The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-02-27
South Carolina Senator'S Are To
Be Punished.
ENROLLED BUT V0I6EL6SS
Ti1lman, the Aggressor, Likely TO Feel the
Heavy Hand Of senate's Wrath After
Due and Calm Investig gation-The Com
mfttee on Privileges in Session.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. Feb 20
The President OF the senate yes
terday directed the clerk to re-
store to the roll the names of
Senators Tillman and McLaurin
OF South Carolina. 1t has been
agreed by the republican leaders
that this was a wise course for
the presiding officer, but that the
South Carolina senators should
not be permitted to vote while
they are held in contempt by the
senate. 1t will be for the senate
to make this order, not the pres
ldent of the senate. President
Frye simply shifted the respOn-
sibility for the order Of the sem
ate. "nere is no doubt that the
senate will continue to prevent
Tillm.an and McLaurin from vot-
ing
When the proper time comes
and there is a roll call, some SEN
ator will OF iect to the names of
McLaurin and Tillman, and that
objection will be submitted to the
senate for a vote. But the re-
publicans were not willing to
have such a debate Monday to
delay the order of business fixed
by unanimous agreement. They
were not ready to go into the
merits of the controversy yester-
day morning, and an adjournment
was taken within a few minutes
after the assembling of the SEN
ate.
T he democrats are ready for
the issue, but they missed their
opportunity by not demanding a
roll call upon the approval of the
journal. The republican leaders
are not worried by the democrat
ic contention that the senate has
no power to deny the right Of a
senator to vote. That is the old
states rights doctrine, and it was
disposed of long ago. 1t has
been dlsregarded in nearly all the
contests over the right of sena-
tors to hold seats by appointment
when the Legislature failed to
elect. 1t was disregarded in the
Quay case, when all the demo
Gratis with the exception of Dan
iels voted against the seating OF
Quay.
When this question comes to an
issue the republicans Will fight it
out. and they will not allow SEN
ators who are in contempt of the
senate to vote or speak in the
senate. The republican members
of the committee on privileges
and elections took up the cases
of Tillman and McLaurin yester.
day. Their meeting was for the
purpose of agreeing upon a poll
cy and plan to be submitted to the
full committee. Several p7opo.
sitions were considered at the
conference. The one most favor.
ed was for suspension of the
South Carolina senators. The
democrats will no doubt resist
this, but the republicans hold
that they have the power to sus-
pend. and that proposition is re-
ceived with favor.
The republicans do not care to
make the suspension for the ses-
sion, and it will probably be fol-
only a few days. They may de-
eide to make a difference IN the
time of suspension for the two
senators. Tillman was the often
der, the only offender, in the
minds of many senator's. Some
friends of McLaurin insist that
he should not be punished at all,
for he did not offend the senate
by branding as a lie a charge
once before denied and dragged
into the senate record by man
who would not father it.
The committee and the senate
have been asked by McLaurin to
investigate the charge. There
IS a disposition on the part OF
some members to go into the
merits of the charge and make a