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m S r-V pr - V Brf.&?init No 48. LEXINGTON, S. C.. WEDNESDAY, AUG. 7 1918. No. 41. ? TWELVE HUNDRI HEAR CAI : Aspirants for Congress Make Sti Lever the Favorites, Both Dr 111^ While McLeod and B Splendid R gage . "Twelve hundred people, including ^ Fipard the I xnany woiiieu auu kuuvuvU. ^ I the candidates for congress speak or ( the court house square yesterday afj|||r ternoon. It was a representatve augjs <dienee, every section of the county heinar represented, while there were many Columbians present. Hon. p. ! Georgre Bell Timmerman received an ovation, as did also Congressman LeWhile it was evident that ' l>oth of the Lexington county can"didates* had many friends present. I M 3dr. Thos. G. McLeod, of Bishopville - ;and Mr. Thos. F, Brantley of Or-i angeburg, received splendid recep-; tions and both were grenerously apBgp: plauded, especially when they made strong: and telling thrusts at the rec-1 a / ord of Mr. Lever/ The audience was a little surprised j||| in that Mr. Lever failed to answer a; jpr. great many of the charges brought | by his opponents. Mr. iLever ex|fo -plained at the outset, however, that ' SjL- ie had only 30 minutes against 90. ^and this probably was his reason fo?< i |t not attempting to make many ansg The meeting was held in the after- j gjpnoon. all of the morning hour having I &een consumed by the candidates fdi S&i ifche Unifced States Senate. MM- jbdge C. M. Efird, democratic j county chairman presided. He was ! HB&hsidutely fair and impartial, toward if^alT-of the speakers, who were given I y&O minutes each. K- Mr. Tho>. G. McLeod. I gjMr. Thos. G. McLeod* of Bishop- j pNqife-. was Hie first candidate to speak I Me was glad to have the pleasure of H : Appearing before such a splendid aum dience c? Lexington county citizens. as a stranger to most of j V- the people, but Lexington people are j g fair, just and honest, and believe ir j ^'/giving every man a square deal."God: E/ "help us when the day comes when anv! Egf,: free American citizen cannot offer r- for public office without having to ex Klf-. ' ??lain why he entered the race," said' f; McLeod. We are in this war. hej i. because it is a righteous war. re Mr. McLeod paid a beautiful; >ute to the late Bob Purdy. son of j tee R. 0. iPurdy of Sumter, who yf a few days ago paid the supreme rifice with his life on the battleds of France. ' He declared that greatest resource we have is pure erican citizenship. This world ping to be a vastlv better place to after the war. or the ship of ;e will drift into the sea autocraDirecting his remarks to Con>sman Lever. Mr. McLeod said : he had never nursed any am. Dn to run for Congress; but Mr. er. after 16 years service, threw his .iob and entered the race for Senate against Senator Tillman, decared that he then entered the i in good faith and had no c.poloto make. At the Columbia meet it was stated that McCIeod had 1 beat out of his boots when he for Governor a few years. He come out third, running next to ;herstone. e had always been behind the irnment because we are fighting a righteous cause. Mr. McLeod that he was not going to. discuss Lever personally, but that he was g to talk about the record Lever wrrit+on nnH made. Lever Ijf* tad a perfect rierht to enter the senatorial race. Lever in doine so. said |fe, that he was coiner to make speeches on every stump in the 45 counties. Who circulated the report that SenaHg, twr'Tillman was an embecile? asked \3jfc. McLeod. Mr. Lever claims that it "was patriotism?self-sacrificine pa triotism?which caused him to enter gr. " 'V- fche senatorial race. He doubted it. |p?j 3dr McLeod said that he and others jn the race had been accused of beifiZ disloyal, so desperate were the ^Lever following: to crab at straws. Be said that it was the Tillman let jter first published in the Charleston ^jD^grican that caused Lever's with*iiawal from the senatorial race. Mr. lafaer. he said, was ridinc in the sen^orialchariot until senator Tillman's rpitchfork came alone and threw him ,<TOt.Mr. McLeod acain asserted that if "nay of you vote for Timmerman. Brantley or myself instead of Lever you will be called disloyal." "But 7. :D PEOPLE I YDIDATES SPEAKj I ong Addresses?Timmerman and awing Thundrous Applause, rantley Were Given deceptions. have been told." he said, that the ' people of Lexington have bougrht Lib- ' erty bonds, subscribed to the Red i Cross and other war activities, and have sent your boys to the army: and after all. that is tie true test of eren- 1 uine loyalty." said the speaker amid much applause. . "My God, does a man have to be a 1 Senator or Congressman to be loyal?'