The Anderson intelligencer. (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, August 18, 1914, Page PAGE SIX, Image 6
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( Polit Icul Advertisement. )
To the Voti=r;j of tho Tlihd District:
Tho scurrlllous attack made on me
by one J. M. Huker, formerly of
Lowndosvllto, 8. ('., but now or V.'iiflli
ington, D. C, through the column* of
the Newberry Herald and NeWF iH. H.
Aull s paper), makes it nucc?Min for
me to use this method of repij ing to
tho falac and slanderous char; , thut
havo been made. I know thut this at
tack will do me no harm ;>inong the
people who know Maker, and I ask
those who do not know him and
his reputation for truth and veracity
to make sonic inquiries. If they will
ask tho people of Abbeville und An
derson, they will soon find out the
kind of man that ho Is. If they will
ask ills own relatives they will be
told an interesting but rather sicken,
ing story of n note'for JIO.OUO. which
was afterward compromised for
000 or $;j,r.ou. if they will ask Maker's
classtnau-s at Wofford College they
will be told why he left that institu
tion. They will find mine Illuminating
information concerning him in the
court records at Abbeville, and today
they will find other information as
to his business methods in the rec
ouls of the courts In the District of
Columbia. While I believe his attack
vHI not lui*" me In the District, 1
feel thut I owe it to myself and to my
friends to take some notice of it.
A SLIMY TRAIL.
At tho opening campaign meeting at
Nowborry, when Mr. Dominlck was
making a garbled and misleading
statement.as to my record In Con
gress, I said that I believed ho had
secured his information "from one
Jan?es M. Baker, the grandest rascal
that ever lived in Abbeville, a man
whom row in his neighborhood
would hAlloye/' or,, worda to that ??
lebt. I believed ihdn, 2nd ! k?nv nc?w\
that Baker bad been furnishing Domi
nlck with misinformation concerning
my record, and I will prove it. I*et
any intelligent man read Baker's ar
ticle nnd Dorninick's speech, .both of
which are published In the same Issue
of the 'Newberry paper, and he will
at oncq_.soo that both; came from the
same source. The proof will be con
vincing even to a blind man. Baker
and Dominlck havo the reputation of
being pretty shrewd, hut they have
.not been able to cover their tracks
here.
THE M'CALLA CAMPAIGN.
Baker says the cause of my ill-will
tpwnrd him is that he supported the
late lamented I. H. McCalla in his
Campaign - against me. That is not
true, as Baker very, well knows, but
it. Is a fact that In tbr.t Cam
paign ho fought me moat unfairly.
1 have, no malice against Baker, but
I do havo a very thorough contempt
for hirst. Mr. McCalla and my self had
p. hot race for congress. It was a
man's fight, but there was no foul
work on. his part, and thero was nono
on mlno. Wo never, lost respect for
each other. I had his friendship boforo
ho died, and I.valued it highly. I bo
,!!y*v he voted, for mo alter he quit
running himself.
HOW BAKER LANDED.
Bak'*r says I opposed his election
as Secretary of the United States
Senate. I did do that, and ray only
regret la that my effortB were not
successful. I acted from a high senao
of duty, 1 know him to bo thoroughly
. unworthy to hold such a high posi
tion of trust, and it was my duty as
.a. public servant, responsible in some
degree'for good government and for
haying clean men in office, to try to
Prevent his ?Inn!Ion. f Hid not te!! !
Senator Marttno about Raker'* con
nection with a discreditable bank
ruptcy proceeding. If Senator Mar
tine heard of that he got It fr-un ?orne
Other source. But I did tell Senators
Martine, as I (old other Senators, of
some of Baker's shady transactions,
learned that somo. of the Senators
wer? put in possession of certain
testimony In the Investigation of the
Sully failure, in which It was shown
that that gambling concern had been
carrying, an account for Baker with:
out requiring him to put up margins
when asked tho reason for this one
of the firm replied In substanco, "Oh,
Bokor was In a position where ho
could give us Information, about leg
islation and help us. It was worth It."
This testimony is a part of the pub
lic records of the courts ol New
Tory;?!ty and is accessible to any
body .who wants to-see it. I submit that
the' man who did this Is . unworthy
to hold a position , of trust In the
senate of tho United States or In any
other body of honest men.
