twenty days. They add
"The objection that no punishment
/ should deprive sovereign State OF It's
votes in the Senate fails when we con-
| slider the rights of all the States ana,
| above all. the right and duty Of the SEN
ate of the United States to punish ade-
! quate1y a grave ofrense.
| PRITCHARD'S INDIVIDUAL VIEW.
Mr.. Pritchard's addition to the above
statement is in the following language:
| II concur in all the foregoing views
| except as to the punishment of the Jun
| ior Senator from South Carolina. IL is
my opinion that the punishment he mas
already suffered is adequate to MS
| offense | make no recommendation as
| to the punishment to be imposed on the
| Senior Senator from South Carolina.
Mr.. Bacon called attention to what he
considered an important omission in the
narrative of the majority of the occur
rences of Saturday. There was no Off
cial record of the proceedings in the
| secret legislative session, he said. but
some of the salient facts ought TO be
brought out. He said that the Senior
Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Till
| mani had expressed his desire through
the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Black
burn) to make public acknowledgment
of his error and to apologize to the
Senate The Junior Senator from South
Carolina (Mr McLaurin) had expressed
the same desire through him (Mr. Bacon)
| He deemed it important that these facts
should be made part of the records
Mr.. Gallnger said the minority report
properly differentiated between the de-
grees of offense committed by the Sena-
tors. but in the circumstances he felt
constrained to vote for the resolution.
When the name of Mr.. McLaurin, OF
Mississippi was reached, in the roll call
he said:
Being related by kinship to one OF me
Senator's involved, / ask to be EXCUSED
from voting"
The request was granted.
Mr. McLaurin, of South Carolina. one
of the offending Senators, said, in re-
Spouse to his name, which had been re-
| stored to the roll:
Il refrain from voting for obvious rea-
sons
TILLMAN MAKES THEM GASP.
When Mr. Tillman's name was called
| he rose deliberately. Every eye in the
chamber was fixed upon him. His face
was stern and set, and he was pale as
a sheet. Evidently ne was laborlng
| under great emotion.
Among gentlemen said he, slowly