The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-03-05

Ia. McLaurin, for disOrderly behayiO
ana llagrant violation of the rules @
tho Senate during the open session @
The Senate on the 22nd day of Feb
ruary, inst. deserve the censure of TIN
Senate and they are hereby ccusure,
for their breach of the privileges an,
dignity of this body; and from an,
after the adoption of this resolutio,
the order adjudging them in contemp
OF the Senate shall be no longer il
force and effect"
MIR. burrows presented the reques
OF the majority of the committee whicl
was read.
REPORT OF THE MAJORITY.
The report recited the history of The
altercation In the Senate and quoteC
the language then used Nv the often
ders. All agreed to this statement.
The report then continued as fol-
lows:
"The majority of the committee arc
OF opinion that the legal effect of adj
Judging these Senators in contempt OF
the Senate was to suspend their func-
tlons as Senators and that such punish
ment for disorderly behavior is clearly
within the power Of the Senate but the
conclusion they have reached makes it
unnecessary to discuss this question.
The offenses committed by the two
Senators were not, in the opinion of a
majority of the committee, of equal
gravity.
"Mr. McLauiin did not commence
the encounter but only stood in his
place at his desk, where he was speak
ing and resisted the attack that was
made upon him. In other words his
offense was confined to the use of un-
parliamentary language, for which he
had unusual provocatlon. Neverthe-
less, his offense was violation of the
rules of the Senate of so serious char
acter that in the opinion of the COM
mlttee 1T should be condemned.
"ln the case of Mr.. Tillman, the
record shows that the alteration was
commenced by the charge he made
against Mr.. McLaurin. Such charge
is inexcusable, except IN connection
with resolution to investigate. Mr..
Tillman not only made the charge
without any avowal of purpose to in
vestigate, but also disclalming knowl.
edge of evidence to establish the Of
Tense and this he sail after the charge
had been specifically and unqualifiedly
denied by Mr.. McLaurin.
"Such charge, under any circum-
stances, would lie resented by any man
worthy to be Senator; but, made as it
was In this instance, its eff nsiveness
was greatly intensified. This feature
of his offense, coupled with the fact
that he also commenced the encounter
by quitting his seat some distance
away from Mr.. McLaurin, and, rush
ing violently upon him, struck him in
the face, makes the cause one of such
exceptional misbehavior that majority
OF the committee are of the opinion
that his offense was of much greater
gravity than that of Mr.. McLauriu.
"The penalty of ccnsure by the
Senate in the nature of things must
vary IN actual severity in proportion to
the public sense of the gravity of the
uffense of which the offender has been
adjudged guilty. Therefore, notwith-
standing the fact that in the opinion
Of majority Of the committee there is
a diffe;ence in the gravity of the Of
lenses under consideration, your COM
mlttee are of the opinion that public
good and the dignity of the Senate will
be alike best promoted and protected,
80 far as this particular case is con-
cerned, by imposing upon each Senator
by formal vote the Ccnsurc of the SEN
ate for the offcnse by him committed
and therefore, recommend the adop-
tion Of the resolution"
Al the conclusion of the reading of
the majority report Mr.. Bailey, of
Texas, offered the following statement
as representing the views of himself
and four other Senators
We dissent from so much of the
report of the committee as asserts the
power of the Senate to suspend SEN
ator and thus deprive State of its
vote, and so much as describes the
offeuses of the Senators as of different
gravity; but we approve The resolution
reported"
REPORT OF THE MINORITY.
The report of the minority of the
committee then was read.
In this statement the Senators sign
ing it say that while they accept the
statement OF the case as made in the
principal report they do not agree with
the majority Of the committee as to
the punishment proposed by the ma
jority. They then say
"The junior Senator from South Car
olina .s guilty of unparliamentary Ian
guagc. The senior Senator from South
Carolina Is guilty of physical violence.
Neither in the statutes of any Slate or
in The common opinion of mankind arc
these two ollenses the same. The slight.
est form of punishment is rcprimand
or censure. 1t is the latter which the
majority proposes to intliot for two
offenses differing in character and
gravity. The minority of the commit
ice are of the opinion that this punish
ment is adequate, and to iguore the