B?kerat. onetime compromised
his debts for ten cents on the- dollar.
Many, an honest man has failed and
has afterwards, when he got able,
paid all his dobta with Interest, but
nobody ever beard of Baker doing
this: People who had money in the
defunct, bank, at lvowndesvillo will
not give such tcaltmohy.
It is common, talk around the
toi / at Washington that Baker
elected1 Secretory of'the Senate as a
sorti of ^consolation ;5r!?s to Scatter
Tillman. Senator TU ira an wanted to
bo chairman of, the cotamittee on ap
propriation*, nod his colleagues were
not1 wlUrSg for him to have it; Bak
er ^atf a candidate for ; Secretary,
and It was generally known that he
haa'tb?S a sprt. ?f. Handy Andy for
the ,-Senal?fr. servile and' eager, ol
capl-'|
was
ways ready .to fb tch and. carry. Son a-;
tAr'i'Tlllraan had, endorsed him for]
the Secretaryship, out of. gratitude
and out of bis well known 'disposition
her'was a. partisan of Butler and w
yw^to^^^'.'The
are a good many pcoplo who remem
her hearing Bake? apiily the
of iehlthets to Till man and f*',
: followers. But when, Tlllman,,
elected t? tho Sonate, and came:.'.'.
Watfilnston .''ajrt"' pecain? a power.
(tic situation did not change as quick
ly tin linker changed. He worked him
Hflr into Tllliiiiin'a good graces; he
was "Quick lo bend the pregnant
hinges of the knee Hint thrift might
follow fawning."
And now, after having been taken
care of for all these years, he has be
trayed Ills benefuctorjn Iii? old age,
at a time when gratitude would have
been the compelling motive in a de
cent man's heart. Judas Iscurlot sold
his Master for thirty pieces of sliver,
but Judas repented.
Many people will recall the fact that
when A. C. Latlmcr first run for con
gress Haker fought him most outra
geously, and ridiculed the idea of a
plain farmer like Latlmer being elect
ed to such a position. Yet when Lat
lmer was elected,?and begnu climbing
toward the pinnacle that he after
wards reached, Haker quickly became
a sycophant and was never so happy
us when basking in I^utimer's shadow.
A8 TO IMMIGRATION
Dotnlnick's man Baker accuses me
of having favored unrestricted immi
gration, and of having Introduced a
bill with this end in view. The truth
is, an both ought to know, thnt I have
always opposed unrestrlctetd immi
gration, and that the bill I Introduced
was for the purpose of restricting
and weeding out the immigration that
threatened to come to South Carolina.
My bill was to establish an Informa
tion Bureau at Ellis Island, where
most of the immigrants coming to tbis
country are lauded, with competent
ofllccrs in charge, who could look over
tho incoming immigrants, and. after
selecting those suited to our people,
give them information as to the op
portunities and advantages to be
found with us. We do need more
white, people in South Carolina, to
..'.'Pjilar.t the worthless und danger
( Qi:r nSfirOflS on tho forma ?nH n; lo.
I borers', and If we can get some of the
thrifty people from Germany It will be
a blessing to us and* to them. Some
of the best people that we have in
the Third, djatilet .are descended from
immigrant fathers and mothers. They
are ih Oconee, and Anderson, and
Newberry, and In every county in the
district. Nobody wants pauper labor,,
except perhaps a few mill presidents,
and a few large land owners who are
noted for swindling their tenants.
The people of the Third district, in
the mill villages and everywhere else,
know my position as,to immigr?t loin,
and this eleventh-hour He will not
hurt mo. In a recent speech I stated
my.position on Immigration so clearly
that no one except Baker and Dotal
nick misunderstood it. I defeated Mr.
.'ricCalla on that very Issue.
It is charged that I did nothing In
support of tho Burnett Immigration
bill, to restrict immigration, in the
Sixty-second Congress. On Jan. 17,
1913, when tho motion to lay the com
ference report on the table came up,
I was abEcnt. I was also absent when
tho motion was made to recommit the
report. When the next vote came up
agreeing to the conference report,
on Jan. 25, 1913. I was present and
was recorded as voting Yea. The biil
passed and was sent to President
Taft, who votoed It. On Feb. 1?. 1913.
there was a vote on the passage of
the biil over the President's veto, and
I was present and voted Yea. Tho
Congressional Record will cheerfully
prove Baker to be a liar if he will
turn to page 3429, Sixty-second Con
gress, third session.
