The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, March 13, 1913, Image 5
WHAT TILLMAN SAYS
?
SENATOR'S SPEECH AT DEMOCRATIC
CAUAUS
PLEADS FOR FAIR PLAY
Senator Tillman Said He Had Not
Changed, llut Was the SaRRie DemV
v.
ocrat Now that He Was When He
Went to the Senate Eighteen Years
Ago.
In expressing a preference for th?
chairmanship of the Senate committee
on appropriations, at the opening
session of the caucus of Democratic
Senators, on Wednesday, Senator D.
It. Tillman delivered an address before
ills party colleagues which will,
no doubt, he read with interest by
the people of Soutli Carolina.
In his address Senator Tillman reviewed
his course in the Senate, laid
great stress on the manner of liis reception,
in December, 1895, by the
other members of that body and their
opinions concerning him.
"I was shunned by many as a
4Wild man from Borneo' and my utterances
were not considered worth
gerfous notice or thought," said the
Senator, who further declared that
he had not changed, but was the
same Democrat now as then and
many by whom at that time he "was
almost regarded as an anarchist" had
"caught up" with him and "are now
leading the procession or trying to do
so."
In reference to the chairmanship
.on appropriations, to which he feels
himself entitled, Senator Tillman ex pressed
confidence in his ability to
discharge the duties of the position
and at the same time serve the country
by helping President Wilson's
administration carry out its policies,
especially that of economy. The
complete address of Senator Tillman
follows:
^ Senator Tillman's Address.
4 Mr. Chairman: I have been in the
Senate eighteen years, and have just
been sworn in for a fourth term, as
. all here know. In all these years, I
have seen a great many changes in
the Senate and have learned much
about public affairs.
When 1 came here in December,
1 895, Cleveland was President and a
"Gold Hug". Stewart, of Nevada,
held the balance of power between
the Republicans and Democrats. Being
a silver Republican, he was a rantankerous
Democrat on that subject,
and that alone. He voted with the
RenNuhlimns on most, other issues.
Bryfj?hism or the "silver craze", as
they called it, was in very great disrepute
among a certain sort of Democrats.
In 1890 Bryan was defeated, as ]
have always believed by corrupt use
of money. Again he was defeated in
1 900, and in 1908. I always supported
and worked for him becauso
I thought he was right, and it is a
great satisfaction and gratification to
me to see that he has at last, by
steadfastness and bravery won the.
confidence of the American people
to such an extent that he dominated
the Democratic Convention in Baltimore
and is now Secretary of State.
I believe, but for his influence and
management at that Convention,
Woodrow Wilson could not possibly
.have been nominated; and if Woodrow
Wilson had not been nominated,
it is very doubtful whether Democracy
would have won the last election.
When I came to Washington, I
was so ultra and radical in my feelings
and utterances, that I was hardly
tolerated 'by some men. I was
shunhed by many as a "wild man
from Borneo" and my utterances
were not considered worth serious
notice or thought. I was almost regarded
as an anarchist. The people
have caught up, and some of those
wlto wero then lagging behind and
pulling back, are now leading the
procession or trying to do so. I have
seen myself dubbed a "reactionary",
?.im?r>unr that, mav be: while it is
now fashionable to be "progressive",
whatever that may be. I have not
changed at all; I am simply a Democrat
still as I have always been, and
believe religiously in the principles
of Democracy as enunciated at Haltimore.
Ilad I been well, I would
have had a prominent place in that
picture as I have had in so many
previous National Democratic Conventions.
Realizes Physical Infirmities.
Put, alas! my hold on life is nearly
spent and physical weakness compels
me to husband what little strength T
have remaining. However willing I
may be, prudence compels more care
about the work I undertake and cautiofyaganist
overburdening myself or
making speeches.
In 189f>, Arthur Pue Gorman was
the leader in the Senate on the Democratic
side, And he and Senator
Cockrell largely determined the committee
assignments. Neither one of
these men is here now. Democrats
In the Senate dwindled until they became
one-third of the body, and that
mirority had so little leadership and
wab handled with so little discipline
that the Republicans had full sway
and perpetrated very many Infamies
on the American people and robberies
which would have .been prevented
by good leadership and dis%
cipline. I have never known a. time
since I have been a member of the
Senate when some Democrat could
not be relied on by the Republicans
to vote with them in an emergency.
