The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-27
TO SAVE CHARLESTON
FROM CRUM.
WORK OF CHARLESTON'S DELEGATION
IN WASHINGTON.
Mayor Smyth, Editor Hemphill and Mr..
Tobias Appear Before the Senate COM
mittee on Commerce to Protest
Against the Confirmation Of
Crum as Collector.
Especial to News and Courier.j

... \Opeclal W Ne"s ahu SouIleI.J
Washington, January 22.-Mayo1
Smyth, Mr.. Hemphill and Mr.. Tobias,
constituting the committee to pro-
test against the confirmation of
Crum's appointment as collector of
Charleston, was given a hearing be-
fore the Senate commerce committee
at 3 O'Clock this afternoon.
Senator Tillman accompanied the
Charleston delegation and acted as
chief spokesman in their behalf. He
made a clear, concise and what ought
to be a conclusive statement on the
subject. He spoke first of DIR. Crum's 8
alleged lack Of political integrity at
the Minneapolis convention, and read
q certain statement to the committee
and offered evidence that would
prove that he had not been faithful
in his allegiance to the party. Sena-
tor Tillman next contended that DIR.
Crum was not engaged in business or
commercial pursuits, and had no ex-
perience in such affairs, and that his
capacity to learn the duties of the
office were exceedingly doubtful, and
the people he represented we're not
engaged in such business as would
bring them into relations with the
custom house; that all of the COM
mercial bodies of Charleston were
opposed to Crum's appointment on
these grounds, and that such an ap-
pointment would not be made any
where but in the South.
Senator Tillman then spoke of the
nature of public Offices and the mean
ing of the constitutional requirement
that persons appointed to places in
the government service must be SO
lected with the advice and consent of
the Senate. The purpose of such
requirement being that Federal office
holders should be III harmony with
the interests and sentiments of the
people whom they would represent
and serve. Such offices could not
legitimately be used as personal re.
wards or political bribes.
Senator Tillman concluded with
very capital statement Of the i'll.
effects of the appointment Of such
men as Crum in such communities
as Charleston and such parts of the
country as the Southern States, and
said that it would result, only and
surely, in the revival of race antsgo.
nism, which had happily been dis
appearing since the overthrow of the
Reconstruction government and the
carpet, baggers," and would end in
friction between the races, injury to
both the whites and the blacks, and
the destruction Of most interests and
friendly relations which had been
developed during the last twenty
five years after the end of negro domi
nation.
Whatever the political conditions
which made such appointments pos.
sible, the senator was perfectly frank
in saying that all the best interests
of both races made the supremacy of
the white people necessary, and un-
der no conceivable conditions would
the time ever come in the Senate
when it would be defensible to "open
the door of opportunity" to the OK
istence of political conditions as they
were in the day of the "carpet bag
ger"
Senator Tillman added that he had
been requested by the General As
aembly Of South Carolina to protest
i'll ite behalf against tho confrma
ton Of DIR. Crum. He was 30 per
tectly reasonable in his presentation
OF the case to the committee that tho
committee was impressed by the facts
spread before them.
Senator Tillman then introduced
Mayor Smyth to the committee.
Senator Frye asked Mayor Smyth
if he had anything to add to Senator
Tillman's presentation of the matter.
MAYOR sMYTH's ARGUMENT.
The Mayor said he desired to en-
phasize the point that DR.. Crum was
nominated solely because he was q
colored man and not because he
was fitted and qualified by eduoa-