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r Abbeville Press and Banner 7^ ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY. MARCH 24 1915 established I Aiken Ma - CLAIMS SOME CM IN MAM OF DISTRICT BILL SOME HISTORY CONNECTED THEREWITH. Mr. Editor:? Senator Tillman's statement a few days ago in reference to the establishment of the new Federal court, in the light of the facts known [ to all the delegation, is amusing and amazing. His painstaking effort to deny me credit for the passage of my own bill would seem to leave no question but that the underlying purpose of his article is to minimize my work in the interest of some one in whom he may be more vitally interested. This taken in connection with the announced purpose of his own son to offer for Congress in this district next term,, might, in the minds of uncharitable V . people lead to the conclusion that the Senator is using this juicy Federal pie, indirectly, in the interest of still another of his personal or political family. Some people might think that Mr. Byrnes' residence in another district added something to the glory of his work in the Senator's mind. That Congressman Byrnes was very active and helpful in the passage of the bill no one will deny; but that he deserves more credit than I, its author and promoter, he will not even claim, with his knowledge of the facts, for Mr. Byrnes is a fair minded man who 1 would not attempt unjustly to rob a colleague of that which is due him. ! I am charitable enough to believe ) that Senator Tillman could not have been thoroughly conversant with the facts further than that Mr. 1 Byrnes was generally the mediary between the Senate and House negotiations in all of which Mr. Byrnes and I had a thorough understanding and a mutual interest along with all the other members of the * delegation. Nothing is so distasteful to me as to recite my work as a public ser vant, ana especially 11, in aoing so, there is the slightest seeming of ^ taking aught of credit from any of my colleagues. However, the fact that I was the author of the bill, coupled with the further fact that the senior Senator, whom the State has honored exceptionally, and for whom I have entertained great respect and even admiration, should publish an article to all intents and purposes ignoring my part in its passage, should at least call forth a public statement from me. I have waited several days before publishing this statement, in the vain . y hope that the Senator in some of his addendums would make amends for what seems to have been his sin of omission if not of commission. Since he has not done so, "candor compels me even with the more or less frequent use of the pronoun "I" to say a word in defense. The fact is the effort to put through this new district bill has engaged the attention of the delegation for more than two years with varying chances of success. Some months prior to the last general election the whole scheme seemed to have fallen to the ground with little hope of ressurrection. The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House (Mr. Webb), was very much opposed to it and while he expressed a friendly sympathy with my efforts to obtain a favorable report on my bill he designated it as a steal. He said the data presented to the committee was totally insufficient. Upon this hint, I went to work and dug up all the facts going to show that by comparison with ikes Reply i other States, South Carolina was entitled to another district, which facts I subsequently printed in the .Record; and I say unhesitatingly, | but for this data, furnished by me, j there would have been no favorable | action on the bill in the House and I there would have been no new Federal district courts in South CaroI | lina. Senator Tillman claims credit I for removing the opposition of the j Republican leader in the House, whose influence in the press of time ! might have killed the bill. The j 1 Senator is utterly oblivious of the fact that strong Republican influf>nr?pc: in Sr.iifVi Hamlina VinH hoon brought to bear on Mr. Mann to withdraw his opposition as the new judicial district was really a public necessity. So the question of who silenced Republican leader Mann, his Republican friends in South Carolina, or Senator Tillman, may be settled aside from this controversy by those claiming the honor. Senator Tillman makes use of the following broadside,, in .the beginning of his published statement: "Wyatt Aiken introduced the bill early in the year, but it lay asleep in the Judiciary Committee of the House. I introduced Aiken's bill in the Senate, and tried to get it out of the Judiciary Committee there, but failed because of an unfavorable report from the Attorney General and the objection of a western Senator whose state needed a Judge much more than South Caro-1 Una." It would seem then, by his own admission, that his bill slept some too. In fact, it slept the sleep unto the death, for "can-1 dor compels the admission" that ] it is the Aiken and not the Tillman j bill that has become law. A few facts immediately associated with the final passage of the district bill might turn the light on at least a little more space than that seen from the Senator's view-point. There are twenty- two Senators now serving in Congress with whom I have served in the lower House. I I approached every one of these on the question of the bill and after! making a fair presentation