The Lafayette gazette., 1902-02-01

ton tens or an interesting collOQ0y
between Senator Spooner, one oi
the Republican leaders in the upper
house of Congress, and Senator
rillinan. the pitchfork statesman
from South Carolina. The follow
ing is the newspaper report Of the
colloquy:
! After raher breezy colloquy between Mr..
Spooner and MIR. Tillman the latter asked
Mr. SPooner to say explicitly whether the
Philippine islands were part of the United
| States.
81 recommend replied Mr.. Spooner,
''that the senator read the decisions of the
Supreme Court
81 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, could not make much out of
them-''
Mr.. Spooner-The Supreme Court settled
one thing, and that is that there is distinc.
tion between the United States and territory
belonging to the United States.
While Mr.. Spooner was proceeding with
his speech he was interrupted by Mr. Till.
man. and in moment sensational colloquy
was in progress.
Mr.. Tillman inquired:
''Will the senator 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
forward in its Philanthropic, humanity
Christianity and liberty, and all that kind of
thing, and to have called extra session?'
MIR. Spooner-We have courage enough
on this side to do anything on earth.
Mr.. Tillman-Except to defend the negro.
MIR. Spooner-We have not courage
enough to lynch colored men or deprive
them of their rights.
MIR. Tillman-Does the senator desire to
to discuss the race question here? He seems
to have left the proposition which he started
on to throw personal fling at me. 1 am
ready to meet him anywhere on the race
question.
Mr.. Spooner-Wherever the senator is !
willing to meet me on that question or any
other, he will hnd me there, so far as that is |
The senator addressed to me an
observation rather offensive in its character.
MIR. Tillman-It certainly had no al;usion
to lynching.
Mr.. Spooner-No.
MIR. Tlllman-And the senator under
of the country where lynchings for given
crime, and for good many other crimes,
are very prevalent. Now, does the senator
wish to leave the proposition, in which he is
dealing with colored people in in
famous and damnable and hypocritical way,
and go south and hold them up as examples
hat we are dealing with in a similar way?
mean the colored people here at home.
Are we to have two rules of conduct in re-
gard to the colored people, one in the Philip
oines, by which we butcher them and shoot
Christianity into them, and another in the
outh, where we not allowed to protect
'ur wives and children7
Mr.. Spooner-If we had the same rule
or the colored people in the Philippines as
he senator refers to in the south, God help
he colored man in the Philippines. ,
Mr.. Tillman-God help him. In the {
Philippines now you have already butchered
n three years three times many az the
Paniards did in three centuries.
Mr.. Spooner-It is one thing to kill men | |
nth arms in their hands against a govern a
aent and against the flag. 1t is another f
hing to burn them. q
Mr.. rillman-You burned them in Kan
as, Sir.
n outrageous crime. t
Mr.. Tillman-Oh, it is very easy thing t
or a man who has not come in contact with r.
lem in close quarters to theOrize and SEN E
as to what other people ought to
D.
Mr.. Tillman was admonished by the pres P
lent pro tenn. that he must not interrupt Il
senator without first obtaining leave, to O
hich he replied that he was .staunted in a !,
ay that white man from South Carolina
IN submit to!'' y
After little colloquy, Mr.. Tillman asked W
[r. Spooner: n
s'When you quoted the constitution if
oment ago in regard to the power of con- 3.
ess in dealing with territory and property,
hose liberty and lives and all rights are to y
jeoPardzied or to be destroyed in this c
untry? And are they property-are peo- b
E property? You bought them at 81 tt
ad, it is true, but do you intend to give l.
EN- their liberty as we propose, or to hold
EN- under the bayonet, under a carpetbag q
vernment more damnable than you put on c
in 1852 et
''That is the old question: replied Mr.. a.
'ooner. ''The power to occupy inhabited r.
.ritory involves the power, I suppose, to
ange the allegiance. We acquired Louisi g
a. No one ever pretended that men and 81
'men were bought and sold in that trans OF