|: asked the speaker. The boys in kha ki. said he. carryng a gun and placing their breasts to the bullets, fighting for you and I, are dong more toward making the world safe for de- ' mocracy than every member of con- : gress combined, (applause) Mr. McLeod also paid a glowing tribute to the boys behind the counters, in the 1 mills and shops and who are follow- 1 ing the plow, in order to buy bonds, are lust as loyal and true as any mem ber of the American congress. In reply to a question from the audience. Mr. McLeod declared that he would have voted for war and also ' for draft act. and he commended Mr. Lever for his vote. "But," said he. "where Lever went wrong, was when he began to monkey with the free : people of the seventh district." Mr. McLeod ably discussed the cotton sit- ; uation. and also immigration. He believes in America for Americans.Did ' not believe in giving any one m<*n a lifetime job. and thought it was time ' for a change in the seventh districts congressman. "We are going to 3 T-:? cnange nun auriKut sam a rw^c uvm the crowd. "Then let a big: strong 1 man replace him," said Mr. McLeod. ''George Bell is big enough, - for the i place," shouted a man back in the J crowd. In conclusion; Mr. McLeod ' said that whether elected or defeated he would continue to do what he could for the State and the nation 1 and he would have no fault to find. Mr. McLeod sat down amid considerable applause his able address having made a profound impression upon the crowd. . .. Hon. Geo. Bell Timmerman. Hon. Geo. Bell Timmerman was next introduced by Judge Efird. "Come on, George." "Tell 'em about! it," "Take your time, and give it to j him." came from all over the audi, ence. "Mr. Liver told the people in; Orangeburg." began Mr. Timmerman.! "that that was his first opportunity j to meet his opponents face to face, j and that he was there with the gaffs j on. and I told the people of North the j next day that a little Dominicker did! not look good wearng those sort of! things in Orangeburg." Mr. Timmer | man said that when he entered the j race for Congress Mr. Lever was in the race for the senate, but he was net in it long before he ran out. "and he carried upon his political carcass the scars of old Ben Tillman's pitchfork." said Mr. Tinfmerman amid laughter and applause. "No- i body questions the loyatv'of any manj in -his race.' said Mr. Lever at North a week ago. they are all good, loval' and true men, and it gives me pleasure to say so. "He surely told the i God's truth when he said 'nobody'( questioned my loyalty, but I want to j give him an instance when one of i his political oppointees. "Postmaster j General George" did. Then Mr. Tim merman offered to produce a man, if i i anybody challenged the statement, a, Confederate soldier who had fought' bravely in the war between the States! who was willing to say that Postmas- i ter George told him if he didn't vote j for Lever he was against this war. Mr. Timmerman paused and nobodv challenged the statement He said he did not have any officeholders.] or office-seekers running from place; to pace working for him. . Mr. Timmerman then paid his re- j spects to a "Highstepping aristocrat- ] ic?looking" Lt xingtonian who wasj claiming everything fofc\Lever. He' is going around this to^it- whistling, j and telling it that Lever* will get 90 per cent of the votes afv Orangebnr r 3 OOf) vntp<s mi" Sumter county." "God knows if hejrets 3,-1 000 votes in Sumter counts", they will! have to iro down in Clarendon coun-' ty and steal 700 of them because i Sumter voted only 2,300 ballots 2 ' years agro.Mr Timmerman said that 'f'.er the 27th of Auarust there wont ' be any room for whistling. "I do.:': < think so. either. " said a voice in.the crowd. Mr. Timmerman said ?hatl over in Columbia Lever declared