Often they got two or three. Prom
whatever motive these men acted the
result was the same: Democratic defeat
and Democratic disgrace. We
were a headless, tailless and spineless
aggregation of politicians, each
working seemingly to have his own
way and looking out for himself
without regard to the party. There
were always men who were willing
to submit to the rule of the majority,
although that was a fundamental
Democratic principle. There has
been no real leader in the Senate on
the Democratic side since my entry
into it. Bailey had the ability and
knowledge of public matters, but his
infirmities of temper and lack of tact
made his leadership unthinkable to
some men. Then envy and jealousy
were at work. Finally In one caucus
we did pass a resolution to make it a
party law that a two-thirds vote carried
with it an obligation on the part
of any man who claimed to be a Democrat
to obey and vote accordingly,
unless it involved his construction of
the Constitution or was against his
pledges to his own constituents.
Urges Adherence to Rule.
This is my recollection of it and
the resolution ought to be somewhere
if we have any archives or records.
I am only giving its substance as I
recollect it. I have always believed,
and believe now, that this rule ought
to be religiously observed and enforced.
Let the party show to the
country that it means business. (Men
who are not for us are against us,
and the sooner we know it, the better
for all concerned.
Leadership in the Senate can not
come by primary election or from a
vote of its members; it must be won
on the floor, and the man who aspires
to such leadership must demonstrate
his capacity as a debater, his foresight
and acumen as a leader, his
geneneralshlp as a manager, and his
capacity to enlist the ardent support
of his fellow Senators.
Napoleon Honaparte, the greatest
military genius of modern times,
said "An army of sheep commanded
by a lion is better than an army o-f
lions commanded by a sheep." The
time has come in the history of our
party when we must show whether
we are capable of governing the
country or not. I believe we have
the right President, ,but his administration
will prove a failure if Congress
does not back him up properly.
The complexion and work of the
committees of this body and the other
will determine whether his Administration
will be a success and
the party able to run the government
successfully. I do not believe in any
one man being allowed to name the
committees or place men on them.
It ought to be done by those who
have had some experience and opportunity
to judge of the special fitness
qualifications, and aptitude of his
colleagues. It ought to bo done in
a way to obtain the best results for
the success of the party, and not to
gratify men's ambitions and help
them get places on special committees
because they will get more prestige
at home. Work and loyalty t#
the party must govern. What we
need is "team work" to use a football
phrase, and discipline. Above
all we need a steering committee that
will direct the Democratic majority
or indicate to it how Democrats
ought to vote. Individual opinions
and wishes must disappear from
among us until wo get a larger majority.
It will depend on how we do
the work for the country and conduct
the Government whether our
majority shall increase or disappear
altogether. Democracy has been given
an opportunity after more that fff*
*r wnoi.o <-?f ovlln nnd eh nil Id it fail
ksj jrv;ai o VI v.Aiiv, ?v.. v. , w. ? ?
to como up to expectations of the
people, some other party will ,be given
control of the Government,
ltulo of Seniority.
Almost from the foundation of the
Government the rule of seniority has
obtained in the Senate and House.
There are some good things about it
and some bad. Length of service in
the Senate gives experience and
knowledge of public a.ffairs which
new men ca not be expected to have.
Hut because a man has been here a
long time it does not entitle him to
a chairmanship, unless he is able to
fill it acceptably to the Senate itself
and do good work for the party.
If a man is a failure as chairman of
an important committee and cannot
explain and defend its bills on the
floor of the Senate itself, ho is a
failure and ought to be demoted. If
he is not loyal to the President and
to the platform ho ought to be demoted.
I have felt that the committee on
appropriations would he too much of
a burden for me to carry. I feel
that I can best serve my country
what little time I have left ,by serving
President Wilson's administration
and 1 want to occupy in the Senate
a place to accomplish that.
Of course, I do not know what will
be the action of this caucus as to
how chairmanships shall be assigned
?whether the chairman of the caucus
shall name all the committee
chairmen in their order, as his judgment
dictates, or whether he shall be
assisted in that work by men selected
by the caucus?a committee on
committees as it were. If we had
^>een together longer and knew each
other better, or if the selection of
th membership of the committees
could be deferred until some time
later, until the newer men had had
an opportunity to get acquainted with
_I
' BACON IS TURNED DOWN
)
1
' SENATOR (MRK IS CHOSEN \
PRESIDENT PRO TEM.
