Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-01-15
TILlMAN TACKLES ROOSEVELT.
Brownsville Matter Discussed In the
United States Senate.

Brownsville Matter Discussed In the
United States Senate.
Senator Tillman on last Saturday
addressed the senate on the Browns
Vile incident. He characterized the
presidents action in the matter as
nothing more or less than lynching.
He declared that the men should be
considered innocent until they were
proven guilty. He said he had no
doubt the soldiers were responsible
for the outrage at Brownsville. He
declared that negro troops should not
have been sent to Brownsville.
Mr.. Tillman declared that Mr.. For
aker had belittled himself by attack
ing Major Blocksom as man whose
father was a copperhead. Are we
never to have the end Of the war and
its bitterness?" he exclaimed. Are
the people of the north and the south
never To understand each other and
to recognize the rights of both sec
tions? 1t Is useless to deny that the
race question lies at the bottom OF
all this"
Continuing, he said: THE whole
issue involved is one of race and the
president is primarily more RESPONSE
BILE than any other man for the posi-
ton the negroes in the south have
taken on the question Of negro rights.
He gave recognition to Booker WASH
ington in a social way. He did this
knowing he was flying in the face OF
caste feeling among seventeen million
southern white men. The well known
attitude of the administration on the
social question has been the cause OF
a great and noticeable change in the
demeanor and action of the negroes
throughout the south"
After predicting In the near future
race conflict to determine whether
the negro is the equal Of the Caucas-
ian. he continued: I'm six southern
states (South Carolina. Georgia, Flor
ida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louis
lanai, in the aggregate the negroes
outnumber the whites, and in two Of
them (South Carolina and MISSISSIPPI
DID the negro preponderance Is very
heavy"
Mr.. Tillman added: "In Cuba the
color line has been obliterated and
miscegenation Is in full blast. At the
north the same conditions exist and
large number Of mulattoes and
auadroons with white blood In their
veins who have migrated there are
leaders of the doctrine OF absolute So
cial equality encouraged as they nave
D6en ana are llO" lhC
Mr.. Tillman asked: us the presi-
dent ready to act up to his own the
ory and have his children marry men
and women of other races? Would
he accept as a daughter-in-law a Chi
nese, Malay, Indian or negro In &C
cord with the doctrine laid down IN
his message which 1 have quoted?
We all know he would not.
Southern white men and women
who have for forty years resisted In
every possible way this doctrine OF
equality of the races are just as re-
solved now as they have always been
not to submit to it or its results. They
are resolved to maintain control or
their states government and to pre-
vent in every way possible social and
political equality with the inevitable
destruction of their civilization, which
would follow If they yielded. Condi-
tions are growing more and more ag-
gravated every day. Are things 10
drift until direful tragedies multiply
on every hand and blood shall flow
like water?"
He said that forty years after the
civil war we find conditions more
threatening in some Of their aspects
than in 1861.
In concluding he said 1t was time
to settle the question in some practi-
cable and sensible way. He said that
he was ready to go to battle under
the slogan OF America for Americans,
and this Is q white mans country and
white men must govern 1t.
Mr.. Tillman prefaced the discussion
with the Characterization that re-
sembled a case in court. THE presi-
dent of the United States is prosecu-
tor as we'll as executor. The array
of counsel for the defense and prose-
cutiOn Is not yet complete. So lar as
their names have appeared on the re-
cord there is an element Of the incon-
gruous and Of ridiculous. For In
stance as the attorneys aiding the
prosecution we have the distinguish
ed senator from Texas (Mr. Culber-
SOM a democrat the distinguished
senator from Massachusetts (Mr
Lodge a republican, the distinguish
ed senator from Virginia, (Mr. Dan
iel a democrat, and for the defense
II shall so be considered when | get
through / will put in the record as
aiding the distinguished senator from
Ohio (Mr. Foraker) but the ridicu-
lousness of the situation Is again ap-
parent when one considers the sena-
tor from Ohio who by reason Of his
radical and aggressive utterances ana
probably actions in the past, once gave
him the name Of Fire Alarm"
THAT senator finds himself aligned
with that senator from South Carroll
ma (Mr. Tillman himselD who is u.s.
ually supposed to have broiled negro
for breakfast. Qaughter) who Is
known to justify lynching for rape:
and whose attitude, If not that OF
hatred to the negro is feeling akin
to 1t, in the belief that white men are
made OF better clay and that whlte
men alone are entitled to participate
in the government"
Reading from the order issued by
the war department and signed by the
president in which it Is stated the uni
form is a badge Of honor and entitles
enlisted men To peculiar c0nsidera-
ton, Mr.. Tillman said it was that sort
Of stuff that put it into the heads OF
the negro soldiers that he was enti-
tied to demand social equality.
"Why should not the colored SOL
dier, If he conducts himself as white
soldier. have the same considera-
tion?" asked Senator Nelson.
For the simple reason that Goo
Almighty made him cOlOred. He did
not make him white" retorted Mr..