that! he. Lever, would step out of coneress j and become a street car motorman if: President Wilson were to ask him to. "I want to tell you that President; Wilson thinks too much of the lives I of the people who ride on street cars | to srive Lever a job of that kind," said the speaker. Mr. Timmerman said that accordne to the record. Mr. Lever did not tell President Wilson the whole truth, in that he had failed to mention the fact that four eood men. loyal and true, were runnine for Coneress in the seventh dis* trict. Challeneed Lever, or any one else, to secure a letter from the Pres: J ? t. 4-1,of Timrmorman ' IUCUI/ Sxa.VIil*i LUC L - eret out of the race, or that McLeod or Brantley should get out of the race. The President had written that no distinction should be made between true and loyal democrats. Lever cannot come now and say that the charmanship of the agricultural committee is so important to the farmers now. Where were the farmers when Lever had the senatorial fever? he asked, Gordon Lee. of Georgia said Mr. Timmerman. would have sue ceeded Lever and what helps the farmers, of Georgia would help the farmers of the South and of South Car-| olina Who of you farmers knew of the change in the chairmanship of J this committee when it fell to Lever about 6 years ago.' Mr. Lever's cot ton futures bill had been declared un j constitutonal by a federal judge: and Mr. Lever's Land bank bill only' gave farmers 3 months in which to make a crop, and the senate had to amend the bill so that the farmer would have 6 months. Mr. LeVer was also charged by the speaker with being negligent in securing the nitrate bill to help farmers, all of j which caused delay in delivery, and; loss to the farmers. Mr. Lever ha; done much good, and I give him cre-J dit for what he has done, said Mr,, j Timmerman. In conclusion, the speaker said Mr. Lever had written to a few friends in Lexington asking! them what his (Lever's) patriotic | dutv was in running for the senate.; A short while afterwards, he said, a! conference was held at the Jefferson! Hotel in Columbia and Mr. Lever an- j nounced for the senate. When ha left that race and re-entered the race j for congress. Mr. Lever announced! that he would stay in Washington in j attendance upon his patriotic duties; ?and would not make any speeches Mr. Timmerman closed with an ear-1 nest promise, if elected, to look af- j ter the interest of the people of the ; entre distrct, of the entire State and I of the naton. and received an ovation. After Mr. Timmerman had concluded a Question was put to him by a man1 I in the audience, who wanted to know; how he stood on the war. As quick as a flash Mr. Timmerman replied: that from the very moment when' Germany had broken her pledge to 3elgium. as Lever had broken his sol emn pledge to Senator Tillman not to oppose him for re-election, he had been in favor of the war. and the answer brought another ovation from the audience, and satisfied the interogatcr. Thos. F. Bi-antley Thos. FfS^rantley, of Orangeburg, the next speaker, said . he favored short terms i:i office, that a new broom sweeps clean, and some peopie hold office so lor.gr that thev think the office belongrs to them and not to the people. "Now. my friends^M.r Le-! ver said Mr. Brantley has erotl\o>^asi. ness beincr in this race." ("Bdykinfc to him," said a voice in the crowd.) . "He is running- against me now.Lever i entered the race for Senate?and quit. Brantley and the other canai-' dates had paid their assessments in ; good faith and thev could not afford to quit. .. He said Lever promised Senator Tillman not to run ar-instj him, but after riding Ben Tillman's coat-tail for 16 years Lever suddenly turned his back on him. Lever was! Governor Manning's candidate and not the administration's at Washing.; ton. When Senator Tillman wrote a! certain letter Lever quit the race, be I cause he knew that Tillman had him beat, and Lever now tries to hide be-. hind President Wilson's legs. Fori 3 years of the war 12 million sol-j diers have been killed, wounded or disabled for life. The congress of the United States appropriated 21 billion dollars for war in one rear, while for 12(1 years 26 billion had been c-pent on all of the wars in which this country had