I
Action Occasions Great Surprise, Supporters
of Georgia Senator Charging
Unfair Treatment.
After spending the greater part of
Friday in caucus, the Democratic
Senators succeeded in agreeing upon
candidates to fill only three of the
five offices of that body. These were
Senator James P. Clarke, of Arkansas,
to succeed Senator Gallinger, of
New Hampshire, Republican, as president
pro tem of the Senate; the Rev.
E. J. Prettyman, of the District of
Columbia, to succeed the Rev. U. G.
B. Pierce, as chaplain, and Charles
P. Higgins, a real estate dealer of
St Bonis to succeed E. Livingstone
"" " I, ?
Cornelius, us sergeant-at-arms.
.Senator Clarke was elected by a
vote of 2 7 to 14 over Senator Bacon,
of Georgia, who alternated with Senator
Galhnger in the oflice of president
protem throughout the last session
and whose election had .been
considered practically a certainty
since the' Democrats gained control.
Senator Clarke was placed in nomination
by Senator O'Gorman, of New
York, and Senator Bacon by his colleague,
Senator Hoke Smith, of Georgia.
Ik)th were eulogized by their
champions. Other Senators seconded
the nominations.
Mentioning the fact that Mr.
Clarke's term would expire in the
next two years, his supporters made
an appeal for his election on the
ground that it wcmld be of assistance
to him in his race for re-election.
They also urged the fact that Senator
Bacon was in line for the championship
of the Committee on foreign
relations as a reason why he should
not be elected to preside over the
Senate.
The result of the election caused
considerable stir, the friends of Senator
Bacon feeling that he had not
been fairly treated.
At the afternoon session Senator
Smith tendered his resignation as a
member of the steering committee, to
which he had been appointed only
Thursday. iMr. Smith, who had been
especially zealous in his support of
Senator Bacon, said he felt his colleague
had been made to suffer on his
account. He was induced to withdraw
the resignation later, but not
until there had been a general discussion
of the &fffclr.
Senator Bacon himself said he had
been unprepared for the defeat because
he had not known there was
any other applicant for the ofTlce.
He added that if he had been informed
that any other person desired the
honor he would have withdrawn
from the race.
Senator Tillman spoke at some
length, charging Mr. Bacon's defeat
to the intemperate desire on the part
of some Senators to do away with
the /established customs of the Senate
by retiring the older men in the
interest of the new. He found in Senator
Bacon the first victim of the
modern crusade and uttered a warning
against proceeding too far along
this line.
the older ones and learn of each other,
undoubtedly we couM organize a
better working Senate as fir as Democrats
are concerned than we have
had since I have been in it.
If I am given the chairmanship of
the committee on annronriations. to
which I am entitled under all the
rules heretofore governing in this
body and the custom of almost a
century, I would request the right to
name at least two of the new men
who have just come in to he on that
committee to aid me in the heavy
work that would be imposed on me.
1 would have the advice and aid of
the men already on the committee
who are familiar with its work and
upon whom I could 'rely also to
assist; and by .being permitted to
designate the Senator who should
take an appropriation bill on the
floor and handle it, I feel that I
could discharge its duties acceptably,
unless my health grows much worse
than it is now. Without this help I
believe I would break down. My
duty to myself and to my family
comes before any and all things else.
I shay, of course, if made chairman
of the committee on appropriations,
drop down on the other important
committees of which I am a
member, naval affairs, and I want to
get off of the interstate committee
altogether.
Where Economy Should Begin.
I think we ought, to set about devising
ways and means to economize
wherever it is possible. The party
has come into power after long years
of exile under the banner of reform
and reduction of expenditures. The
people expect it of us, and there are
many ways in which expenditures can
be reduced. 'But senators and Congressmen
should set about this important
work by beginning with
themselves.
I have a messenger on the present
little committee I have which never
meets or has any business before it.
