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CONGRESSMAN J. AN Feeling that it will be impossible for me to see every one of my constituents between now and the day of election, and desiring that every voter in my District shall be fully informed p as to my record as his Representative in Congress, I take this p method and opportunity of rendering an account of my steward- tl ship. n c< Public Building at Aiken. " SI During the first session of my first term in Congress as ^ your Representative, I introduced a bill providing an appropria- ti tion for a site and public building for the City of Aiken. I se- s< cured an appropriation of $10,000 for the site and continued ^ my efforts in behalf of my bill carrying an appropriation for J* a public building, and on May 15, 1908, during my second term in Congress, I secured an appropriation of $50,000 for the public building which is to be completed within a year. It is a rule of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds not to report favorably any bill carrying an appropria- a Pi tion for a site or public building for any city which cannot meet the requirements of the Post Office Department for city free de- ^ livery of the mail; that is to say, the postal receipts, exclud- ^ ing box rents, must be at least $l(),UUU a year or sucn city must tJ have a population of at least 10,000 inhabitants. At the time 1 si secured the appropriation for the site during my first term of r< Congress, and the appropriation for the public building during my a second term of Congress, the City of Aiken could not meet the re- E quirements for city free delivery. I feel, therefore, that I am due T unusual credit for securing these appropriations against such t< great odds dnd obstacles. The people of Aiken realized the diffi- s< \ - culties under which I labored and the great odds against which S I had to contend and I very highly prize the resolutions adopted f( by the City Council on the 13th day of July, 1908, as follows: ^ Whereas, Congress has appropriated the sum of fifty thousand ($50,000) dollars for the purpose of erecting a public Federal building at ^ Aiken, S. C., and p Whereas, the said action on the part of Congress was almost entirely Si due to the efforts of our distinguished Representative in that body, the ^ Honorable J. O. Patterson. Be it resolved, By the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Aiken in s Council assembled and by the authority of the same: That the City & Council of Aiken feels most grateful and thanks the Hon. J. O. Patterson most sincerely for the manly fight he has made and for his untiring and ceaseless efforts to get through Congress this appropriation for the City OI A1KCI1. Be it further resolved, That we recognize that the Second Congressional District has in the Hon. J. O. Patterson, an able, earnest and zealous Representative, always active and vigilant to assist his constituents / , and to guard and protect their rights. Be it further resolved. That these resolutions be spread on the minS utes of the Council and that a copy thereof be sent to the Hon. J. O. Patterson. Done in Council this 13th day of July, 190S. V0VJ Attest: J. B. SALLEY, (Seal) J. L. McCARTER, Mayor of Aiken. City Clerk and Treas. The following is a copy of an article which appeared in the 0, v Journal and Review, Aiken, S. C., Julv , 1908: On Friday Mayor Salley received a telegram from Washington, stat ing that the Public Buildings Appropriation bill had been passed by the House of Representatives, and that Aiken will get $50,000 for a government building. Congressman Patterson has been working hard for the appropriation for Aiken, for the last few years, and he is now being congratulated upon his success. At the last meeting of City Council, Council was asked by a committee from the Board of Trade to make some effort to have the amount increased if possible, realizing the fact that Aiken would be a bidder some day for a federal court to be held here. Acting upon the action of council in instructing him to write in regard to the matter. Mayor Salley wrote the authorities. Saturday he received a letter from Congressman Patterson, stating that he would do all in his power to have the appropriation raised, but that such efforts are likely not to be successful, owing to the fact that Aiken's populaion, postal receipts and requirements for a public building are considerably less than many cities that are asking for much less amount than Aiken wanted. Congressman Patterson's first action was in asking for the sum of $125,000, but this amount was cut down to $50,000, and he thinks that it will not be likely that he can have it increased, though he intends to continue his efforts in that direction. City Free Delivery for Aiken. i > - ' During all this time, when I was bending every energy and effort to secure these appropriations, I was also doing all in my ^ power to secure free delivery of the mail for the City of Aiken, r but was met with the same statement from the Post Office De- c partment, that the City of Aiken could not meet these require ments. I did not stop my efforts along this line, however, and just as soon as the receipts of the post office at Aiken were sufficient to meet the requirements, I secured an order for the es- . tablishment of City Free Delivery, and had an Inspector sent ^ by the Post Office Department to investigate the matter. The Inspector found that the City Council had not met the require- ^ ments of the Post Office Department, in that street signs had ^ not been erected nor had the houses been numbered, but this j has now been done and the City of Aiken will be very soon en- , joying the benefits