The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-04-02

ton from stern-Iooking butler, who
impaired the bare information that
Miss Paulding was not at home and
would not be during the season
TiIIman on Top.
When the opponents of the railway
rate legislation bill. driven to the legis-
Iative trickery which is the last resort
of the bafffed politician, made the con-
dition that the senate measure should
be reported from the committee by
Senator TilIman, they thought they
were doing a very smart thing. They
knew that railway rate revision was
an administration measure; they
thought that the bare mention of Till
man would be as the f1uttering of a
red flag in the face OF a bull, with Pres
ident Roosevelt IN the bovine's posi-
ton They recalled certain incidents
which would tend to make Senator
Tillman persona non gcata at the
White House, and SurmiSed therefrom
that the South Carolinian and the pres
ident could not get together in amity
over the measure
But whatever their suppositions about
the White House may have had TO do
with the future of the rate bill, it re-
mains true that those which were based
on Mr.. Tillman'S probable or possible
attitude were rudely upset by the sem
atOr'S hearty acceptance Of the task,
and by his sincerity and honesty in
dealing with the subject which had
been forced upon him. Mr. Tillman
took hold of the matter in mastery
fashion, made himself cCnVersant with
every phase of the question, reported
the measure with dignity On the floor
of the senate and has conducted it with
perspicacity since.
He frankly disagreed with Mr.. ROOSe-
welt concerning the bill as defined in
the latter's message and stated his OBJ
lection with a soundness That carried
conviction and at once put him on a
surer basis of common sense in rail-
way legislation than that occupied by
any of it's advocates.
Senator Tillman has never done any
thing in a halfway manner, nor has he
done anything without goOd reason.
His personal comment on rate reforms
is a fair warning to the railroads and
to the people alike, and gOes directly
at the subject from the point of view
| of hard fact, without any question of
the persif1age of eXpediency or legality.
Sentiment Has Changed.
There has been a remarkable change
of sentiment on Mr.. Tillman, but it is
not merely the result of his recent
stand. When he first came to Wash
! ington his "pitchfOrk' methods sur
prised and chagrined the senate,
whose members sought to hold him
up to ridicule. Yet no one was able
! to impugn his motives or question his
| integrity. Then he suffered in repu-
/ tation because of the actions of re-
| lative in high official position in his
home state. There is no need to recall
/ the episode of a White House invita-
/ ton and certain sword presentation.
Yet Tillman kept steadfastly on his
way He has not changed, because
/ his sincerity will not allow him to be
anything than his natural self. And
/ |, &c, Zoo f1nn do
of the country has changed toward
him.
He is no Don Quixote fitting at i'm
! possible Windmills, as some suppose,
| though his lance is ever in place,
! ready to find the weak spots in the
/ arnor Of his opponents His place is
that of a knight Grant who watches
| the legislative procession pass, and
| who spurs into it to break up the or
/ derby array when some Objectionable
measure tries to get pass under cover
/ of responsibility and regular proceed
ure. Perhaps Mr. Tillman may go
down into history as the Great OBJ
| jector" but he objects with good
purpose, and is as much figure in
| the upper chamber "a the revered Sen
ator Hoar ever was, with the addi-
tiOnal qualification of being better
able to keep ION the inside" of af-
fairs.
TiIIman was born in 1S47, so he is al
! most so now. though his looks and &C
tions make him seem much younger.
At Il he left school to join the cOnfed-
! crate army, but was seized with a Sc
| we're illness which kept him an invalid
for two years and caused the loss OF
his left eye. He was a farmer until
his 43rd year. when he became gov
eInor of South Carolina. Notwith-
standing his late entrance into public
life his qualiicaties as a born fight
er" carried him TO reelection as gov
ernOr and then to the United States
senate, all of his campaigns having
been heated and exciting, yet over
whelmingly in favor of Tillman when
results were counted.
Has Friends and Foes.
Senator Tillman occupies the anon
alous position of being perhaps the
most cordially loved and cordially
hated man in the senate. His friends
are as strongly partisans as his enc
mics. He is a man who begets oppOsf-
! tiCn because of his belligerent atti-
tude, and he is, if anything, a little
+ ! more proud of the enemies than OF
the friends he makes. But he is able
TO stand before his state and his coun-
try on his record rather than on his
personality. He is largely RESPONSE
, BILE for the progress South Carolina
has made in educational matters il
the past twenty years, and it was dur
ing his second term as governor thai
the dispensary law was passed for the
state control of the liquor traffic-tht
A