Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-11-28
UP TO SENATOR TILLMAN.
Splendid Opportunity In Connection
With the Rate Bill.

The following interesting artlclt
Is from W. w. Price the Washing
ton correspondent of The Columbia
Record:
Senator Tillman at last has the op-
portunity to show whether he has the
capacity of leader in national poll
tics. He came to the United States
senate under a cloud Of prejudice, due
to the general impression of him
throughout the country created by the
newspaper articles sent out from his
own state. Possessing many qualities
of rugged honesty and native ability,
but mistaking the senate for an audi
ence of zone gallus" boys he was ad-
dressing from a stump in South Car
lina he did not make the headway
he had hoped. His oratorical pitch
fork, which he boasted would turn the
alleged corrupt senate into body or
cringing. repentant. discredited be-
ings, failed to pitch anybody Every
time he brandished 1t he got into
trouble. 1t was like butting against
the stone wall. The staid, immovable
old senate, the one body that Presi-
dent Roosevelt can not sway with his
great political power, refused to re-
gard Tillman as a bloody scarecrow
or as being able to revolutionize any
thing. When Tillman saw that his
measure had been well taken and
that it was one thing to whoop 1t
up to the farmers of South Carolina
and another to turn the senate and
the nation upside down, he got on to
a few dots that did him good. Slow
ly, like a pot of very hot home made
soap, he simmered down and his use
fulness in the senate began. After he
had learned his lesson he found that
the senator's began to look upon him
with more favor. He has been in the
senate ten years now and has grown
to be tractable, patient, even has
soft pedal on his voice and his move
ments. He has some real influence
in the body he sits in, and his time to
show what he is made out Of has
come.
Senator Tillman is the ranking
minority member of the senate COM
mittee on interstate commerce. That
committee is now in session to make
a report to the senate on railroad rate
legislation. The committee is badly
divided. AS the supposed leader OF
the five Democrats on the committee
Senator Tillman ought to have great
influence in presenting a document
that will make its mark. There are
eight Republicans and five Democrats
OF the Republicans, Senators Elkins,
Aldrich. Kean. Foraker and Millard
Of Nebraska. are either opposed out
right to the plans of the president or
will refuse to accede to what they re-
gard as the radical legislation he
wants. The remaining three Republi-
cans, CullOm. Dolliver and Clapp, OF
Minnesota, are understood to favor
whatever the president wants. Cul-
lom and Dolliver are both candidates
for reelection and must soon go be-
fore the people.
The majority of the Republicans
therefore. will not produce a measure
that agrees with the wants of the
president Will the five Democrats
unite upon a measure embodyine
Democratic and Roosevelt views and
leave it to the three Republicans to
support their measure or will they
support the bill of the three Rcpub-
licans, making the bill Republican
measure? Will they be absorbed by
the three Republicans or will they
bring the Republicans into their
camp? From a Democratic stand
point there is ground for politics OF
the worst sort or of the most success
full kind. If the country really de-
mands a railroad bill of the kind
advocated by the president will it be
good politics for the Democratic SEN
atOrS to become tail to the Repub-
lican skyrocket or shoot off some fire.
works of their own? There is room
for good politics and the leadership
of the Democrats never had better
opportunity.
1t is possible, of course, that there
will be three lIils -Jlr Ey Tine Re.
publican majority. one by the 3e0ub-
lican minority. and one by the Demo
cratic minority. 1t is also possible
and even probable, that the Demo
Gratis will fall out. as they usually do
and some support the various bills OF
the Republicans, while others attempt
to frame a Democratic bill. Senator
Bailey of Texas. has come out in an
interview saying that the Democrats
are not following the lead of the pres
ident. but that he is following their
lead, as they demanded in 1896, and
again i'm succeeding conventions, just
what the president is now asking for,
Bailey is supposed to have given the
cue that Democrats will follow, al
though the president has been told
he will have the support from the
south.
Personally. Senator Tillman is un-
likely to do anything that will reflect
credit upon President Roosevelt. He
bitterly hates the president, due to an
incident at the White House several
years ago, when he claims the presi-
dent insulted him in connection with
the dinner to Prince Henry of Prus-
Sia.
The Democratic representation on
the senate committee is composed of
Tillman, Senator McLaurin of Missis-
Sippi; Carmack of Tennessee: Foster
of Louisiana, and NewlandS Of Ne
vada.