THE PURE FOOD LAW
It Is charged that 1 voted against
tho pure food bill. This is another
half-truth, which is worse than out
right falsehood. When the bill came
before the house I objected to it be
cause It invaded the rights of the
states. The bill, as it. stood then,
would have taken away from the
states all their rights and powers In
the administration of their health
laws and regulations. As a demo
crat I could not stand [or that, and I
voted against It, giving, my reasonr
for doing so. Other democrats who
voted with me were AdamBon and
Bartlelt of Georgia, Burleson of Tex
an . (now postmaster general), John
Shk.-p Williams of Mississippi (now
Senator). Candlor of Mississippi, Oar
rett of Tennessee Gillcsple of Texas,
Henry of Texas, Hill and Humphreys
of Mississippi. Moore, Russell and
Sheppnrd (mow Senator) of Texns,
Sherley of Kentucky, and. Smith of
Texas. That was pretty good compa
ny, was It not? The bill passed the
House and went to the'Senate, where
the objectionable features, were
'stricken out. and when It came back
to the House I voted for It, as did the -
others, end It became a law. I have
no apologies to make for my record
on that bill.
AS TO THE SPEECHES
.Baker make the insinuation that I
have not, written the speeches that I
have made In Congress, that I have ]
had to get somebody else to prepare .
Uaom for. me. It Is rather fatiguing j
to have to answer such a charge. I :
have, not made as many speeches as
same other memb-ir?. end perhaps
they have .not bvsn as brilliant m
Bomo others, but at any rate they
have been mine, AND BAKER
KNOWS IT.
Bskcr says the late Zach ??cGu?e
told htm of having furnished me with
material for a Speech. Zach '/AcQhee
was' my friend. He was a gv'utleman,
and I don't believe hn ev*r spent
much Urn? in Bsker's compatv. It Is' i
characteristic of Baker to try to prove
a'.falsehood by a dead man. Sorna
years ?Sefbro his death Zach McGhee
took a trip through 'England; add
wrote a series of. very interesting
n?rwsnaper- articles telling of btt ex* '
perlenes? ?n^ observations among
the laboring people.of that country, :
particularly with . reference to wjig??"
and tho cost of living, and the differ*
?Hees in this country because of the
high tariff,., t took some of th?se let
ters and read them lato ine Congres- .
Jional Record, giving Mr. McGhee
oil .credit f of- them. This was bot a
speech, nt ftl)rand dity sot pr?tend to ?
of some very valuable data collected ;
by Mr. Medice Tor the benefit of the
lie, but was merely the Introduction
iiiemberH of Congress, as the tariff
wob then an issue. Those who would
like lo see the proof that Haker has
lied about this, as about'other things,
I may consult the Congressional Rec
ord of the second session of the Six
ty-first Congress, pages 35Gfj to 3574
inclusive.
Every two years the democratic
campaign committee Issues a Cam- .
palgn Handbook, for use in the piv
otal districts, and for the guidance
of Democratic speakers and editors
during the campaign. This hand
book has been issued five times since
I have been in Congress, and three
times it has contained speeches deliv
ered by nie on tho floor of the House.
I would not detract from the honor
or glory of any other man, but I do
not believe that any other member
of Congress has been thus honored by
his coll?gues duting the ten years, that
I have been in the House. I make.no
claims to gifts of oratory, but when
I do speak or write I have som?thing
to say and I tell the truth straight
from the shoulder, ob I am doing
now.
A3 TO ABSENTEEISM.
It is charged that I have been away
from the House a great deal while it
has been in session, that out of 991
roll culls I was absent 253 times.