of City Free Delivery. Working for Other Public Buildings. I have introduced bills providing appropriations for the : erection of public buildings at Edgefield, Bamberg and Beaufort. < I appeared before the Committee during the last session and ] urged appropriations for public buildings at these towns, but ] I was met with the same statement from the Post Office De- < partment that neither the population nor the postal receipts ' would warrant the erection of public buildings at these towns, i T mr.tr offnrfe olnnrr fViie lino on/-l orm rlr?rr oil in 1 J. dill V;UlltlllUX115 111J V/liVl I/O aiVAlg, tllitj AlliV U11U C4J.11 UVJJJ5 C4XA AAA J my power to secure public buildings for the above named towns. : 0. PATTERSON ACCOUNT OF HI Soil Survey for Saluda County. I have secured a Soil Survey of Saluda County, and the reort and map are now in the hands of the Public Printer for nblication. and I have the assurance of the Department that lis work has been placed ahead of all other work the Departlent is doing along this line; but in view of the fact that the infracts for the lithographic work are let out to lithographers 1 different parts of the United States, the maps and report will ot be ready for distribution until later on in the summer. A lil survey is a chemical and physical analysis of the soil to dejrmine wherein it is lacking in food supply and what ferlizers will produce the best results and are best adapted to the lil. This soil survey is of great benefit to the farmers and 11 1-1 - -?-i u?n+- v.QCMilfe fvAw fVioir 15?nHa hv +ViP 'Ill enauie niem tu get cue ucot icounc num ^aw*. w ~j se of the proper formula of fertilizers. I have the promise of le Department to make soil surveys of the remaining Counties f my District. Flood Sufferers of Savannah River Valley. I do not think it is generally known what my efforts were nd what I accomplished in behalf of the sufferers from the ef3cts of the flood in the Valley of the Savannah River in those bounties of my District adjacent to the River just after the ood of 1908. As soon as I learned of the disastrous effects of lis flood, I immediately took the matter up by telegram with :ie War Department in Washington, knowing that there hould be a contingent fund for such emergencies, and I urged elief from this source; not receiving satisfactory replies, I made visit to Washington at my own expense and appeared before the department in person and pleaded the cause of my constituents, 'he Department promised to send an army office to my District i look into the situation and report, and accordingly, one was ent and I met him in Augusta, Ga. We visited the scene toether and saw what great damage the flood had caused, and iund that many families had been rendered homeless, and were dthout food and clothing, their crops, live stock and provisions pcfrnvpd. T remained uDon the scene, organized committees of he most reliable men of their respective communities, who were laced in charge of the work, and inquired into the needs of all ufferers, and submitted their reports to me and to the army ofcer in charge, and made requisition for such food, clothing, hoes, bedding and supplies as were necessary to their needs, mounting to several thousand dollars. i 1 WBHBIHllI 111"11 I IH Rural Mail Carriers. One of the first bills introduced by me was that to increase he salary of Rural Mail Carriers to $1,200 per annum. The saliry has been increased since I have been in Congress, but in dew of the greatly increased cost of living within the last few rears and the heavy expense incident to this employment, I am convinced that the salary is still inadequate, and I have been continuing my efforts all along to have the salary further increased. There is a strong sentiment among the Representatives n Congress favorable to a further increase, and I am confident ;hat it would have been done during the last session of Conpress, if the Republican party had not stood in awe of the great vave of sentiment now sweeping the country, promising that ;he next House of Representatives will be largely Democratic. [ expect to continue my efforts in behalf of the Rural Carriers md confidently believe that their salaries will be again increased it the next session of Congress. Rural Routes. I have secured the establishment of a net work of rural routes throughout my District. These routes were not establish^ iimvL- qtiH pffnrf on mv Dart. Under the present Re ;u. W1U1UUI/ ?TViik v??V, ? ? x- - publican Administration, if any funds are lacking for this purpose, (as there have been during the past year, causing great delay in the establishment of many routes,) Southern Democratic Representatives are made to suffer on account thereof. , I am, therefore, compelled as a matter of duty to my constituents, to keep these matters before the Department and to demand recognition from them as your Representative in Congress. GIVES V IS STEWARDSHIP 'm I have secured what is known as a Complete County System of rural free delivery for Saluda CoOnty and would have secured the same service for the remaining Counties of my District but for the fact that the Post Office Department, before establishing such a service, requires the County officials to supply the Department with a Road Map of the County. Two years - .... ..in 1-1 j.