The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-03-06
TII1LMAN SPEAKS.
He criticises the Presidents Door Of
Hope Policy in
CONNECTION WITH THE NEGRO.
He Says the Ballot OF the Negro in
the South is Always n
4= Menace to Good
Coycrnment.
Goxcrnlilent

f. .
Senator Tlllman opened his bate
ries in the United States Senate list
week on the negro question. He was
discussing the Indi,lnola pO,tunlce
trouble. in his introduction he said
he proposed to surprise his friends
and SiOnish his enemies, If lie las
any, by being very mild and temper
ate in what he would say: IT we had
known at the beginning OF the civil
war" said he, what we know now
there would have been no war; lie
inquired why the large minority OF
the law abiding people o. IudianolL
should be punished because there was
Il small lawleSS and brutal ,lcment
1t was contrary, he said, tn the fun
damental principles Of Anylo-SaXOn
Jurisprudence
ORcplying to some remark; made by
Senator Spooner III his Spccc /, Senator
Tilllnan said: 1t is not the dream or
the widest ass that roams over The
Southern States with q wax skin on
him that the Federal Government is
not supreme" but, he said, there were
some cUgnate propositions which have
been ignored.
have constant reminder that their
ancestors thirty-five years ago were
conquered. I'VE are perpectually re-
minded, he said, accentuating his
words, that we are in tEe union, but
not In it, except to pay taxes.
The poison in the race condition in
the SOUTH, he declared, lay in tic ref
cree system which had been adopted.
The balance Of power, he said, In the
National Republican Conventions was
held by the machine Of the Southland
that machine was composed Of ne
groes. When the people Of the South,
said he, lose patience and do 'cruel,
bitter, fearful, tcndish and savage
things, there is howl from men who
know nothing and have never been
South OF the Potomac, but have theo-
rized.''
Continuing, and addressing the Re
publican side, he said that il this pol
icy Of negro equality is carried out,
and If some Of them could be given
places in the cabinet he would vote
for them. II will vote to confirm
Booker Washington as secretary uf
anything. Let us have negro, Il
Sc genuine negro. not "A mulat II q ur hy.
81 brl7i. Then let us make them oilccrs
in the army and navy. Let us give
them prOrata share Of all the good
jobs, wherever they exist, without re-
gard to local conditions" He said
that nothing Of the sort would be
done
Mr.. Tillman said that in dealing
with the Indianola postoilce the pres
ident and postmaster general trans
cended their authority in rcsurtinv -
method which were both tyranical
and unconstitutional. lie wanted to
know If in figuring up the purpose of
their new born zeal this cold blood
ed, calculatlve, adviscdly- taken ac-
tion" was not prompted by low mo-
tive. He charged that 100000 ne
groes are cocrcing so, 100000 OF white
people i'll the North to deal with IL
100000 white men in the South in the
interest Of S,000,O 600 ignorant negroes
in that section.
lie referred to the cost in lives and
money on account Of the race problem
in this country and addressing Tie
Republican side, called on them to
meet him upon the same plane of
patriotism of race pride and ciyliza-
ton and not to fall into the pitiful
>ctsSpoOl Of partlsalf'p ,H.icS.' He read
extracts from the letter OF the p.l 81
dent written some time since covering
his views with respect to appointments
Of negroes to oilice. He wanted to be
just to the president, he said, but the
views we're superficial How little
and small and infinitcsimal,' - lie said,
is the knowledge behind such Il
view"
He added that the people of the
North have no more use for the negro
at close quarters than he had. He
cited instances Of assaults by negroes
on white women and declared that the
more the Northern people find out
about the negro the less use they have
for him. The ballot Of the negro, he
anaintaincd, was a menace to good
government and tile people Of the
North are coming to realize that the
.cnfranchiscmcnt Of him bordercd on
Il crime
Revcrting to the presidents utter
-anccS that he was unwilling to Shut
the door Of hope and opportunity in
the case of Il worthy and competent
,colorcd man, Mr.. Tillman said at first
blush there is not man alive who
would not agree with that sentiment,
but he inquired il it ever occurred to
any one that in opening that door Of
hope it might not be to shut it in The
face of the white man. The door OF
hope in South Carolina, he said, d;
one time had been closed by bayoncts
to the whites for eight years while
rapinc, murder and misgovernmcnt
ran riot with an abomination in the
sight Of man.
He declared that he did not hate
the negro and that all negroes are
not bad. Only a small percentage arc
bad and these, lie said, are leading the
rest and being patted on the back by
politicians. lie regarded it as his
duty, he said, 10 his State to stand
forever opposed to any idea Of politi-
cal or social equality on the part OF
the negro with The whites. Continll-
ing. he referred to the adoption or the
18th amendment TO the cons tituton
When you rclnorselcssy stand by that
said he, 'and say it is sacred, you
force us to face the alternative Of d
conflict Of races"
The purpose of those who endorse
the presidents door Of hope policy, he
declared, is that in time South Caro-
lima should become Il State Of mula.