been eneragred. It is an enormous proposition, but we must win. "I would always vote *o back up my country," said Mr. 3 rant ley next went into a discussion BENNIE HARMON WITH THE BARRE CO. j I Mr. Bennie R. Harmon, who has been with the Enterprise Hardware Co. for several years, has severed his connections with that firm and is I now with the Barre Hardware Co. | where he invites his friends to callj on him. Mr. Harmon is one of the I mosts uccessful hardware men in j this section, and he will doubtless, prove a most valuable addition to j The Barre Co. I I MANY CHICKENS KILLED. _ . I Chickens of all sizes and many do. zens of eggs were broken when a ford car. driven by Fred Frazier ran into Mr. W. W. Taylor's ford on Main! street about daylight last Friday morning. Mr. TayloT had a coop of I chickens tied onto the rear of his ma- j chine and had gotten out to see if; they were alright. Mr. Frazier stated he did not know that the car was in front of him until the crash. FIRST OPEN COTTON j We acknowledge receipt of the first open cotton we have seen this! season was brought to this! office by Stobo Hendrix a negro far J mer on Mr. T. L. Harman's place near Lexington. of cotton, the wealth of the South. He favored fixing the price of the staple by legislation or otherwise. The government fixed the price of wheat, why not fix the price of cotton. ! The war board is fixing the price of manufactured product The mills now make about 30 cents profit on every pound of cotton. There is a surplus of 3 million bales now from last year's crop, he said, due to the fact that only about 11 million baled are consumed annualy. Favored put ting Federal monev in good roads. Lever claims to have given up chair manshipof agricultural committee tc run for Senate for patriotic reasons but, in my opinion, Mr. Lever entered the race to satisfy his own person al ambitions. Mr. Brantley declared that he was more interested in cotton ' than anything: else and if elected hd promised to do all he could for the cotton farmers of the south. Congressman Lever. Congressman A. F. Lever, seek-; ing reelection, was received with cor dial applause. He said that he only' had 30 minutes to reply to 90. ("Take your time. Frank" said a friend in J I the audience.) Said he had always beer/ opposed to indiscriminate immi-i gratioTs. and on this he opposed the President's veto. He then branched j off into a discussion of the cotton situation, declaring: that, with only 96 Southern votes, against an overwhelming majority, it was impossible i to get a bill favorable to fixing the! price of cotton to pass. Ke had pig eon-holed two tills in his committee ! and there they would stay as ior.g as he "wr: in Congress. Mr. Lever said j that T:mmer~-r.n tent shaking his for:-:?"l"s rt him and he (Lever) did net PKe in Mr. Lever said that hp and noro many things that the peopio knew noiii'.r.g about. He said had it not ueen ior his efforts the people of this section would not now be able to get flour. Favored in-, creasing: the shipping: facilities as much as possible. Said that Congress was powerless to act in the matter of idleness among negro women?that is a question to be handled by the State laws. He declared that no a.dult woman, white, black, rich red o"J hhie has the moral right to eat idle breS^liAyhen bovs are dying in France 1 Mr. E^fer Jioxt read letters from Champ Cl&rk. great democratic leader. to show That he was looking afte:< his duties in Washington: anyd also a letter from Mr. ^Cfark showing why the nitrate bill was Sent to the committee on appropriations-instead of to the committee on agriculture. Mr. Clarke said that the rules of Congress would not permit the bill to go to Lever's committee first. Mr. Clark said that Mr. Lever had won his present high station in the house by hard intelligent and honest T > J J-to i. i."U ^ enceavor. xur. ijever saiu ui?t uie first cotton futures act had been declared unconstitutional. the court claimed, because it was a tax meas* ; ure. He said he had later gotten | through an exact futures measure ' with a slierht amendment, and nobody : lost anything. I.i conclusion. Mr. Lever said that , none of his oononents had offered a i single reason why he should not be re I