Charges of this kind bave been made
against members of Congress ever
since we have had a congress. I
havo not taken the trouble to verify
the figures as given by Baker, but, as
suming that they ore correct, which I
doubt, I am surprised that I was re
corded as voting so many times. The
record is a good one, even as they
state it. Ab everybody knows, it has
been a custom in Congress from time
immemorial for members to pair with
each other. When a member is
obliged to be absent, for illness or for
any other reason, he gets a member
of th? opposite party to pair with
him, and then neither will vote until
the absent member returns and the
pair Is broken. This is a courtesy
that all members of Congress extend
to each other. I have had to be away, *
from the House occasionally, while it
was in session, on account of Illness
of myself or members of my family,
or on public business, and I bave near
ly always been paired. I have been in
the House a great many times when a
vote was taken, and have refrained ,
from voting, bocause I was paired
with some absent member. The pairs ,
are shown in the Congressional Ree- ,
ord, but not in the Journal of the
House. If. Dominlck and'his hench
man, Baker, had wanted to be fair j
they would bave quoted" from theJtec
ord. and not from tub Journal, and ,
would have told the truth about the
pairs.
THE CHAIRMANSHIP. ,
It is charged that I was not made '
Chairman of tho Committee on the '
District of Columbia, in ' spite of
seniority, becauso I bud been neglect- 1
fui of duty in attending the commit- ;
tec meetings and was not equal to tho '
work. At the beginning of the Sixty- <
second Congress It was up to me to '
take this Chairmanship, being the (
tanking member of the committee,
but 1 did not care for lt. I knew it 1
meant a groat^eal of thankless work, 1
and that It might Interfere with my 1
duty to my own district and keep me 1
from giving it the close attention <
which it has been my pride to give It <
Representative Bon Johnson of Ken
tucky was next to me on the commit- 1
tee, and was at that time a prospec- 1
tive candidate for governor o'i his 1
Bisie. H? whs very keen io get the
chairmanship, for tho reason that he *
thought it would help him in his race j
for governor. I did not know a great '
deal about Johnson, but bad regard- I
ed blm as my friend, and was quite J
willing to unload the Chairmanship on 5
him. He seemed very grateful, and *
was profuse In his thanks. Ho offered '
to do anything in the world for mo. '
and I asked him to appoint my old 1
friend Dock Owens, n Confederate 1
Veteran, who now lives at Greenwood 1
but who onco lived it Anderson, as 1
messenger of the C? nmittee. This la 1
a position that 1b rnt hard to fill, and I
pays some 11,100'rr $1,200 a year, and I
it would have brr.i a godsend to Mr. 1
Owens In bis d?- lining years. Mr. J
Johnson. did no4 Ueep his promis*)' as '
to appointing Mh Owens, and he aid <
not act ' fairly i.i other matters, and <
1 quit attend'. the committee'meet- '
Ings. I am so 1 ullt that'when a man <
deliberately i lays false with, me It..'
Is hard for mo to get over lt. I
At the be?Inning of the Sixty-third ]
Congress I learned that my opponents '
for re-elect* On would ' try to use j
Bn?'?Bt tu? ?u? fact tu?t I wm nul j
made chairman of the'District Com- )
mlttee. and would try to make it np
pear that I had been turned down be- 1
cause of fault of my own. I swallow
od triV pride and went to Mr. John
son' and asked him If he would be as 1
good to me as I had been to him'. I \
told him-that I had given him the 1
chairmanship to help him in bis poll- !
t leal v. for tunes, and asked him it te,1
would do the same thing for,me. I 1
wss not much surprised when he t?ld' \
me that he had defeated me for the
chairmanship in a fair fight, and on '
his merits, and that I had no claim 1
on him. I did not pursue the matter as 1
vigorously as 1 might have done, for 4
Mr. Johnson had his friands. Of course. !
and I feared that a fight over the 1
chairmanship might open the way for {
disruption in the party ranks, and-1 j
Bid not want to be responsible for '
anything of. that kind. '
Bttt In order to be prepared ?r tjv?t \
su?h a slander as this I we. i ? iae
Democratic mom bent of the V-o"* and
Means Committee (which" ciiaintttee \
selects all "th? other commuted of
tho House), and State?? the 'frftqatlbri ,
to them and asked for a stafement of
th? facts.- They very promptly and \
glartly gave men the,following: ; J
"House of Representatives, ,
^Washington, April.34. 1913. '
frjpTop, \Vyatt Alken, House pt R?pre* l
sentatlvcfl.
"Dear Sir:?lu response to your In
quiry , we;'the, members or tho Com
mittee on Ways und Means of the
Sixty-'sccohd Cougrc-ss, .take pleasure
In stating that in the selection of the
Committee, Chairmen at the beginning
ot the St'xty-jecond Congress you
would h?yo been chosen as Chairman
of the Committee on the District of
Columbia ff we had not received
your declination. There can be no
question about this as you were tbe
ranking mem?cr of taut Committee
and no other name was considered un
til after your declination had been
received.