of our j case secured either their support of it or their promise not to oppose it. j Senator Walsh of Montana, was opposed to the bill and I reached him through Mr. Evans of Montana,1 whose office is next door to mine. Senator Overman, of North Caro-1 lina, was opposed to the bill to the very last but a member of the South Carolina delegation, at my suggestion, got Representative Page of North Carolina, to present the matter to Senator Overman, and in this way the Senator's opposition was allayed. Senator Tillman seems to be laboring under the impression that he handled both the Senate and the House in the management of this bill, when if he had known the facts, he must have admitted that the Senate action was directed to some extent by House influences, and that Senator Smith too rendered most valuable and telling assistance in the final passage of the Act, which fact he seems entirely to have overlooked. Recurring to that profound sleep of my bill in the Judiciary Committee of the House, I have already shown how it became neces-1 iy cu inct:b uic uppuMwuii, uiiu especially of the Chairman of the, Committee, Mr. Webb, with a fuller statement of justifying figures in the interest of the bill. But even j this did not allay the opposition of the Chairman and it was only on my earnest personal appeal that he permitted a favorable report on the bill. When the bill slept in the House Judiciary Committee, as Senator Tillman puts it, it was on the advice of Mr. Floyd of Arkansas, Chairman of the sub-committee in charge of the bill: not to push the bill then but to wait till the short session and he would do his best for a favorable report. Subsequent events proved the wisdom of the suggestion. In the closing / hours of the session Members were | less critical about local affairs. Although Messrs. Mann, Republican, and Cullop, Democrat, objected I to lf:ie immediate consideration of my bill, which temporarily took itj off of the Unanimous Consent Cal-' endar, I had the bill put back on that same Calendar to save time as time was everything for the life of j the bill. When I finally called up ! the bill Mr. Cullop did not object but offered an amendment, as it was thought, with the hope of defeating it. It was to require the publication of the names of endorsers of applicants for judgeships. I saw no objection to the amendment and so accepted it , thereby silencing any objection that Mr. Cullop might have to the bill. The fact is I have nursed and petted the district bill till at times ' my patience has been well nigh ex-1 hausted. For instance even after : the bill had passed the House at about three o'clock in t?ie after- ' noon, I immediately hurried to the j; engrossing clerk and urged him to I' have it back on the Speaker's tabled as early as possible. He said it 1 would be probably 8 o'clock at night before he could do this. I would take no denial, however, and stayed with him and had the bill returned to the Speaker's desk by 5 o'clock. Moments were golden and I stayed to see that nor:e were lost. While I was attending to this Mr. Byrnes 1 said ?iat he would go over and in- 1 form the Senators that the bill had 1 passed the House. Later I went to the Senate and saw Senator Tillman and suggested to Mr. BjTnes and later to Senator Tillman that as soon as my bill reached the Senate for him to move its passage without ref- 1 erence to committee. He said he 1 WAIlU AAMPnH n C/\n nl /hi J I vYuuiu tviiouiu a uciiaiuuai iiituu, and later I saw him talking to Senator Gallinger, the Republican floor 1 leader, presumably as to whether or not the procedure would be parliamentary. He did it and the bill passed. Senator Tillman after claiming all the credit for its passage frankly admits that he did not expect it to pass and we must take him at his word. Others; did expect it to pass because they knew the way had been smoothed for its I passage. In order that Senator Tillman might get this bill punctually after it had passed the House and been engrossed, I informed his clerk that the House Engrossing Clerk had promised me to sit right at his desk until Senator Tillman sent a page for him and the bill, and he said he would stay until day- j light if ;necessary. v Of course these details are not1 interesting to the public, but 'candor compels" their recitaj to prove, as the lawyers would say, "that I was around there when the new district bill was daddied." senator Tillman denies with a i vehemence bordering on hysteria, J that the parceling out of the court's positions was a "family matter." I I think Mr. McGowan's suggestion ! along that line was unfortunate and ! uncalled for, but I also think that when Senator Tillman rushed into print about it, he should have been frank and fair. It is true that .the parceling out of the positions was not a family matter, but Senator Tillman deserves no credit on i:iiat account. Ru:mor about the Capitol had it that he became verv much wrought up when he could not ex- . act a pledge that his son, B. R. Tillman, Jr., should have the clerkship. , I presume that he will not deny that for more than a year his son, Henry C. Tillman, counted confidently on being made assistant district attorney, upon which position he held so tight a grip as to be able to transfer . it to his law partner, Mr. Mayes. It is stated that Senator Tillman's ' private secretary, J. B. Knight, will be appointed Clerk. I don't know whether