turned to Congress, or a single rea:on why thev should b?. Ho was ; v;r.:ur.iy aprlaudeu r.c nc sat uo .vn. 0 COUNTY CAMPAIGN I OPENED SATURDAY! Five Hundred People Hear Candi- j dates for County Offices at Gilbert. The first big guns of the Lexington j county campaign were fired at Gil- j bert on last Saturday, where more! than 500 persons gathered to heari what the various office-seekers had toj say. The meeting was void of the J sensational: the audience being un-1 rl/MViV/^ dr>4- + 'V\ OTP WOC O VldllVliO l/l- V ^ vr uo c* I slight tilt between the two candidates for county auditor, and the two candidats for county treasurer. These incidents however came near the close of the meeting, and afforded the only excitement of the day. The meeting was officially opened by Judge C. M. Efird, democratic county chairman who in address filled with optimism and ringing with the earmarks of Democracy, bespoke for all of the candidates, throughout he entire campaign, a square and iair deal. Judge Efird referred briefly to the great crisis confronting the people, declared that Lexington county was patrotic to the core, and that her people would continue to stand by the government until democ racy reigns supreme throughout the universe. The candidates organized by electing Cyrus L. Shealy, president, and W. D. Dent, secretary.lt was agreed to give the seven candidates for the house 20 minutes each and the candidates for other offices 10 minutes each. D. J. S. Derrick was the first candi date to speak, he stated that he was in the race only after having been solicited by many friends to become a candidate. He did not believe in lone: speeches. It was his purpose to do all in his power to aid the state and national governments in the pre3 ent war. He was no new convert to the principle of loyalty: had been there all the time from the verv moment our government took a hand, hard to be loyal now, but last year The speaker asserted that it was not when there was difference of opinion he was of the same belief. It is th duty of every one to back up the government and support the boys in the trenches. Did not know what he; could do in the legislature, but he hadj practiced economy all through life; and if elected he would see that the j priming knife is applied to all unnec-: essary appropriations. At the sametime there would be no limit to what he could do for the boys in the tren-! ches. Dr. L. E. Dreher, introdzfced next,! made his maiden political speech, it being Dr. Dreners first appearantj^ in politics. He urged his head's at the outset not to vote for any candidate because of personal likes and dis \ likes, but for those candidates repre seating the principles for which the voter stands?for those cand,idaJcesN< representing true principles of genuine democracy. Dr. Dreher declared that the people of* this co.Untv and state will never be-- able to release themselves from the clutches of the present high taxes until the voters took the matter in hand and cut out the wiley politician who, each pr.mn'i;<rr> Vfpv mr.fip pll kinds 01 promises, which never is nor never: can be filled. Dr. Dreher then went into an able and clear discussion of hierh taxes. Columbia b* -rowed money at 4 per cent interest, he said, i while the treat state of South Carolina paid 4 3-4 per cent. The taxpay. ers have to come up with $222,000 interest each year on the bonded in-j debtedness of the State, and it is; time to call a halt. The wealth of South Carolina had increased less than 50 per cent, and the population of the state 10 per cent during- the i past 10 yars, while the expenditures; have increased 100 per cent. How, can we survive with such wreckless1 extravagance? asked the speaker. Dr.; Dreher came out flatfooted and un-1 qualifiedly in favor of education. Es! pecially did he favor liberal proviso ions for the rural schools. The spea-! ker advanced the progressive idea of' compulsory attendance of all white' children between the ages of 7 and | 12 years, inclusive, which he said | lotr fVirt fftiitir}n fnr Pnfnr'rt i lK* y C11C x v uuuui/iVii Awvv"v; developement of the compulsory sys' tern. He favored biennial sessions of the greneral assembly as a means of reducing taxation. Dr. Dreher said that he