The Washington herald., 1909-02-09

II there had been rafters to the Senate
chamber. they would have rung yester-
day.
From ! o'clock until after dark the
members Of the Upper House sat behind
closed doors. ostensibly to consider the
nomination Of Dr. ". 3. Crum 10 be
collector Of customs az Charleston. S. c..
but really 70 indulge in an old-fashioned
talkfest-
L is true there was some discussion Of
the Crum case, but the debate took q
wide range. and al one time was confined
to the current japanese question, with
particular regard TO It's racial features.
Not Yet Confirmed.
When the Senate adjourned. at So
o'clock. the Crum nomination had not
been disposed Of Il is not likely that II
ever viii be disposed Of Senator TIL
man. OF South Carolina. and his col
league. Senator Gary, did most OF the
talking.
Two other secret sessions OF equal
case. What went on in these made II
apparent that some Of the Southern Sen
ators were engaged IN a real hlibustes
against the nomination Of the negro, and
when yesterdays session was begun the
determination Of the Southerners TO keeI
up their dilatory tactics was in evi-
denCe.
Senator TiIlman made a fre-eating
speech quite in his Old pitchfoTk style
Incidentally. the attack made by Presi-
dent Roosevelt on Senator Perkins. ol
California in connection with the Japan.
csc situation was brought forward. and
explanatory remarks we're made by Sena.
tor Perkins and his colleague.
There was nothing calm OF judicial II
what Senator Tillman had 20 say. ethel
from the standpoint OF words or delivery
Mr.. Tiliman made 10 bones OF sayinS
that the disfrsnchisement laws OF ths
South were frauds. He declared that they
openly violated the fourteenth and ff.
teenth amendments. and that their ad.
Dllnistration was a joke. and he asserted
boldly that they were intended solely tS
disfranchise negroes because they were
negroes.
TfIIman FIays Amendments.
VI tA-S AOAE Ete=tittl ana fiLteeufh amend
ments. Mr.. Tillman said they were not
worth the paper they were written on
South Carolina he said. had an educa.
tiOnal qualification. and knew how Z
handle IL with reference 70 the negro
There never was a negro who got thu
right 20 vote under Il, he declared. anc
no white man had been disfranchised un-
der IT,
IN the course OF his remarks Mr. Till
man astonished his hearers BY admftting
that once he had voted for a negro can
di5ste for Office This. he explained, was
before the days OF the disfranchisement
amendment. when he was living IN the
Anderson district. which was overwheim-
ingly Republican on account OF its large
negro population
The Democrats. he said, had gerry
wandered the State SO as TO put all the ne
grOes IN this one district II was neces-
sary 20 draw the boundary lines in sucl
a peculiar way that, according TO Mr.
TiIlman's description, the district had
wings Ike a bat and legs Ike q grass
hopper.
Mr.. TTIlmsn declared that he had voted
for the negro candidate because he got
tired Of voting tissue paper ballots
which. II was explained afteTward. were
ballots printed on paper SO thin that halt
dozen OF more when dropped into q
ballot box looked 70 be Of about the
thickness Of a ballot printed on ordinary
paper. OF course, al the tissue paper
ballots were counted. or at least that
was the inference drawn from Nr. TIL
mans statement
When Mr. Tdlman found that he had
about exhausted the negro question. he
began talking about the japanese situa-
ton in California He proclaimed him
self 10 be snti-Jspsnese. and Contended
that Il was q case OF racial antipathy
pure and simple While some OF hfs
hearers pursed up their lips and ele-
vated their eyebrows in disapproval, Mr.
TiUnan declared that there was law
OF God and q law OF man. and ne was
for the Law Of God God. he said. had
put a brand upon the negro. and the
negro could not change that brand any
more than the leopard could change his
spots.
Senator Gary insisted that the question
involved In the Crum case was not vhetfl-
er Crum had performed his duties az
collector IN satisfactory manner, fol
Mr. Gary was willing TO admit that hs
had, but Il was whether a negro should
be placed IN & Federal position OF i'm
portance, when he was obnoxious IL
such position to the best element o
the community
In other words, il was a social ques
ton. Those with whom Dr. Crum came
in contact officially were nearly all white
people. Mr. Gary applied to the Crun
case the recognized principle Of diplo
macy that a foreign representative who
Is persona non grata should be recalleS
BY his government. He contended tina
this rule has IS much force in the cas-
Of a Federal o1fCehOlder as If has il
diplomacy-
Younger Element objects.
Some Of the younger Republican Sena.
tors, the busy bees, as they are called
are getting pretty restless over the wsy
in which the Crum case is allowed 10 dras
along They are becoming suspicious thar
the conservative element is Just as vel
satisfied 10 have the anti-Crum flibUstei
proceed. because il VIII prevent actor
on the postal savings bank bill and som,
other measures which the younger mer
would ike to see pushed 10 passage.
There was some talk among the younger
Republicans Of getting up a combination
Of Democrats 70 prevent further consid
Grafton OF the Crum nomination. Il Eat
said that II the younger Republicans ge
a few more Senators from their side ol
the chamber 10 enlist in their cause Z
combination could be formed with IN.
Democrats strong enough 70 ortvote tn,
older Republicans when the latter trieC
10 put through a motion TO go into ex
ecutive session 70 discuss the Crum cas-.
3