__ n-T 4.1.11 ' ago, 1 took tms matter up witn tne uounty oupcx viouia w mc counties comprising my District and urged the importance of supplying the Post Office Department with these Road Maps, but 1 Saluda County has been the only County so far to meet this re- > quirement. The County officials of Aiken County have ordered >> such a map made, and I hope to secure this complete service for Aiken County j ust as soon as this map is completed. The < remaining Counties of my district are now well supplied with rural delivery service, but this complete service would mean the 1 - "1? J wnil +a Airninr -PowiiItt in oonVl PrtllTltw TV'Vin Odliy UC11VC1 J' UJ. l/UC man tu c v ci j lamn v in tavu vvunvj nuw could be possibly reached by this service. I, therefore, again ;; urge the importance to each County of having this road map 1 made in order to secure this complete service. Good Roads. Another of the first bills introduced by me was a bill providing for the establishment in the Department of Agriculture of a bureau to be known as the Bureau of Public Highways, and to provide for national aid in the improvement of the public roads. , I made a speech in Congress in behalf of this bill on the 26th day of May, 1908, and during the same year I communicated ;?( with all the County Supervisors of my District and advised them of the establishment in the Department of Agriculture of an office known as the Office of Public Roads. I further advised them that tests are made in the laboratory of this office to determine among ; the materials available the one best suited and least expensive to a ., particular road. I advised further that no financial aid could be given by this office in the construction of roads but that 1 could procure the services of a supervising engineer from this \ office to give a practical demonstration in road building. When this office finds it practicable to do so, they will supply the necessary machinery, but the local authorities must furnish all ma- ^ terial, labor, teams and fuel. I also had this letter published in ; the County papers. I am prepared now, as I have been at all /JP times heretofore, to secure the services of a supervising engineer to give personal instructions and supervision as to the /1:J best methods of improving and constructing public roads. Good roads is one of the crying needs of our country to- ' Ij day and I am very much pleased to see that an interest has been awakened in the construction and improvement of our roads. J Navy Yard at Port Royal. v||S As is generally known, the Navy Yard at Port Royal was moved to Charleston before I was elected to Congress, but many valuable buildings and grounds were left there in the posses- 0A sion and ownership of the U. S. Government. Ever since 1 thave v^J been in Congress, I have had a fight against great odds to keep the Government from abandoning this property altogether, as v j the Navy Department has been disposed to do all the time. About three years ago, an order wras issued transferring the \ ??? T?*nwinn+ naar "RoaiTFrvrf- tfi F'nrt Screven. 3 Cram sun lium run ixcmvub) uvui ?, ? ? # near Savannah, Georgia. I have had this matter held up dur- || ing all this time and nave only recently been called upon to prevent the execution of another order transferring this Garri son as aforesaid. On the 15th day of last June, an order was issued by the Navy Department to transfer Martin's Industry Light-vessel from its present anchorage to a position five miles nearer Savannah, Georgia. As soon as I was advised of this action cn the part of the Department, I immediately called upon the Chair- v man of the Light-House Board and had the matter held up until a showing could be made by the pilots and others interested. ^ This matter is still being held up at my request for the purpose of allowing those interested to file their grounds of protest, and I feel confident that I will be* able to prevent the removal of this Light-vessel from its present anchorage. There is now established at Port Royal a training school for marine officers, but the Department has been disposed for some time past to remove this training school, and only recently I had occasion to call at'the Department to file my protest against its removal. I am now assured by the Department that this training school will be retained at Port Royal. The Navy Department decided a short while ago to estab - - *1 j >m lish three or four of what are Known as Aavanceu x>a?e ctuwio. > As soon as I learned of this intention of the Department, I called in person to urge the establishment of one of these schools at Port Royal and I am satisfied that I will secure the establish- 'i ment of one of the schools at Port Royal. This school of Advanced Base will bring several hundred thousand dollars to Port 1 Royal in naval supplies and a large number of marine officers and will, therefore, mean a great deal to Port Royal. Bills Introduced and Passed During Present Term. During the present term of Congress, I have introduced and worked for the passage of eighty-one bills, forty-two of which provided for the payment of claims of individuals for the seizure and destruction of property during the Civil War amounting to more than 300,000 dollars. When the prejudice' and dis- f crimination which prevail against the south, ana, especially against these claims for property seized and destroyed by Yankee soldiers, is understood, as well as the fact that in all of these claims Loyalty to the United States Government and sympathy for the Union during the Civil War must be established by competent proof, it will then be known why I have not been more successful in securing the passage of these bills. I have secured the passage of some bills where the question of loyalty has been established. I have introduced and worked for the passage of a bill repealing the loyalty clause in the statute on this subject. I have introduced and secured the passage of a number of bills providing pensions for old soldiers and the widows of soli 'j: t-V^.v^S * vHc- * > ' M