The age-herald., 1902-01-29
TiIInan aud SpOOner Clash on Southern Negro Question
TELLER ADDS SPARK TOFLAME
For the First Time In Years the Dig nity of the Senate Is Thrown Aside and Passionate Debate
 -Reprimanded.

Washington, January 2S.-A Phllpplhe .+orn, was central in the Senate chamber today for nearly three hours put was void of definite results. At times It looked very serious and the spectators who thronged the galleries watched it with breathless interest
 Acrimony in Senate debates is not 1n- freouent. but old senators say it has been years since there has been such hurricane of bitter vituperation of per sonal taunt, of ugly charges and Of un- modified criticism as was witnessed to- day. Not since the discussion of the res olutions leading up to the Hispano- American war have any scenes occurred in the Senate comparable with today Even that debate. lacked the personal bitterness manifested at timts today.
 Irritation was aroused on both sides of the chamber and once or twice personal encounters between senators seemed im- minent. Once when Senator Teller taunt- ed the Republican senators by declaring they knew the statements made in re- cent dispatch from Manila in which Gener- al Wheaton was represented as crlticislns the opponents of the governments policy
  Republicans were on their feet in an ln- stant. Senator Lodge, at whom the taunt seemed to be aimed particularly. hurried- ly crossed from his seat in the center of the Republican side of the main aisle of the Senate and white to the lips pas sionately challenged the statement of the Colorado senator and demanded that he withdraw it. Senator Teller so modified the statement that further hostilities at that time were averted'
 Tilman and Spooner Clash.
 One of the sharpest colloquies of the session was between Senators Spooner of Wisconsin and Tillman of South Caro- ina. The race problem, involving the lynching of negroes, was interjected into the controversy and more feeling was manifested by both senators. In the course of the colloquy Mir. Spooner de- clared that if the same rule was to be applied to the colored people in the Phil ippines as MT. Tillman referred to the South, then God help the colored man in the Philippines
 God help him in the Philippines" shouted the South Carolina senator pas sionately. You have already butchered in three years three times as many as the Spapiards did in three centuries.'
 Tt Is one thing retorted Mir Spooner, "to kill men with arms in their hands against the government, and against the flag It is another to burn them"
 Senators in their excitement seemed for the moment to have forgotten the subject of the debate. The chair, Mir. Frye, was able with difficulty to maintain order When the discussion was finally ended for the day the chair felt called on seriously to admonish senators that the rules of the body had not been observed and after reading the rule which had been violated he expressed the hope that in the future senators would have a care to observe it. Such an admonition has not been made by the presiding officer in the senate in many years.
 Prior to the outbreak of the Philippine question: the Senate concluded the con- sideration of the bill establishing a de- partment of commerce and passed it. The name of the new department was chang ed to that of the department of commerce and labor
 Wheaton Rose From Ranks.
 MT. McCumber, N. D.. referring to the statement of MT. Dubois yesterday re- garding General Wheaton having been q charity boy, educated at the military academy, said that Wheaton never had been at West Point but rose from the ranks.
 MT. Dubois said he was glad to know It.
 MT. Spooner resuming his remarks on the Philippine tariff bill said the pending bill was simply measure temporarily to provide revenues for the Philippine Is- lands referring to the report of the minor lty he said that even that did not pro- pose immediate withdrawal of this gov ernment from the Philippines as it held that we should remain in the islands until the establishment of a stable govern ment.
 After rather breezy colloquy between MT. Spooner and MT. Tillman, the latter asked Mir Spooner to say explicitly whether the Philippine Islands were a part of the United States.
 q recommend" replied MT. Spooner 'that the senator read the decisions of he supreme court
 q have read some of these decisions" Mr. Tillman said, but with four judges on one side and four on the other and the fifth wabbling, I could not make much out of them"
 MT Spooner '"I ne supreme court set fled one thing, and that is, --.at there b a distinction between the United States and territory belonging to the United States"
 Sensational Colloquy.
 While MT. Spooner was proceeding with his speech he was interrupted by Mir Till .nan and in a moment a sensational col- loquy was in progress.
 MT. Tillman inquired: "Will the Sen ator allow me to ask him If the Platt amendment had been defeated by debate until the end of the session, would that side have had courage to have gone fory ward in it's, philanthropic, humanity,N Christianity and liberty. and all that kind of thing. and to have called an extra ses- sion?"
 MT. Spooner: We have courage enough on this side to do anything on earth.' MT. Tillman: Except to defend the ne- gTo"
 Mir. Spooner: We have not courage enough to lynch colored men or deprive them of their rights
 MT. Tillman: Does the Senator desire to discuss the race question here? He seems to have left the proposition which he started on to throw a personal fling ct me. I am ready to meet him anywhere on the race question:
 Mir Spooner: Wherever the Senator is willing to meet me on that question ar