The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-01-22
BRIDGE BILL SLIPPED THROUGH.
SENATOR TILLMAN WILL TAKE
STEPS TO STOP PASSAGE
BY HOUSE.
President Potter, of c.. c. and O..
Indicates that Charleston Must
Choose Between Bridge and New
RailrOad-MayOr Goes to Washing
ton to Oppose Bridge Promoters
Scheme-Chamber of Commerce
Makes Protest.
News and Courier, January 20.

News and Courier January 20.
The United States Senate passed the
Sottile brodge bill in the absence OF
Senator Tillman and without Senator
Tillman's knowledge, according to
statement made by the Senator to the
Washington correspondent of The
News and Courier yesterday. When
Senator Tillman was seen yesterday in
Washington and informed Of the as
tonishment caused in Charleston by
the passage of the bill he said:
Il was also astonished because had
not supposed it possible that the bill
would go through SO fast. l asked SEN
ator Nelson please to hurry it up.
1T seems that l had creased the ma
chinery SO we'll that the bill went
through without my knowing it as l
was not in the Senate at the moment
when it passed. l will take steps to
stop the bill in the House, and l do
not think any harm has been done.'
The explanation of the passage ap-
pears to be that Senator Tillman has
so much personal influence in the
Senate that when he gives a thing a
it himself. The News and Courier
correspondent at Washington infor-
med him on Saturday afternoon that
the Cooper River bill had been favor
ably reported to the Senate, but the
Senator did not appear to attach
much significance to the information.
Yesterday he explained that he was
sure the correspondent had been mis-
informed, as it did not seem possible
that the measure could have progress
ed so rapidly.
Senator Tillman told the corre-
spondcnt that he would have been
able to give dele CATION from Char
lesion a hearing before the Senate
committee If anybody had come, and
he thought that there would be an op-
W 90 SO ldlteT.
AS the Senate has passed this bill,
it will now go directly to the House
without waitil g for the House COM
mittee to act On the bill introduced
by Mr.. Legare. Advices from Wash
ington indicate that it will be we'll
for opponents Of the measure to act
with more expedition than if one
branch Of Congress had not given its
approval. While it is likely that the
bill can be stopped in the House, the
President could kill it with a veto in
the event of a failure to keep the
House from duplicating the perform
ance of the Senate.
Senator Tillman's explanation of
the passage of the bill by the Senate
sets at rest speculation which was rife
yesterday as TO how the bill was per-
mitted TO pass the upper house with
out word of protest in spite of the
aroused here. This explanation, to-
gether with a statement from Presi-
dent Potter of the Carolina, Clinch-
field and Ohio Railroad, indicating
that the building of the bridge would
probably prevent the Clinchfield from
coming to Charleston, was the chief
development of yesterday regarding
the Sottile bridge project, which again
came to the fore as 4 matter of keen
public interest when the announce
ment was made in The Sunday News
that the - had been passed late Sat
urday afternoon by the Senate. The
matter was the subject of general
comment over the passage Of the bill
in the face Of all the opposition which
has been aroused here being eX-
the matter.
While Senator Tillman in his state
mcnt expresses the opinion that no
harm has been done and says that he
will take steps to stop the bill in the
House. the matter had assumed a
sufficiently serious aspect to cause
Mayor Grace to leave Charleston for
Washington yesterday afternoon for
the purpose Of using his personal cr-
forts to defeat the ends Of the bridge
promoters.
ArpTStpI for Shhptiuo \Inlh