Mr. Knight will be appointed or not and I don't care, but the point I am trying to make is that ( when Senator Tillman undertakes to make a statement in regard to . this matter, he should not only tell 1 tijie truth but the whole truth. Now, if I have failed to give due credit to others of my associates in Congress in the matter of the ^ iH' passage of the district bill, it has been for the reason that it would have drawn out this article entirely too long. They were all sympathetic arid active as far as their time would permit in aiding in the passage of the Federal district bill. Important committee work claimed the attention of some while Mr. byrnes and I were engaged on details, but the delegation was of one mind for it? passage. Of course. Mr. Johnson could not and did not take part in the work for the passage of the bill as he had had intimation that he would be endorsed for the judgeship. Mr. Lever was busily engaged on the committee of conference on the Agricultural Appropriation bill, and could spare but little time from his work. Mr. Finley was similarly engaged on the conference committee on the Post Office Appropriation bill but aided materially in the final passage of the bill. Mr. Whaley, with every local reasor f^r opposing the bill, and against the protest of some of his home people rendered invaluable service in many ways, and was especially helpful in a parliamentary wp y. Mr. Johnson was endorsed for Judge by the entire delegation, while Messrs. Thurmond and Lyon were named, the former by Senator Tillman, the latter by Senator Smith under an agreement made at the openihg of the Democratic Congress, that South Carolina Representatives should leave the naming of State-wide officers to the two Senators while the Senators should leave the naming of post masters to the Representatives. And there I trust yoa have at least enough of the story of the passage of the district bill bo convince you that I was in Washington when my bill passed, whicHi could hardly have been inferred from reading Senator Tillman's published statements. Respectfully, A :i Abbeville, S. CM March 24th, 1915. THE COLONELS ARE COMING IV,!. P. McC&lla and L. W. Perrin on Governor'* Staff. Gov. Manning yesterday appointed his military staff. The members serve without pay. The members of the governor's staff are: Military secretary to the gover nor, C. H. Cabaniss. Adjutant general, W. W. Moore. Colonels?John B. Adger, Belton; George W. Dick, Sumter; R. M. Cooper, Wisacky. Lieutenant Colonels?A. L. Gaston, Chester; M. P. McCalla, Lowndesville; T. W. Davise, Beach Island; W. J. Muldrow, Anderson? W. A. Klauber, Bamberg; W. R. Darlington, Jr., Allendale; W. K. Fishburne, Moncks Corner; J. D. Shirer, Lone Star; Arthur Young, Charleston; E. W. Duvall, Cheraw; J. M. Witsell, Walterboro; L. Wigfall Cheatham, Edgefield; Sam, McCall, Florence; Hugh L. Olliver, Georgetown; Rion McKissick, Greenville; H. 3. Ingraham, Greenville; H. T. Strange, Lee county; 0. K. LaRoque, Marion; Donald McQueen, Jr., Marlboro; A. A. Mannine. Walhalla? (T T. f1"" ton, Pickens; J. Stokes Salley, Orangeburg; 0. R. Doyle, Calhoun; L. W. Pen-in, Spartanburg; James McCutcheon, Johnsonville; C. L. Cobb and John T. Roddy, .rtock Hill; H.- J. McLaurin, Sumter; E. E. Ay:ock, Wedgefield; J. A. MeKnight, Sumter; W. R. Burgess, Clarendon; George Warrenton, Hampton; Allen Bradham, Planning. Charles Francis Adams, the Massachusetts historian, died at Washington, March 20th. Some years ago he wrote a history defending Governor Chamberlain's administration in South Carolina. The Real Reason. Among the questions asked of a Sunday school class by a visitor *as, "Why was Lot's wife turned nto a pillar of salt?" For a moment there waji silence, ind then a sms.ll boy piped out, "I >'pose it was 'cause she was too iresh." I THE OUTLOOK FOR THE SOUTH President Harrison Thinks the South Will Rise Above the Past Depression. Prosperity is Coming: Again. (From The New York American. March 15 th.) (By Fairfax Harrison, President Southern Railway Company.) Because of the demoralization of the cotton market which it brought about, no part of the United States was so seriously affected by the breaking out of the European war as was the South. As a large part of the cotton grown in the South must seek foreign markets, and as one of the largest crops ever grown was maturing when the war broke out, practically suspending cotton exports temporarily, the collapse in price which resulted, was inevitable. For a time the price was below the cost of production. Many farmers were unable to pay their bills and every line of business throughout the South was seriously affected. However, the world must have cotton. The war itself is bringing about an enormous consumption of cotton in various forms, and there is no reason to expect that this will increase as uic weauier gruwb wanner aim uie armies and navies are put into summer uniforms. The consumption by American mills is now about normal, and for some time the exports have been in excess of last year, although exports since the 1st of September are still nearly 2,000,000 bales below last year's record for the corresponding period. Cotton Movement Grows. Prices have now risen to a level probably a little higher than the aver age cost of production and, while many farmers are still selling cotton only as they need money for their im mediate necessities and to pay their