The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-01-28

social and economic life. Both at
home and in Washington they had
brought forth distinguished leaders
in public life, who had impressed
themselves and their opinions deeply
upon the history of the country and
made South Carolina a power to be
reckoned with throughout the eigh-
teenth and nineteenth centuries.
Whatever their mistakes may have
been, however extreme their views,
they had been remarkable for ability,
courage, and force displayed not on
ly by individuals but by families,
whose names and achievements were
familiar to all the pepole of the Uni
ted States. They had retained their
power after the Civil War as it had
existed before the great conflict
which they had done so much to lead
and provoke. Then, as the century
closed, they were suddenly over
whelmed and defeated by the forces
which rallied behind Senator Till
man.
To the mass of the American peo-
pie who did not fully realize the
deeper significance of Senator Till
mans victory he was known as the
author of the dispensary laws, and
his methods of discussion, his "pitch-
fork" and his reckless frankness in
the use of language Of which he had
ample command, had made him a
picturesque figure and greatly ex-
cited public curiosity as to his activi-
ties when he reached, the, Senate. It
was for the most part by no means
either friendly or a sympathetic
curiosity, but it was both vivid and
strong, for it was understood that he
intended to revolutionize the Senate,
as he had already revolutionized
South Carolina.
Senator Tillman was neither the
first nor the last who has come to
the Senate with such a purpose as
that attributed to him, and anyone
who has studied the history or watch
ed the movements of the Senate for
number of years knows what has
happened to those who have come in
from another field determined to
change the Senate and overrun it's
ways and methods. The first fact
they discover is that the Senate takes
a local or State reputation very calm
ly and is apt to remain undazzled by
its beams. Power and reputation in
the Senate must be acquired in the
Senate itself. The Senate as a body
is very tolerant and generous. There
is more personal good feeling, less
personal animosity, a more complete
desire to be considered with each
other, and a greater loyalty to the
Senate itself and it's traditions than
in any other legislative body in the
world. But on one point the Senate
is firm. 1t declines to be bored. It's
method of declination may not be
obvious but it is highly effective. The
men who have come here proclaim
ing their intention of revolutionizing
and reforming the Senate have fallen
in practice into two classes-those
who insisted on continuing to attack
the Senate and all it's habits and me-
thods and those who sooner or later,
generally sooner than later, accept
ed the Senate traditions and ways
of life. The former, very few in
number, became bores and found
themselves unheard and without in
fluence and have been forgotten. The
latter have been successful and often
distinguished Senators, influential
and effective. 1t is needless to say
that Senator 'Tillman belonged pre-
eminently to the second class. He
never bored anyone. However widely
one might disagree with him he was