The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-02-05
A LIVELY DEBATE
In the United States Senate Over
the Philippine Tariff.
SENATOR TILLMAN JOINS IN

The Debate and Him and Spoone
Has a Squabble. The Negro
Was Injected and Much
Feeling Iianirested.
A Philippine storm was central il
the senate chamber for nearly three
hours, en- Tuesday CT last week bu;
was void Of definite results. At times
it looked very serious and the specta'
tors who thronged the galleries watch,
ed with breathleSs interest. Acrimony
in senate debates is not infrequent
but old senators says it has been years
since there has been such hurricane
Of bitter vituperation, OF personal
taunt, of ugly charges, and Of unmodi,
fed criticism as was witnessed in this
debate.
When the Philippine tariff was
taken up, Mr.. Bacon presented a
joint resolution providing that the
law restricting to vessels OF the United
States the transportation Of passen-
gers, directly or indirectly from one
port of the United States to another
port Of the United States shall not be
applicable to foreign vessels engaging
in trade between the Philippine archi-
pelago and the United States or be-
tween ports in the Philippine archi-
pelago. Mr.. Bacon explained that
this resolution was an extract from
the pending Philippine tariff bill and
was introduced for the purpose Of re-
lieying commerce Of the difficulties
presented under present conditions.
Mr.. Lodge objected to the immediate
consideration of the joint resolution Of
fered by Mr.. Bacon and it went over.
Referring to q recent criticism OF
Gen. Wesley Merritt, formerly COM
manding the department OF the east,
for some statements he was reported
to have made in public speech, MI.
Foraker presented letter from Gen.
Merritt, denying emphatically that be
ever had said the constitution was an
antiQuated document and ought to be
abolished.
After a rather breezy colloquy be-
tween Mr.. Spooner and Mr.. Tillman,
the latter asked Mr.. Spooner to say
explicitly whether the Philippine
islands were a part Of the United
States.
''Irecommend, replied Mr.. Spooner,
that the senator read the decisions
of the supreme court.
II have read some of these decis-
ions," Mr.. Tillman said, but with
four judges on one side and four on the
other, and the fifth wabling, I could
not make much out Of them
"Whatever may be said about their
DECISIONS" replied Mr.. Spooner, Il
don't think that the justices Of the su-
preme court will be very sensitive as
to the senator's criticism"
Mr.. Tillman-Oh! not at all
Mr.. Spooner-The supreme court
settled one thing and that is that there
is a distinction between the United
States and territory belonging to the
United States.
While Mr.. Spooner was proceeding
with his speech he was interrupted by
Mr.. Tillman and inan instant a sensa-
tional colloquy was in progress.
Mr.. Tillman inquired: will the
senaton 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 the courage
to have gone forward in it's philanth-
ropy. humanity, Christianity and
liberty and all that kind Of thing and
! to have called an extra session."
Mr.. Spooner-We have courage
enough on this side to do anything on
earth.
Mr.. Tillman-Except to defend the
negro.
Mr.. Spooner-We have not courage
enough to lynch colored men or deprive
! them or tnelr TlgnCS.
Mr.. Tillman-Does the senator de-
sire to discuss the race question here?
He seems to have left the proposition
which he started on to throw per-
sonal fling at me. am ready to meet
him here, in Wisconsin, or anywhere
else on the race question.
Mr.. Spooner-Whereyer the senator
is willing to meet me on that question
or any other, he will find me there, SO
far as that is concerned. The senator
addressed to me an observation rather
offensive In character.
Mr.. Tillman-It certainly had no
allusion to lynching.
Mr.. Spooner-No.
Mr.. Tillman-And the senator un-
derstands very well that I come from
a section Of the country where lynch
ings for a given crime and for a good
many other crimes are very prevalent.
Now, does the senator wish to leave the
Philippine proposition in which he Is
dealing with colored people in most
| infamous ana damnaOle ana nypOcllC-
ical way and go south and hold them
up as examples that we are dealing
with in a similar way. mean the
colored people here at home. Are we
to to have two rules Of conduct in re-
gard to the colored people, one In the
Philippines by which we butcher them
ahd shoot Christianity into them, and
another in the south where we are not
allowed to protect our wives and
children?
Mr.. Spooner-If We had the same
rule for the colored people in the Phil
ippines as the senator refers to In the
south, God help the colored man IN
the Philippines.
MI. Tillman-God help him. In the
Philippines now, you have already
| huthered in three wears three times as