"Yours very ttuly,
(Sinned.)
"O. W. Underwood,
" Henry T. Uainey,
"Cordeli Dull,
*'A.. Mitchell Palmer,
"Claude Kitchen,
"Lincoln Dlxon,
"Andrew J. Peters,
"Francis Durion Harrison,
"W.- 8.'Hammond,
"D. W. Shackleford,
"OlUe M. James,
"Wm. -.Hughes."
If Baker -will read this statement
he will find .attached to it the. name
of Hon. Oille .M. James of Kentucky,
who was a member of the Ways and
Means Committee in the Sixty-second
Congress, and who is now a United
States Senator, and whom he has at
tempted to quote against me.
This ought to be convincing proof,
even to Dominlck and Baker, as to
the chairmanship mutter. It is true
that I havo hot been attending tbe
meetings < f tho committee during the
Sixty-thfrd Congress, and it is also
true that ray course is approved by
my colleagues who understand the
situation. I have found plenty of oth
er work to do. I attended cue meeting
of the committee, wheu ::>y vote wes
on some needed legislation. It some
times happens that the vote of one
honest man is badly needed, und my
vote has always been ready when it
was needed,' in committee or else
where. During my entire service in
Congress I have never failed to vote,
or to be paired* on any important is
sue.
THE ANDERSON POSTOFFICE
it Is charged thut I have kept an
unworthy man', a republican, in of
fice as postmaster at Anderson" be
cause of political cowardice. This is
the first time I have over been ac
cused of coward h e, and? it will prob
ably be tho last time. Here are the
facts' as to the' Anderson post office:
Soon' aftor' President Wilson's in
auguration, if hot.before, it W&a an
nounced to be the . policy of the ad
ministration that where ? republican
postmasters were giving- good ser
vice, and, there were no demands tor
their removal on tho part of the
patrons of the office, tho postmasters
would be allowed to servo out their
terms. I opposed that policy' then'nnd
I am opposed to it now. If I bad had
my way, every republican postmaster
In the country Would havo been flrcd
within a month after Wilson's inau
guration. But the administration
thought the other, course should be
followed, and I have had to acquiesce.
Some months ago Mr, Cochran, tbe
post maste r- at Anderson, and the as
sistant postmaster and the nssltant j
postmaster's father, after having. |
been' friends for a long time, became
estranged and some bitter feeling
shaved.
Serious char,,es were filed against
tho postmaster, and a postofftce in
spector was detailed to investigate
them. When his report came in it was
????v?i uu?e io the postmaster. . uut |
the officials of tho Department, having
aad experience in matters, of. this
kind, and pursuing tbe policy of tak
ing nothing for: granted?and per
haps having reason" to believe' that
the inspector was not without bias
it had been deceived in the matter?
aad another Inspector detailed to
make an investigation. This inspector
had never, been to Anderson before,
ind knew nobody there. He- spent
several weeks in Anderson, mingling
with the people and trying to get at
the ' facts, and his: report was alto
gether different from that of the first
Inspector. Still another Inspector
made a report, and his report cprrob
nrtaatcd that of the second inspector.
These reports, made wholly independ
ent of eaoh other, tallied in almost ev-1
Bry detail. The department officials j
were thoroughly.!;eehylnced that the
marges against Mf.Cochran were made
through spite, aha it was, clearly es
tablished that most of the , charges
were without foundation while oth
ers wore grossly exaggerated. The de
partment officials informed mo that
tin? sufficient ?"*y??v?? for -ths pest
auujter's removal had been -Shown,
inf.-that there'was nothing for me
:o do.
i It Is true that when the difficulty
between the postmaster and tho as
datant postmaster i first occurred
K?me good people at Anderson wrote
that they thought the . postmaster
mould be removed. Most of them
lave since wrlttan that th?y were
hlstaken. that"they' did hot'fully-.un
terstand tbe circumstances, and that
they thought It would be only justice,
tor him to serve'out his term, which
s*pir*b in Bwe?rj?b?r:' Thsrc -;' v .are'a
lumber of applicants for th?'office, all
>f whom are i^tHfin?^'t^?y?rf
me of them has informed nie that he
Is willing for Mr: Ocehfad to sert.e
aut his term.-It la w?rtiry1 or mention
la this connection that'Vire are some
15 or 30 clorks ahd carters in the Am
'.erson postofflce. They are as fine and
?lean ? body of men as l hev?-i?v?r
mown. Ever* single one of them has
tided unreservedly with the postmas
ter In this affair. 8tft?lyi.U Uiere had
been anything very badly wrong, they
?o?ld not have: stood for-It-^rtahar
y not all of them.
