The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-12-06
SENATOR TILLMAN TALKS.
Touches Upon Political Future of the
South and a Number OF
Other Questions.

met him here by appointment as he
was passing through Columbia on
his way to Trenton Senator Tillman
was in particularly good spirits and
chatted pleasantly and entertainingly
concerning the lessons taught by the
results of the national election and
the political future Of the south.
Though when he touched on certain
phases of the negro question the cor
ners of his mouth went down
promptly and with marked energy,
his eye flashed and his voice deepen
ed into that tone OF intense earnest
ness for which he is so famous
Asked what he thought of the solid
south and whether he saw any I'M
mediate hope of breaking it, Senator
Tillman declared with emphasis that
the solid south would never be brok-
en- as long as the Fifteenth amend
ment is allowed to stand.
The south is solidly democratic,
not in the broader sense that the
term democracy is understood in the
politics of the whole country he
said, but in the narrow sense that
the Anglo-SaXon intelligence OF the
south solidly and always unyieldingly
stands for white supremacy. Oh
course this situation is unfortunate,
inasmuch as the results are intellec-
tually sitting in the discussion OF and
contention for the broader principles
of government and OF civilized life.
, But there is no immediate hope OF
changing these conditions. Every
effort put forth by the misguided
philanthropists and vicious politi-
clans OF the north with their i1nprac-
ticable notions about the equality of
man, to break the solid south, only
seals that bond of union as with
hoops of steel, and the problem will
never be solved until the north lets
the south alone to solve it.
III these dreamers of the north,
working in conjunction with their
greedy political brethren, don't stop
meddling in this matter there will be
race war and terrible massacre. For
political equality means social equal
ity, and social equality means misce-
genation and the nongrelizing Of the
people OF the south with the result
that the white intelligence OF the
south will degenerate to the level OF
those South American republics
whose history has shown them to be
wholly and invariably incapable not
Only of self-government, but Of &C
q::;rirg property, the distinguishing
characteristic OF the white man, and
unwillingness to respect law and live
in a quiet and orderly manner.
"Once let the wedge be driven III
just the least bit, once recognize the
political equality OF the negro and
social equality will inevitably follow
and the races will merge by marriage
between the better class OF negroes
and the lower class OF whites. Those
scoudrelly, triAing white men who
have lost all self-respect will not
scruple to marry the daughters OF ne
gro men who have acquired property.
Then will the sluice gates be opened
and there will be no stopping the
mongrelizing of the white 1ntelll-
gence of the south. This is unthink-
able condition, an impossible con-
summation"
'There is only one solution OF the
negro problem" he continued, "only
one way of eliminating the crime OF
rape and freeing the land of the re-
sultant crime of lyncf1ing-the COM
plete subjection OF the negro under
stringent laws and police regulations.
AS long as he is allowed by law to
vote and run about the country with
out restraint there is no checking the
crimes which he commits. And the