The age-herald., 1902-05-03
Senators Pritchard and Simmons
 Air Their Home Troubles
THE "RED SHIRTS" DISCUSSED
MT. Pritchard Described the Sand Cure" as a Practice of Covering a Victims Face In Sand to
 Stife Cries While Beaten.

StifIe Cries While Beaten
 Washington, May "A lively debate
 was precipitated in the Senate today By
 MT Pritchard, North Carolina, by some | remarks he made on political methods
 in North Carolina, in the course of a dis
 oussion of the Philippine bill He sug-
 gested that some of the methods employ
 ed by the opponents of the bill in this
 country ought to be reformed and told of ! what Is called the sand cure" in North 1 Carolina, the victim having his face | crushed into the sand to stihe his cries. l while he was being beaten to intimidate him politically.
 MT Simmons, North Carolina. declared l that he never heard of such a practice. MT. Pritchard charged that the red
 shirts" rode over the state to lntimidate
 Republican voters. MT. Simmons denied
 that statement and insisted that the red l shirts never had com mitted any unlaw- full act and as a matter of fact intended only to organize the voters of the state. 1 The debate waXed warm, Mir. Pritchard l declaring that he had been approached l by an emissary of the Democratic party with proposition to drop the impeach-
 ment proceedings ag1nst Republican 1 judges in North Carolina if he would nolle prossequi cases pending in the courts against certain Democrats for election frauds.
 Simmons Denies 1t. Mir. Simmons unqualihedly denied that such proposition had been made by an emissary of the Democratic party. The amendment of MT. Platt. Connect- | cut to the Rosebud reservation bill, l striking out the provision of the bill pro- | viding for free homes the lands to
 homestead settlers was rejected 1s to 5S.
 MT. Pritchard, North Carolina, speak,
 ing in support of the Philippine gov
 ernment bill, declared that majority of
 the people of North Carolina and of the
 south were in favor of the proposition
 of the majority of the Philippine commit
 tee and he quoted the Charlotte Obser-
 yer as a leading Democratic paper of the south in support of the retention of the | Philippines.
 Docs not the Senator know" inter- | rupIeQ MT. OSAiCSA0s' A'oA etN Carolina. that the Charlotte Observer 1 opposed the election of William J. Bryan
 to the presidency?"
 That is true" replied Mir. Pritchard'
 but the paper opposed him purely on l the issue of free silver"
 If we retain the Philippine islands, | said Mir Pritchard, "as we will, the southern states will retain the bulk of l fnnfr1 nd south will be the chief beneficiary of tho extension of the cotton goods trade in the Orient"
 MT. Pritchard declared frankly his be- lief that the United States ought to re- tain the islands permanently. MT. Simmons replied to some Of the suggestions made by MT. Pritchard as to North Carolina politics and justified the white people in protecting themselves against irresponsible majorities." MT. Pritchard asserted that the sand cure" was used by Democrats in North Carolina on Republicans. He said that a Republican voter was taken from his home at night and beaten, his face being crushed into the sand to stifie his cries
 The Sand Cure"
 MT. Simmons declared that this was the first time he ever heard of the sand cure For six years he had been the 
 committee of North Carolina and he had never known of any cases of outrage and violence for political purposes. | MT Pritchard inquired if 1t were not l fact that organized bands of ''red shirts
 rode over the state of North Carolina 1 for the purpose of terrorizing the Repub- 1 lican voters.
 That organization" (the red shirts). I replied Mir Simmons, never had for it's | object any bellicose or belligerent pur- l pose toward any part of the voters or | North Carolina. It is merely an organiza- | ton for the purpose of more effectually l organizing the voters of the state" Q'ro- 1 longed laughter on the floor and in the galleries).
 Continuing, MT. Simmons said "Thd organization of so-called red shirts" has never been charged with being an un- lawful and violent organization"
 He declared that not single ''red shirt ever had been arraigned for vio- lation of the law.
 As an instance of the political methods employed in North Carolina. Mir Priteh- ard asserted that an emssary of the Democratic party from the state had ap- preached him, promising that if he (Pritchard) could have entered a nolle prossequi in certain cases of election frauds. the proceedings of Impeachment of Republican judges by the Democratio legislature would be dropped
 Tt was proclaimed boldly in North Carolina" said he. that these judges were to be impeached in order to get q Democratic bench to pass upon the grandfather clause of the new constitu- tion."
 Mir. Pritchard said he indignantly de- clined the proposition and that subse- quently brave and patriotic members of the egislature-Democrats and Republl- cans-by their votes had prevented the unjust impeachment proceedings.
 In reply MT. Simmons asserted that the man who approached Mir. Pritchard with the proposition to drop the im- peachment proceedings was not in tho remotest way an emissary of the Demo- cratic party. In explanation of the state constitution he said that while it permit ted educated negroes to vote, 1t was adopted "cxpressly for the purpose of ex- cluding the votes of irresponsible nc- groes."
 An amendment to the sundry civil bill was passed appropriating S2,50o00O for memorial bridge across the Potomac, the w.I.x.. IL f<.r( (sAt.