The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-01-15
TILLMAN'S SPEECH.

Hon. Ben Tillman, Senator of tn,
United States from South Carolina; in Z
speech delivered in the Senate on Satur
day, January II, was not only vitriolic il
ITS denunciation, but was equally force
full in truth, however disagreeable il
may be.
Men who favor the policy of evasion
and the suppression of facts when re-
hecting on individuals occupying high
stations, in public or private life. have
criticised Mr.. Tillman adversely, nor is
this surprising since it is in keeping with
a deplorable tendency to palliate, if not
to approve by silent acquiescence, the
acts of men guilty, by virtue of their of
fee or their wealth
If, in political sense, Tillman were
trimmer, one always ready to cringe
the knee that thrift may follow fawning,
he would not have ventured in speech
SO bold. 1t may be true that Tillman
is erratic, fiery, reckless and his preju-
dice may at times overwhelm all diplo-
matte considerations, but his sincerity
is as unquestioned as is his integrity.
Beng sincere and honest, he is fearless,
and there is not in the United States
Senate today holder champion of the
rights of the people.
Because Mr.. Tillman has excoriated in
words Mr.. Roosevelt, as President of
the United States, can not be construed
!. that he stands with Foraker and his fol-
lowers in their fanaticism of hatred to-
wards the South, nor is Mr.. Tillman
Pleading defense of the negro troops
engaged-m the Brownsville outrage. He
has charged that President Roosevelt is
primarily more responsible than any 9TH
er man for the position the negroes in
the South have taken. He gave recog-
milton TO Booker Washington in a so
cial way. He did it knowing ne was fly
ing in the face Of caste fer ing among
seventeen millions of sSoufhern white
md sslIu Same feeling Of
three-fonrths Of tlN Northern people.
He does not understand the negro or the
deep and vital character Of the issues in
yolved He made mess of it in the
first instance and has made a worse
mess Of the iast.
Is President Roosevelt ready to act
up to his own theory and have his chill |
drei marry men and women Of the other |
races? Would he accept as daughter
in-law a Chinese, a Malay, an Indian or
a neg. o, in accord with the doctrine laid
down in his message, which have /
quotedf We all know he would not, and
while fine words butter no parsnips,
words like these are a source of meal
culable evil, coming from such high
osurcc.
Mr.. Tillman held that it was contrary
Z fundamental principles OF liberty
,glish and American law that the
-ziIiiocent should suffer because of the
sins OF the tguilty; also he declared that
man shall be considered innocent until
he Is proved guilty. In this case, he said,
10y men have been punished while not
more than twenty have been charged
fsieipaiing in the crime. +
illr1an maintained that the negro
hould moi have been sent to Tex
as. They were sent there, he said,
against the protests of one of the Texas I
senators and the congressman from that '
district They were sent there, he con-
1anued, with wholly inadequate number
-
OF officers, as there were only FIVE of l.
iicers for the three companies. IS
Referring to the Brownsville outrage
and to Captain Macklila and Major Pen h
rose, whom he charged with gross negli- r.
genee and incompetence, Mr.. Tiliman Y
said: The first thought of the President 81
was to protect the negroes and to punish u
The citizens BY abandoning the post. o
This is a statement verified by the g
record, and therefore can not be refuted. m
In the course of his speech Mr.. Till p'
nan pointed out the terrible crisis which tn
nay come in the South. He criticised a
PRESIDENT Roosevelfs attitude towards D
ne Monaghan race and especially. as m
avoring the policy of absolute oblitera- To
ion of the race line, the granting of st
uli citizenship to the Japanese. The TO
americans of the Pacific coast, said Mr. M
iliinan, are bitterly opposed to this pol ITS
y and without regard to party lines pr
hese Americans ought to know what is M
or their best interest and they ought OF
nd undoubtedly will have the sympathy
nd aid of their fellow citizens North
nd South in protecting their interests
ut these two phases OF the race prob tn;
m sing into insigniicance alongside of do
e greater and more vital question Of i the
e relationship OF the races in the off
outlern States Of the Union. off
In SIX Southern States (South Car An
ma, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Missis- tua
ppi and Louisiana in the aggregate he
: negroes outnnmber The whites, and ltitl
two Of them tSonth Carolina and wo
assissippD the negro preponderance