I do not remember in all the years I
have been its chairman since 1905
that it has never had a single bill to
consider. My correspondence is very
heavy and both of my stenographers
are kept busy. I could get along,
without the messenger and the Re-'
publican who gets this committee
\
KU1WN TO AI OIKS
! *
THREE HUNDRED TONS DYNAMITE
EXPLOEES
BEING LOADED ON SHIP
?
The Countryside for Miles Around
Felt the Mighty Hlast, and Tall
Buildings in the City of Baltimore
Were ltocked as if by a Great
Earthquake.
It is believed that at least fifty
men have been killed and an equal
number injured by the explosion of
3 00 tons or more of dynamite that
was being transferred to the steamer
Alum Chine in the lower Baltimore
harbor Friday morning.
Many of the victims were members
of crews of vessels that were anchored
near the Chine when the dynamite
intended for use in the Panama canal
zone let go.
Up to mid-afternoon it had been
possible to make up a definite death
list. Of the victims four belonged to
the crew of the Alum Chine and
three were on board the United
States naval collier Jason. Twentynine
other men on the collier atfO
the greater part of the crew of the
Alum Chine were injured.
The Jason was about 700 feet
away at the time. She had just been
completed by the Maryland Steel
Company and was soon to have had
her government trial trip.
Six of the crew of the tug Atlantic
lying alongside the Alum Chine were
killed and the tug practically destroyed.
The latest reports place Hie
number of dead at twenty and the
injured at forty.
Of the latter, ten of the Jason's
people are said to be fatally hurt.
Forty stevedores are unaccounted
for. If they were on the steamer It
is considered certain that they perished.
The tremendous explosion shook
the country for miles around. Windows
were broken and chimneys
knocked off houses a dozen or more
miles from the scene of the disaster.
At Sparrows Point a school house
was partly destroyed and several
children hurt.
Baltimore was shaken as if by an
earthquake. Tall buildings in the
center of the city were rocked by
the shock.
Scores of vessels hurried to the
explosion scene. Floating bodies
were drawn from the wreckage and
some of the injured were rescued
from the debris. Thirty or more
badly hurt men were brought to Baltimore
hospitals.
The Alum Chine had been at Balti
more since March 1 and was finishing
the loading of a cargo of high
explosives for the Panama canal. Friday
morning a lighter with four railroad
cars was towed to the vessel's
side and the task of loading was expected
to be finished in a few hours.
Nearby were the tug Atlantic and
several haunches. Suddenly a puff of
smoke came from the Alum Chine's
hold. One of the crew noticed it and
appreciating the imminent danger
i an screaming to the dock, followed
by as many men as had time to escape.
Right alongside the Alum Chine
was the launch Jerome, into which
leaped fourteen of the British boat's
crew. The men on the lighter made
effort to escape. The captain of the
tug Atlantic was too far away to render
any assistance and too close to
escape its coming doom. When the
fleeing launch was 200 feet from the
Alum Chine the explosion came.
There was a deafening roar as the
explosive let go. Columns of flames
shot out from every portion of the
vessel and the air was filled with
flying debris. Fragments of machinery
and portions of the hull of the
boat weighing tons were shot hundreds
of feet into the air.
Young Woman's Ilody Pound.
Mrs. Katherino Godfrey a young
widow, was found murdered early
Thursday in her flat in New York.
Her head and face had been horribly
battered, presumably with a club.
The police attributo the crime to
gangsters.
?
Many Offices to Pill.
To President Wilson will fall the
task of filling over 1,4 00 places made
vacant by the refusal of the Senate to
confirm appointments by President
Taft since December 2.
should do likewise.
An examination of the svstem
which obtained when I came to the
Senate will show how the number of
employees has increased. I know it
is very difficult to have friends clamoring
for places and then vote to cut
out the number of positions, but we
ought to he honest with the people
and not give them lip service. Wo
ought not to preach economy unless
we are willing to practice it, and
not make others practice it unless we
practice it ourselves.
I have thought it worth while to
say this much at the opening of this
caucus and, being one of the three
oldest Democrats in service in the
Senate, I hope my motives will not be
misunderstood or my purpose misconstrued.
VETERANS ATTENTION
CAME VERY NEAR BEING IIELI)
UP BY THE VETO.
Had Not the Bill Been Parsed Over
the Governor's Veto the Veterans
Would Have Lost.