was opposed to appropriating: a $50,000 law enforcement fund to the crovernor. He himself [was a la.v abiding clti'en. and be W. E. LORICK LEFT OUT OF RACE FOR MAGISTRATE Mr Editor: 'Please allow me space in your valuable paper to explain to my friends why I am not a candidate for Magistrate of the Irmo District. In view of the fact that the time for filing- pledges and paying: assessments had hppn sot for August 13th and af terwards changed by the Executive Committee to August 2nd. I failed to file my nledge and my assesment on time The only notice I ever had of this changing of the time was when I saw it in the Lexington DispatchNews which I received on the afternoon of August 2nd. I am sorry it has turned out this way and I realize there is nothing that can be done to remedy the matter; therefore I accept the status of affairs as it is without a kick and publish this article only that my friends might under stand why I did not qualify. Wallace E. Lorick if s IRMO. THE GAS THE GERMANS USE. Mustard Gas?which is used chief ly in gas shells, is an organic compound containing chlorin arid sulphur The gas is very heavy and lingers for a long time causing severe burns. It may be used in shells of all calibers up to eight inch, which are fired either ffom trench mortars or long range ai wiinjf kww, x. w ENTERTAIN AT PINEVIEW- 1 t . The Ladies Improvement League of Pineview school will give a pound party at the school house Thursday night August 15 th Refreshments will be served.Everybody is invited tu attend ieved that the great majority of South Carolinians were also lawabiding. He said that the State is spending $250,000 pr year more on eight institutions than had ever been spent before; and if electd he would vote to cut' the appropriations for these institutions to the appropria' tions of 1917. v The colleges should learn to economize, said Dr. Dreher, just as the people of the State are learning to economize. Dr. Dreher said that it was with sadness that he referred to the war, and he deplored the fact. However, this is a day of action and we must fight with all our might until the war is won for democ racy. Hon. W. J. Bryan the great "Commoner," opposed this country's entering the war. Hon Claude Kitchen, congressman from North Carolina and Democratic leader of the house, voted against war and is m v running for re-electon without opposition. Henry Ford, he said. 4-/\ TT AM A noono roicciAT) >> cilt LU juui VMC uu a liiicciviif accompanied by an ostentations men * i&cant from South Carolina now posins* as a great patriot, who stated .when he returned, that this war was one of commercial greed.Nov/ he is posing as a great patriot. The man who says he watns to reprsent you because he wants war is a fake, eloquently declared the speaker.The war has made many millionaires said he. and there are a few in Lexington county who are now nosing as patriots for selfsh greed only. In conclusion. Dr. Droher promised if elected to reduce taxes as far as possible. It matters not who the governor may be. he declared that he would vote according to the dictates of his own con science. Hon. T. H. Shull, candidate for re election, came next. Two years ago he entered the race a farmer boy with no set speech. During his two years in the house he had attend, ed every roll call, except possibly one or two. He had stood for economy and stands for economy n-ow. He had earned all that he has through the practice of economy, therefore he was always looking out for taxes. One man can accomplish but little he said, but he had done what hd could. The senate is composed of two thirds lawyers, and every bill had to be acted upon by that body.He had voted against the tax commission, but the senate refused to ratify it. The legislature was falsely ac cused of raising taxes; the tax commission sent out orders to the various county auditors, and they had I to act. Mr. Shull said that he had heard a report to the effect that the Lexington delegation had exhonora 1 ted E. L. Wingard, extreasurer, from all liability. He denounced the reI port as false. No such thing was ' ever mentioned, he said. Favors bi- ' ennial sessions of the aeneral assemi bly, b-'t th'-i oar not be no^onrt'i^hsd I (Continued or. pr.^c