It Is true that^?l*^e.. mlnlitera of
the city or Anderson *.:>icn ? peti
tion K> the Pf^Ment.. asarng^ ?tat
the ,
Two
tnwe but
and llicy had not had timo to get ac
quainted with conditions. The other |
minister who signed the petition is
pastor of a small church, and, I am
told, spends comparatively little of
his time in the city. None of the oth
er 2') or mote white ministers in the
c ity signed the petition, although |
most, if not all were asked to do'so.
Some of them even went so far as to
write letteis to Washington express
ing their disgust with the metbrds
being used against the postmaster,
and letting it be known that they
were more than willing for him to re
main in office until the expiration of
his term. These letters are all on file
in Washington, and it would have
been so easy for Baker to have quot
ed them If he had been trying
to bo decent.
Daker characterizes* Mr. Cochran as
"a diunken sot." Mr. Cochran is able
to take care of himself, and Baker
will probably be called to account for
such language. It is probably true
that he* has been drinking too much.
Any man who drinks at all drlnkB too.
much. I can say this, because in my
own young manhood I used to drink,
but I quit drinking when I was elect
ed to Congress and I have not taken
a drink since. It is extremely dis?
tasteful to make these personal re
ferences, but so many slanders bave
been circulated on me that I would
not be at all surprised to learn tbat
the character assassins are saying
that I, too, have been a "drunken sot"
here in Washington.
So much for the Anderson postof
fice. There has been no vacancy, al
though a desperate effort has been
made to create one. I have not tried
to keep Mr. Cochran in office, and I
have not tried to get him out, for I
knew that would be uselesB unless
there was cause. The postofnee depart
ment officials say there was not suffi
cient cause.
Biii. I ituvc uevu ?eepi?s ?i?o? ??f>
with the situation sb regards the ser
vice, and there has not been one
single complaint as to the service
given by the postofhee In Anderson.
The department officials say the of
fice ranks second to none in the
country in point of efficiency. Only
recently it has been my pleasure to
co-operate in securing better mail
service in and out of the city of An
derson, and right now we are working
on a plan to Improve the delivery ser
vice in the city and on the rural
routes.
As I have stated, if I had had my
way Mr. Cochran and ev?ry oth?r Re
publican postmaster in the country
would have been removed long ago.
There is a Republican postmaster at
, Greenville, and there are -Republican
postmasters still in office at other!
places In South Curoltna and all over
the oountry. As fast as their commis-1
sions expire they are being'removed
and their places filled by Democrats.
Baker knows this, if Domlnick does
not. And by the way, why is- it that '
Baker Is bo distressed about a Re-1
publican remaining as postmaster at
Anderson, when he has been working
so hard to enable Republican employ
es - of the Senate to hold their, jobs
while capable Democrats are asking
for. them?
I have every reason to believe that
if it were left to the patrons of the
Anderson postoffice, 90 per cent of
them would vote for Mr. Cochran to I
Serve Mb term out Baker and I
Domlnick are not patrons of the of
fice, and I have'bad many assurances
within the past two or. three days
that the people of Anderson resent
their gratuftlous interfence..
Baker says a certain man has been
"slated" for the Job. Another rile;'
that is all fixere is to that. If there
had been any "slating" I would have
been a party to it, and I know noth
ing of It I have not decided whom-1
will recommend. for the position, but
when the time comes I will give the
matter careful consid?ration. and SO I
the best I Can. All the applicants!
arc good men, and I believe any one
of then would make a good post
master.
TH? CANAL VOTE.
