The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-03-23

and two years illness prevented him.
This double afflictiOn also cut snort
his education. 1t may have changed
the whole tenor of his life as well, for
he intended becoming lawyer, but
gave this up and went to farming
Contrary to the general impression
Senator Tillman comes Of d1stln-
guished family. His father was a
planter and slaveowner. Several or
his relatives were killed in the war
between the states. One Of his broth
.ers was shot in duel. Another broth
rwas a congressman for several terms
Another false impression concerning
Tillman is that he Is an uneducated
man. True. his education In schools
ended early, but he had the best OF
teachers. A sister of President Arthur
was once his governess. He has been
an omnivorous reader. especially Id
history and poetry. The leading poets
he can quote by the hour. He also
loves music and is himself a good
baritone singer. When at home ne
takes great delight with his flowers,
Of which he has large garden. He at
tends to them himself, knows them all
by name and is never happier than
when engaged in their cultivation.
Loved and Respected by Negroes.
These are indices to the softer side
Of his nature Another is found In the
fact that, while no southerner has spo-
ken on the race question with more
vehemence and bitterness than Till
man, at home he is loved and respected
by the negroes. This is also true Of the
colored people Of Washington. One of
the most feeling tributes he ever paid
was to an old colored servant named
Joe Gibson. In fact, one of the great
est speeches ever delivered in the SEN
ate on the race question was by Sena-
tor Tillman. This time, at least, he
was temperate in his statements and
won universal applause by the master
" way in which he presented the
southern view. Old Joe has given his
opinion of his employer in these words:
1.-THE colored folks haven't got any
better friend than Senator Tillman if
they will only stay where they belong
and do their work. 1t hurts me to see
people telling lies about him and i'm
posing on him."
Tillman did not enter politics until
late in the eighties, and then his only
object was to secure an agricultural
training school for boys. In this he
succeeded, founding a successful in
d1IS tpiO al ms n
home, Fort Hill. Later he also founded
a school for girls. which Is now one Of
the leading ones of the sort in all the
south. He had no aspirations to run
for Office, but found other things he
thought needed reform and in 1890 was
made the farmers candidate for gov
ernor. The succeeding campaign was
one of the hottest ever known In the
state Tillman was nominated by an
overwhelming majority and elected.
He had even larger majority two
years LATER During his term as gov
ernor he inaugurated the famous dis
pensary system, by which the state
took charge of the liquor traffic. At
one time this caused a riot, and the
militia were called out. Some Of the
soldiers mutinied, and Tillman con-
temptuously dismissed them from the
service, denominating them "bandbox
soldiers"
At the end of his second term as gov
ernor he was a candidate for senator
against Ben Butler and was over
whelmingly elected. Six years later he
received as large majority for a Sec
Ond term and this year will doubtless
be candidate for reelection. 1t was
during his first candidacy for the SEN
ute that he threatened to use a pitch
fork ON the fiat ribs" of President
Cleveland, thus gaining the appellation
Of Pitchfork Ben. During his first year
In the senate he made characteristic
speech, wherein he made further at
tack on Cleveland, referred to John G..
Carlisle as that Judas from Ken
lucky" and denounced some Of his as
sOciates in congress as tools of the
money power. When his colleague,
McLaurin. supported the Mckinley ad-
ministration Tillman accused him Of
having been influenced by patronage.
McLaurin gave the lie, and Tillman
struck him in the face In open senate.
For this affair both men were sus--
pended from the roll. but were after
ward reinstated on apology being
made. At about this time Tillman chal-
lenged McLaurin to resign and go be-
fore the people. AS a result the resig-
nations of both senator's went to the
governor, who refused to accept them.
Later Tillman renewed the challenge
in the senate, but McLaurin made no
response.
A Magnetic Talker.
When Ben Tillman first tried to make
a speech 1t was a failure. Later ef-
forts had no better result. Discouraged,
he sought his wife, who told him that
Of course he could succeed-to speak as
he talked and to think of her. He fol-
lowed the advice, and his next effort
became famous. He hardly ever writes
his speeches and even casts aside his
notes. He is magnetic and sways an
audience in spite of itself. His voice
Is very strong and, while sometimes
harsh. is organ-like In its meditation