pressing debts, the. aggregate movement1 tff f>dttnn io la-roro onH tVio r?. suit is a gradual improvement in business conditions throughout the South. One of the beneficial effects of the war has been to direct the attention of the southern farmers to the advan tages of diversified agriculture over the one-crop system of cottton farming and larger areas than ever before will be devoted to grain crops, meadows and pastures. The United States agricultural department has estimated that the acre age of fall-seeded grain in the cotton belt this year is 4,188,COO acres greater than last year. This is equivalent to 11.4 per cent of the cotton acreage in 1914, and reports from the agricultural agents of the Southern Railway Compr-ny indicate that the acreage planted in corn this spring will be substantially greater than last year, and that farmers throughout the South will give more attention to livestock. The more general practice of diversified farming and raising livestock, will bring about a tempoiiii-v reduction in the total cotton crop, but ultimately it will bring nouut such an increase in soil productivity that the South will maintain ani even increase its aggregate production of cotton from a smaller acreage. This will greatly strengthen the economic condition of rhe s->u .v>in farmer, and there is every reason to believe that after southe -n farmer0have gotten through their temporary difficulties we will witness a resumption of industrial progr*10". in the South which depends so mach on the prosperity of the farm-jr-3. Manufacturing industries in the soutn are doing iuny ar. wen ;s those engaged in similar lines in other parts of the United States. As they are chiefly engaged in the manufacture of southern raw materials, they have the advantage of location in proximity to their sources of supply and may expect to benefit in full measure from the gradual improvement in business conditions which is under wny. In company with manufacturers inother parts of the United Stales, those in the South have had their attention directed to the exceptional opportunity which now exists for thedevelopment of export trade, especially with the countries of Centrar and South America. A considerable number of southern manufac turers are already shipping to the Latin-American markets, and they and others are taking intelligent steps for the enlargement of this-, business. THE WAR IN MEXICO. ? What Rev. Neil E. Preisly Write*-. The Presbyterian from Tampico, I don't know whether you are as anxious to hear from me as I am to hear from you or not. I have had ; one letter this year from my family,, and not one from any other source^ It is almost like being in jail. I am busy all the time, and we have good congregations. Last Sabbath I. preached three times, one sermon-1 in English. It was the largest con- gregation we have ever had. The collection amounted to $40.95. T have to preach tonight and next Sabbath three times at Dona Cecilia'.. The English service there is at'", night and to the negroes. There is a good deal of sickness all over the city and a good deal of sufferingFood stuffs are getting scarcer every day, and it is a hard matter to get : corn. It is running from six to ' ; nipe pesos (dollars) a bushel. I was called to see a little child th^ other day about two years old, and ! I could not find much the matterwith it, and I thought it was a case-. of starvation. The father has not been able to get work, and could. not buy milk at fifty cents a quart, for it, and it could not live on the", things they ate. I had to pick alK'. this out of its mother. I gave the* father a dollar to go and get the child some milk which it took with avidity. The next day the Ladies' Aid Society gave me some money, and I took some cans of condensed milk (one peso and twenty a can>> > and some corn starch, 50 cents a . pack and rice 50 cents a pound, for them. The next time I went to > see the little skeleton, it was lying in its primitive cradle, suspended from a joist above, and it was singing. The ladies have given me some money to help in any case that . I want to give. We don't know what is going on ^ in the political game, there are constant rumors and some that seenr very plausible; but we don't know anything. There is a large force working here now, and the port is being fortified as it never was. It is possible that the last stand will be made here. If Carranza is not successful in Monterrey, then the fight will center on this place. I do pray that we may be spared another siege. Looks Like It. sVintrinrr fk/a -P dock the other day, one colored man inquired of another. "Didn't you marry the WidowJones de first of January?" "Dat's me?I did," was the answer; "but I've dun left her." "Why, how's that?" "We.ll, de first wte;c she called me honey; de next week she sulked around and called wie old Richards; the third week she cum fer me wid a flat-iron, an' I'se kinder got a hunch she don't like me." No Evidence. A well known judge dined recently at a West End hotel, where the man who takes care of the hats is celebrated for his memory about the ownership of headgear. now uo you wiuw ui<tb is hat?" the judge asked, as his silk hat was presented to him. "I don't know it, sir," said the man. "Then why do you give it to me?"'' insisted the bewildered judge. "Because you gave it to me, sir," * replied the man, without moving ? i , muscle of his face.?Tit-Bits. . I ?*