The Washington herald., 1907-01-16

In tones Of the calmCst deliberation
and without any dramatic gestures ol
attempt at oratorical display. Senator
Spooner, Of Wisconsin. yesterday deliv-
cred a scathing rebuke TO Senator Till
man, of South Carolina, for his course
in connection with President Roosevelt
action ia discharging the negro troops.
Mr.. Tillman scOWling. and making an
effort TO control his temper, sat a few
feet away from the Wisconsin Senator
while The latter scored him severely. Al
all times during this portion of his re-
marks, Mir. Spooner spoke slowly and i'm
pressively. but his voice was 50 low at
times that his auditors had 10 strain their
hearing TO catch his words
When he had concluded Mr.. TIlman
rose. Everybody expected an explosion.
but none came. Evidently weighing
what he had to say, and speaking with a
deliberation and caIrnness foreign TO his
Usual manner. Mr.. TIIman said:
I had expected to have "a few brief
words TO say to the Senator from Wis
cons!n. in view OF the direct personal at
tack he has made on me this afternoon.
but the latter part Of his speech has
|idened the scope of the reply 1 wish to
make. and /, therefore, viii take occasion
In the near future 10 have something 10
say on the question. and in answer to
some of the insulting illusions he has
made"
Defended Presidents Order.
AIr Spooner's speech was devoted
mainly to "a defense of President Roose-
velt's order directing the dismissal of tho
negro soldiers without the formality of a
trial or hearing. He admitted. however
tn3t Le wished the procedure in disckarg-
ing the negroes had been different. Il
would have been much better he said. If
there had been a court Of inquiry before
which all OF The suspected soldiers could
have been examined. Most Of his speech
was devoted TO an argument that the
President had not exceeded his constitu-
tionaI and legal rights IN issuing the dis
charge order
Il was toward The end of his remarks
that Gr. Spooner began 10 pay his re-
spee-s % Ar Tillman. The people who
crowded the galleries. many negroes
among them. began 10 sit up and take
notice although they had followed Mr..
s'lHt4iSl tlJStiE ana with interest
throughout his less sensational utteranccs.
II never was 50 touched. he said. with
q suggestion OF irony in his tone. "as I
was by the wonderful attachment and
loyalty Of Jhe Senator from South Caro-
Ina to that glorious and fundamental
principle of liberty that no man shall
bee aCjudged except on trial
Don't misquCte,' called out TiIlman.
Spooner went right on talking. without
noticing the interruption:
But with what grace the Senator.
using that as foundation. charges usur-
patton in this case and violation Of the
fundamental principles of liberty upon the
President of the United States, Is not
that principle applicable to black man
I'm the South as well as 10 a white man in
the North2
The Senator who says We shot them.
we killed them, and we viii do it again
on occasion
interruption Resented.
Here Mr.. TiIIman broke in. to AIr.
Spooner's annoyance. What 10 you
want to get in for? 1 want to finish,
said the latter.
How much provocation viii You give a
man before you give him chance to
strike back a Ittle?" asked Mr.. Tiuman.
well, strike back; go on" retorted
Spo0ner, but Tillman made no response,
and the Wisconsin Senator continued.
Il believe in the Law" he said. I be-
lieve that wherever man perpetrates a
crime,aor crime is committed. and the
perpetrator or suspect can be identified,
the law should seize him. believe he is
entitled 10 a trial before sentence. ] am
opposed to any man making himself
judge, juror, and eXecutioner. I look upon
Il as shocking beyond expression in civil
ized communities for the populace to seize
a human being. charge him with crime.
drag him TO a tree protesting his innO-
cense, and hang him or burn him at the
stake. In the corrupted current of This
world it sometimes happens. All men de
plore it. No man ought to encourage it.
Il is crime against civilization TO encour-
age It.
I have been shocked more than once
by the Senator from South Carolina JUS
tifying lynching and supporting its con-
tinuance. IF there is one man under the
sky who ought not 10 do it, it is the
maker Of laws which govern the people.
Not an Attack on TiIIman.
This is not an attack upon the Senator
from South Carolina. It is plea for
good government orderly government.
real liberty; not the liberty Of one man.
but the liberty Of all What is liberty? Il
was once well defined TO be freedom 10
do that which the law permits That is
what liberty is: and l say again. that
any man here or elsewhere who encour-
ages lynehing. murder. lawIessness will
have much TO answer for. and the higher |
his position and the weightier his in /
fuence. the more he viii have to answer /
for. No man can come with very good |
grace to beTate and vituperatively inn |
peach the President Of the United States
for having discharged men without honor
from the army. because he could not
identify the guilty and single them out /
from the innocent who comes 10 that ac- |
cusation from a lynching bee or justify |
ing one"
Mr.. Spooner turned occasionally TO AIr
TIllman as he said this. and he made it /
very plain that they We're addressed To 4
the Senator from South Carolina. AT one /
point he read extracts from lecture de- /
livered by Mr.. Tillman in Chicago. i'm 1
which the latter called some of his negro
auditors "baboons. and shouted. "To /
he'll with the law"
Mr.. Tillman made no attempt at inter- /
TIption when Afr. SpOOner. using these 4
extracts rs a text maintained that Mr.
Tillman preached lawlessness, and there 4
CONTINUED on FOURTH PAGE. /