The Spartanburg Journal says if
section forty of the State appropriation
bill, vetoed by Governor Blease,
had not been passed over his veto
the veterans of South Carolina could
not have received any pensions this
year and the interest on the State
bonds could not have been paid. Subsequently,
however, the bill was passed
over the veto, but the matter is
not entirely cleared up yet. The
section follows:
"That in anticipation of the taxes
hereinbefore levied, the governor
and the State treasurer and the
comptroller general be, and they are
hereby empowered to borrow on
credit of the State so much money
f ??/a time i r~\ t Smn 00 ni o t?
ii win iiiuv iv i i nic an maj w\ n* vavvi
to meet promptly at maturity the interest
which will mature on the first
day of July and on the first day of
January of each year on the valid
debt of the State and to pay the current
expenses of the State government
for tho present fiscal year and
for pensions; provided, the sum so
borrowed shall not exceed the sum
of $000,000."
Governor Blease vetoed this bill
and then sent a special message making
known his intention of refusing
to sign the notes jointly with the
comptroller general and the State
treasurer. The act does not say a
majority must sign the notes, but
says that all three must sign them.
And hence if the Governor makes
good his word, not to sign these notes
with the Treasurer and the Comptroller
General, it will not be possible
for the veterans to get any
money or for the interest on tho
bonds and would possibly make the
sale of future bonds mofo difficult.
The Governor gave no reason for
his opposition to the bill. Tt was vetoed
so late in the session that it
could not have been amended and had
to either be accepted or rejected.
The bill was accepted by two-thirds
of both the House and Senate and rejected
by the Governor.
If the Governor consents to sign
1 ? ? ? ? ? A ? ? .11 1? i /-? r I ^ m/\r? n?? m/-vm #"? ti 11
I I113SC IIOIBS W ll.ll 111l i canuiui unit
the Comptroller General, the veterans
will get their pensions as usual
this year and interest on the bonds
will be paid. Otherwise, and Mr.
rillease has said he would not sign the
joint notes, there will be no pensions
this year.
?
BATTLE MONUMENTS DAMAGED.
?
Memorials on Gettysburg Field Soarred
by Unknown Vandal.
Eight monuments on the Gettysburg
battle field were badly damaged
Thursday night by a vandal, who evidently
used a heavy hammer for his
destructive work. The monuments
which suffered were the Fifth corps
headquarters, Forty-ninth and Ninety-Sixth
Pennsylvania, Fortieth New
York, Grant's Vermont brigade, Sixth
Maine, Fifth Wisconsin and Thirtyseventh
Massachusetts. Large pieces
of granite were chipped off prominent
parts of all the memorials, while in
several instances parts of the faces
of soldiers were knocked off, guns
mashed and parts of bodies broken.
It is believed the work was done by
some one disappointed in seeking employment
in the national park.
HOLDERS TORTURE WOMAN.
Tried to Make ller Tell Where Her
Money Was Hidden.
At New York robbers tortured Mrs.
Harry Jacobs, wife of a postal clerk,
by binding and gagying her Thursday
night, and in her presence offered
a sixteen-months-old baby a slice
of bread spread with poison, because
she would not reveal where she kept
*- - ? ? ? ,v t rv e\ of Al*\f
nor money, uuuuiuiiiK iv/ i,itvj ov_v/1 j
she told the police. "Nod your head,
if you will tell us," one of the trio
said to Mrs. Jacobs, as he held the
broad out to the child. Tho baby
knocked it to the floor. They repeated
tho offer and the baby again refused
the poison. Abandoning this
effort tho men searched the apartments.
A pocketbook containing $28
was stolen.
?
Fell Seventeen Stories.
John rirunnon, a marble worker,
fell from the seventeenth floor of the
municipal building at New York City
to tho bottom of an elevator shaft on
Tuesday and treated his experience
so lightly that those who Ian to his
aid found him rolling a cigarette and
casually inquiring if an ambulance
could be summoned. iRrunnon was
saved from being dashed to pieces
because he landed on a bundle of
empty bags, lie suffered fractures of
the leg bones and a slight scalp
wound, hut will recover.
?
Seized Under Webb Uaw.
