Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-10-09
TILLMAN ON THE
RACE PROBLEM
Advocates Adoption Of European Pass
port System

A0V0cdleS AQ0pll0l Ol European rdSS
port System
MAKES RED HOT SPEECH In AUGUST
Let Every Citizen Of q Southern STATE
Be Required to Have q Passport
Describing His Age, Color, charae.
tor and References, and Make Al
/ Who Are Without Such Passports
Subject to Arrest and investigation.
Senator B. r. Tillman spoke in Au.
gusta, Ca, last Saturday night on the
race problem and advanced a new idea
that is deserving Of serious considera-
ton. He proposes that every south
ern citizen should be required to pro-
vide himself with passport, and that
people who are unable to produce
such passports be liable to arrest and
investigation. The full text Of the
senator's speech as published in the
Augusta Chronicle of Sunday morning
is as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: Though in
recent years my pathway has LED
me far away from Augusta, and have
little opportunity during the occasional
visits to keep in touch with the people
Of this grand old city, when I tell you
that I was born within thirteen miles
of this spot and lived there until I was
past forty years old, and during all OF
my boyhood and younger manhood
business as we'll as pleasure often
brought me to this city, you will un-
derstand that Augusta and Augusta
people can be no strange words to me
nor can It's people be strangers.
I'm selecting the race problem as The
subject, 1 will talk to you about to-
night, the same subject upon which
spoke here four or five years ago, you
will doubtless wonder why should
cling to a topic about which most OF
you are familiar and about which you
think there is very little new OF
strange or profitable 1 can tell you. A
month ago l should not have thought
to select this subject, though have
long been discussing 1t in the north,
where they know nothing about 1t and
where I feel perfectly willing to tell
them what I think they ought to
know. l told them about 1t from the
Ben Tillman' standpoint, so you can
imagine what sort Of stuff they heard
The Atlanta Riot.
1.-TWO or three weeks ago tonight, we
had what is called the Atlanta riot
with the details Of which most Of you
are familiar, although the full story
has never gotten into the papers, and
1t Is because Of that riot and the IL
Illuminating character Of the occur
rences there that / have felt almost
compelled from a sense of duty to take
this, my first opportunity, to lecture In
the south to present to you some OF
the views that have come to me illum.
mated by. those, bloody and horrible
transactions.
l do not lay claim to being proph-
ct. 1 do lay claim to honesty and pa
triotism of purpose and to having good
common sense; and 1t is in the exer-
else Of my patriotism Of purpose as
we'll as my use of common sense that
I am going to speak to you tonight.
I am going to call things by their
names; 1 am not going to mince
words; l will hurt some feelings and
tread on some toes; but will tell the
truth as l see 1t.
II do not often use a manuscript
and I do not intend to use one now,
except for minute, but having In
view the laying before you and before
the country my understanding Of the
situation. I have deliberately set down
in black and white where / could
weigh my words and be careful to
guard my statements, certain funda-
mental principles which I ask you to
permit me to read"
Here the speaker read from manu-
script the six following declarations:
1. The white men Of the south
were never more united or determin-
ed than they are now in the purpose
to maintain white supremacy In each
and every part Of every southern
state regardless Of negro majori-
ties, and the thought of social
equality is as intolerable or even more
so than the idea Of political equality
The two go hand in hand and cannot
be separated.
2. The negroes were never more
intent on contesting In every way that
they dare this position Of the whites
Their teachers, their preachers. their
politicians and every organization
which they have formed, one and all
are bent on compelling a recognition
by the whites Of the rights given to
the negroes by the 14th and 18th
amendments; and in every practica-
BILE way the Republican national gov.
ernment is giving aid and comfort to
this idea.
8. Race hatred in every form Is
growing in intensity with both races
4. Lynching for rape of white wo-
men by negroes will continue as lone
as the crime is committed and the
fact that in many instances the guilty
flend Is not caught intensifies the ha-
tired of the whites toward the negro
race and tends to precipitate race
conflicts in which innocent and good
negroes are too often the only suffer
ers.
5. Amalgamation Is the hope and
ultimate purpose Of the negroes; the
obliteration of the color line, and
many white men, too many, oblivious
Of their duty to their race and caste
are voluntary criminals in this regard
while thank God, our white women
prefer death to such a fate. In al
most every community white men car
be found brazenly living openly with
colored women and nothing Is said OF
done about 1t. We must protect ouI
women at any and all hazards else
they would spurn us and ought
to spurn US; and we must draw the
line of caste between white men and