Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-05-14
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REBUKED BY HIS COLLEAGUES.
Democratic Senators Show Their
DisapprOval Of Senator Tillman.

Senator Tillman was today treated
to a severe and extraordinary rebuke
by the entire Democratic side Of the
senate, with the single exception OF
Senator Teller. The rebuke was de-
livered in a dramatic manner and in
the presence Of a senate crowd in the
galleries and on the floor.
Senator McComas having made an
onslaught during the Philippine debate
on the south's manner Of handling the
Negro question, Mr.. Tillman was pro-
voked to answer him in one Of his
characteristic speeches. 1t was a
speech in which he justified the south
ern methods by asserting the right OF
the Anglo-Saxon race to dominate the
territory which it had won from the
Indians. To do this, he asserted, and
to recover the reins of government from
the inferior race, it had become neces-
sary in the reconstruction days to
shoot and bulldoze Negroes and to
wrest the ballot from them. He JUS
titled these acts on the ground Of ne
cessity, and attributed the crime for
which Negroes are usually lynched In
the south to the demoralizlng influence
Of the reconstruction period.
Mr.. Tillman's speech was delivered
with more than his usual violence and
heat, his language was bitter and his
manner excited. Before he had been
talking very long several Of the leading
Democratic senator's from the south
arose and left the room. They gathered
in the marble room, just back Of the
senate chamber, hastily discussed the
matter, and determined to rebuke Mr..
Tilman for dragging in the southern
question, and at the same time show to
the country, in a dramatic and unmis-
taxable way, that he spoke only for
himself and not for his party.
The senators then re-entered the
chamber, and taking seats among their
colleagues, whispered to them the pur-
poses they had in view, and invited
their cooperation. Approval OF the
proposition was unanimous, and then
began a scene so extraordinary that
Mr.. Burton, who followed Mr.. Tillman
in debate, mentioned 1t and extended to
the Democrats his congratulations. One
after another, and sometimes in twos
and threes, the Democratic senators
rose and walked out Of the chamber
and into the marble room. Some OF
them went to their committee rooms,
but the majority remained within easy
reach of the senate doors so that they
could make their rebuke more pointed
by entering the chamber the moment
Mr.. Tillman had concluded. The gal
ler1es looked on in amaZement, not un-
derstanding the meaning of the sudden
exodus.
This march out Of the chamber was
led by men from the southern states,
men as much interested in the race
question as is Mr.. Tillman. Among the
first to go were Clay, Of Georgia, Cul-
berson, Of Texas, Pettus Of Alabama,
Bacon, Of Georgia, and Martin, OF Vir-
ginia. They were followed rapidly by
all the rest, until not Democrat was
left in the chamber from either a
northern or a southern state, except
Teller, of Colorado and Daniel, of Vir-
ginia. Mr.. Daniel was sitting at his
desk, deeply engrossed in writing, and
had failed to notice the disappearance
Of his colleagues. He had not been In
formed of the purpose Of the move
ment.
This led to a proceeding which added
to the intensity Of the rebuke and
made the purpose of the Democrats
plain to everybody. AS Mr.. Tillman
continued to talk, almost alone on his
side Of the chamber, Senator Martin
of Virginia, entered the chamber, walk
ed with a rapid and decided tread to
Senator's Daniels desk, and tapped
that senator on the shoulder. Mr.
Daniel looked up, and in a few hurried
sentences Mr.. Martin told him what
had happened. Mr.. Daniel gathered UP
the sheets on which he had been writ
ing, slowed them away in his desk
picked up his cane, and hobbled after
MIR. Martin, past Mr.. Tillman, out into
the marble room.
The scene was now one without
parallel in the recent history OF the
senate. Except for Senator Teller, who
had apparently decided to stand by
him. Mr.. Tillman had the entire Demo-
cratic side to himself. One half of the
chamber was tenanted only by deser-
ted desks. On the other side, the Re-
publican side, nearly every seat was
occupied.
The venerable Senator Pettus, of Ala-
bama, took up his stand just outside
the chamber, in the lobby, and stood
apparently with his face pressed
against the grass door, so that every
body could see him. There he stood
throughout the greater part of Till
mans speech, in plain sight of the
senate and the galleries, as If trying
10 SHOW DIS uiiiiSeanaoiS 'S
that he mad left the room for no pur-
pose whatever except to show his dis
approval of the speech.
AS soon as Mr.. Tillman concluded
the doors opened and the Democrats
filed in and took their places. BY the
time Mr.. burton, who rose to answer
Mr.. Tillman has completed his first
two sentences, every Democrat was ir
his seat.
Inquiry among the Democratic sena-
tors about the reason for their action
developed the fact that it was not taken
because of any fear that Tillman's
speech would embolden the Republi-
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