At T^awton, Okla., under the authority
of the Webb law prohibiting
wholesale liquor shipments into
"dry" states, officers confiscated 43
cases of whiskey and 16 casks of
beer which had been shipped to local
dealers by firms in Port Worth, Tex.,
and Kansas City, Mo. The consignment
was found at the depot.
' M
GIVES HIS VIEWS
, ? ?
SENATOR TILLMAN STANDS DP
FOR RIS RlfiHTC
a w uaw aaauu V
FIRST CAUCUS IS HELD
>
TIi? Senior Senator Declares Himself
Kntitlod to the Chairmanship of the.
Appropriation Committee by the
Rules and Custom of the Senate
and He Should Have It.
When tho Democrats of the new
Senate met in caucus Wednesday to
elect a chairman, there was no opposition
to Senator John W. Kern of
Indiana as the new leader. Senator
Martin of Virginia, retiring Democratic
leader, declared a few days
ago he was glad to lay down the responsibilities
of his oflice.
The retirement of Senator Martin
and the candidacy of Senator Kern
end a long struggle for control of the
Senate of the Sixty-third congress between
tho so-called progressive Democrats
and the old conservatives. It
was generally understood there
would be no move to disturb the old
tenners in uieir comimuee assignments.
Immediately after the caucus assembled,
Mr. Kern was unanimously
chosen by acclamation. Senator Newlaiuls
of Nevada was chosen vicechairman,
and Senator Saulsbury of
Delaware, one of the newly elected
members of the body, was named as
secretary of the caucus.
The caucus took up committee assignments.
The caucus authorized
Senator Kern to appoint a committee
of nine to devise a plan for the reorganization
of the Senate committtoes,
with the understanding that he
should present his list to the caucus
at a meeting later.
Senator Tillman made a statement
reviewing his political course since
his entry into the Senate, explaining
his views as to the principles of Senate
organization, arguing for the
basis of seniority, and expressing his
personal preference for the chairmanship
of the committee on appropriations,
to which, he said, he was entitled
under all the rules heretofore
governing and the custom of almost a
century.
In addition to the portion of his
remarks which ho made public, covering
four closely spaced typewritten
naees. it was understood that
Senator Tillman told the caucus ho
had consulted with President Wilson
as to the chairmanship that he should
choose, and that Mr. Wilson had urged
him to select appropriations.
The statement also contained a
strongly eulogistic reference to Mr.
Bryan, now Secretary of State, and
to tho Senator's friendship for him
through thick and thin. Senator
Tillman said President Wilson was
heartily in favor of rigid economy,
and that he was ready to back him in
it. He was given close attention.
When it was suggested that Chairman
Kern select the steering committee,
subject to approval of the
caucus, Senator Ashurst, of Arizona;
Senator Owen of Oklahoma, and others
objected, declaring that in their
fight for the reorganization of the
Senate they had been contending for
a principle and that they hail understood
that tho steering committee
was to be elected outright by the
caucus.
They declared that to let Senator
Kern name the committee would be
continuing the samo system that
prevailed when Senator Martin was
chairman.
By a vote of 18 to 31, or thereabout,
the protest of the insurgent
progressive* overruled. There is a
protest of some live Progressive
bucking against the Kern "harmony
program" beforo the matters are settled.
?
ATTACKED BY EAGLES.
?
Goatherd Tiifted Thirty Feet in the
Air by Birds.
A letter from Koine to the London
Express says a goatherd named Giovanni
Sanni narrowly escaped being
kidnaped by two eagles while tending
his flock in the Asta valley. Despite
his resistance, the eagles, which
swooped down on the astonished
goatherd, lifted him in the air for a
height of thirty feet. Then startled
by the cries of their victim the eagles
released their hold. Another goatherd
found tho injured man lying unconscious
in a fleld. He is now in a
hospital, in a soml-insano condition,
and suffering from severe lacerations
on the head and shoulders by the
talo*s of the eagles, as well as from
a fractured leg.
?
Voted Against Governor's Veto.
Hon. Georgo R. Rembert, the governor's
floor leader In the House,
voted against the governor's veto of
most of the items of the appropriation
bill and in some cases he expressed
his stand most strenuously.
Yjived in This State.
David Francis Houston, Secretary
of Agriculture in President Wilson's
Cabinet, is a native South Carolinian
and a graduate of the State University.
*
\ .