Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-03-18
FIGHT AGAINST TIlLMAN
Story Of How South Carolina Senator
Lost Place on Appropriations.

today denied the craftsmanship Of the
appropriations committee Of the sem
| ate. .aI.Hg- tsG Ets.sT III a
A Democratic steering committee,
composed Of nine Of his colleagues,
who have been sweating behind closed
doors over the disposition Of Senator
Tillman's committee chairmanship,
decided late this afternoon to set aside
/ the picturesque and militant figure
from South Carolina.
The committee ignored the rule Of
seniority and. conferred the chairman
ship on Senator Thomas r. Martin Of
/ Virginia, who is third In rank in the
Democratic membership Of that i'm
portant committee. The steering COM
mittee will recommend to the Demo-
1 cratic party conference, which has
been called to meet tomorrow MORN
ing, that Senator Tillman be made
chairman Of the committee on naval
affairs. $ {tA
| Declined to Retire Voluntarily.
Senator Tillman. has persistently re-.
fused to accede to the wishes Of the
Isteering committee 8 and voluntarily
retire from the race for the chairman
4 ship of the appropriations comm .ttee.
liRepeatedly the committee has voted
either to give him the chairmanshtp
or to deny him the honor. and then,
Jreconsidered its action. and the dis
1cussion has been renewed. g5
Senator Tillman learned tonight
that his party colleagues had cast him
aside and Immediately announced that
he would appeal from their decision
to the Democratic conference tomor-
4 row. II the conference adopts the,
4 Recommendation of the steering COM
mittee the senator from south caro-
4 lima will carry the fight to the moor
of the senate and the country probably
d will be treated to one OF the most pa
i thetic internal conflicts that the SEM
ate has known In Its history. n rysi
4 Although enfeebled from Ions H.
hess and. advanced in years, the sem
ator from South Carolina, Is still I'M
bued with the fighting spirit that has
4 made his name known from one end
Il of the country to the other. He served
i notice tonight that although heffIis
feeling the weight OF years, ne will
make the fight OF his life to Midicate
himself before the senate AMI the
country. ~ LyIt sie ~ 4D,ssF
~ Hard Hit BY Decision. 1i-
i Learning early today what the. prob
able action Of the steering committee
would be, Mr.. Tillman set about pre-
! pairing a statement which he VIII
make. to his party conference tomor-
j row. i tfr .
Il Mr.. T1ilman reels keeniy Inc dS-
ton that was taken by his party col
leagues. Originally the explanation
made to him when 1t was first pro-,
J, posed to him that he abdicate his
place at the head Of the majority OF
the appropriations committee In favor
i of Senator Martin, was that his health
was not such as to permit him to un-
dertake the extraordinary work neces-
sary to handle the great supply bills
Before the contest ended personal
tiles were injected into II, and today
Senator Hoke Smith Of Georgia, who,
is a member Of the steering commit
tee, made a personal matter OF the
light against Mr.. Tillman by reading
la peppery interview that the South
lCarolina senator gave out on We'd
lnesday night to an Atlanta newspaper.
In this interview Mr.. Tillman charged
that Senator Smith had betrayed
Senator Bacon Of Georgia I'm the lat,
ter's fight for reelection as president
pro tenn. Of the senate.
| Yesterday, when Senator Smith
learned that Mr.. Tillnan had given
such an interview he called on the
South Carolina senator and upbraided
him for 1t. Mr.. Tillman was not In a;
conciliatory mood and sharply told
Senator Smith he stood by every word
in the interview. Il .,1gd,., a,,s
'JlIng Smith Seeks Vindication. - saff
Senator Smith waited for the arri-l
4 val of the Atlanta newspaper and to-
day marched in to the steering COM
mittee with q copy Of It. After the tn-l
terview was read to the steering COM
mittee any chance that Mr. Tiliman
Imay have had Of becoming chairman
disappeared. Senator Smith demand
ed vindication at the hands OF his col
leagues In the steering committee by
4 the setting aside Of Tillman.. ,.,sg.5,.fY
II was learned today that Senator
Tillman resented the defeat Of Sena-
tor Bacon for president pro tenn. In q
lspeech he made before the Democratic
conference on the day that Senator
Clark of Arkansas defeated Mr.. Ba-
con for reelection. Senator Tillman
read the riot act Of his party coll
! leagues, declaring that selfish ambi-
Il ton was at the bottom Of the fight on
the older Democratic senators and
N shaking his finger at Senator Hoke,
! Smith, he told that statesman that
he would have hard time explaining
to the people of Georgia that he had
mot contributed to the defeat and hui
initiation of his colleague. ssG as3A
It Is understood, that Senator Bac
con shares the resentment expressed
by Mr.. Tillman toward Senator Smith,
although he has not been as free In,
expressing his opinion in the matter.
i q Health No Longer the EXCUSE. 3
It was evident toward the end OF
the long conflict in the steering COM
!, mittee late this afternoon that the
members Of the committee were no
!, longer even pretending to be in1u-
!, lenced by considerations for Senator
Tillman's health. The senator from
South, Carolina has insisted all along
that the expressions Of sympathy
lwere a mere pretext to cover the am
bition of Senator Martin, who was
member of the steering committee to
lobtain a cha.rmanship to which Sem
ator Tillman was entitled by rank.
"As an evidence that this plea OF
sympathy for me was q sham and a
lpretext to mask a sordid ambition,
said Senator Tfllman today, "is proved
by the fact that 1t never occurred to
these gentlemen that the disappoint-
ment and humiliation they were in
flicting on me by denying me what 1
i was entitled to, might have more
serious effect on my health than any
work that might deyolve on me as
chairman Of the appropriations COM
lred to them that the work Of the COM
Imittee on naval affairs which Is also
very trying might be equally burden
some and a menace to my health.
mo; the simple truth is that Senator
Martin wanted a place I was en-
titled to. AS member, of the steer
ling committee, which held my COM
mittee assignment at its disposal, he
busted himself to promote his own
personal interests at my expense, and
the other members Of the committee
dickered and traded with him to Sc
cure recognition for themselves at
the head Of important committees"
Senator Tillman's fight has, been
picturesque. When he found he was
to be sacrificed by his party col
leagues he appealed personally to
President Wilson, William ]. Bryan
and William G.. McAdoo. He feels
keenly disappointed that some effort
was not put forward by the admins
tration to affect the efforts Of those
who were planning his downfall.
The senator has letter from Pres
lident Wilson which will be read In
the Democratic conference tomorrow