(1 am criticised because I did not
vote with President Wilson on the
canal tolls matter. This has been
threshed out time and again,' but I
I-had as well, say something about
that too.-One of .the main arguments
for going to the enormous expense
of bullding the Panama canal was
that It would open a short water way
Republican, and this fact was widely,
commented on throughout the coun
b'etween the Atlantic and Pacific I
coasts, and i would' insure' .cheaper]
freight rates across the continent ?n?S j
to and from the f?ddte West lo the
two. seaboards. Ujf? bunt the cafca
with that understanding. Free toll
fo'i coaai wise vess??s was one or the
mam planks in the Baltimore, plat
form, and this plank was specifically l
endorsed by I?T?sTdent TVilabn, M^'l
Bryan" and 'other Democratic leaders
during the campaign. They told 03
the pietform meant juaV what it said.
I believed that then; and I believe
- it-now. .When-1-became a candidate
for. re-election' to Congress two years
ass'S signed the piedge, required by
the State Convention, that I would
"support ' the principles and policies
of the party.*' Free tolls was consider
ed a Democratic principle ,' ,andIj",
; Democratic policy. We .ps-sed a . law
providing for free tdlla lh the Sixty/
Mid':,*"
t?-^?or*ua'^^
sbtf came before us suddenly one dayJ
last; -rfprihsTand "demandefff<that arr 1
rt?eat that law. He g?ve no .re*ja*
for his action, and he bar, given hont
since. I have never been able to. fine
any satisfactory reason' for voting to
rejjfcal th? law; and 1 did not:: row
that way. Other Domocrats/ Speaker
f&lrk, Mr: UnderwoooV ttb^ ..periW
cro?t* ? *<?'>' ur- ' tmWjhfj?.w L
North Carolina, wbo wIII be' the-" D?mol i
erratic leader in the next Congress,
voted just as I did. The4 charge tb?t I
we lined up with the Republicans is !
false, for it was not a party question; [
and the R.?.'Publicacs-wore as -badly;!
divided as the Democrats,.ThQ charge J
that in favoring free tolls; we: w?
favoring a ship subsidy is equally
false. On the other hand, if the coast
wise ships using th? canal have to pay
tolls they will have to charge higher
rates, and that will be in tbe inter
est of tho railroads, their competi
tors, so that making the ships pay
tolis la a fotrn of railroad subsidy.
As a matter of fact Oreat Britain
never raised the question of free toils
until it was brought up hy the Tehun
tapec Railroad, in Mexico, and tho
Canadian Pacific Railroad, both of
which are owned by British Interests.
In repealing tbe provision for free
tolls for vessels engaged in coastwise
shipping we were legislating directly
for tbe benefit of this English-owned
railroad In Mexico and this English
owned Canadian railroad, and the
trans-continental railroads in our
own country, and no sensible man.can
deny that fact. The more I think
about my vote on the canal toils ques
tion the more convinced I am that I
was right, politically, economically
and in every other way.
Several persons have stated that
they heard Mr. Dominlck say, Just af
ter thiB vote was taken, that if he had
been in Congress he. would ; have
voted just as I did. It appears that
when he got to examining the state
ment as to my record, as furnished
him by Baker, x he found so little
to criticise that he decided to attack
me on my vote on the canal tolls.
.It appears that he abandoned his own
convictions in the hope of gaining
votes if he could show that I was not
in sympathy with the President.
THE USE OF MONEY.
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It is charged that I have spent a
great deal of money in my campaign,
that I have "degraded and corrupted
politics." This must be amusing to
most people, who know tho facts, ti?
have never spent a preat deal of \f\
spend. I have had the good fortune p,
to defeat several rich men, who spent 41
money lavishly, who had more money h
than I could have raised if my life a
bad depended on it. Since the cam- ai
paign publicity law has been in ef- ft
feet I have filed at the close of each hi
campaign a sworn statement as to my
expenses, and if I h?vp sworn false- m
ly I am subject to prosecution in the 01
courts and fine and Imprisonment, h
But this charge is so abBured that I B;
can hardly give it serious consid?ra- t]
tion. t pi
"LITTLE THING8."
It is charged that my work in
Congress has consisted of "UtD?
things.," Well, life Itself is-made-up
of little things. ? have always believed
that a man who does little things
'weir'"?o?s- h tolerably big '. thing. ?j
have tried >o give close and prompt
attention to the wants of the people
of my district. The congressman who
tries to attend to his duties faithfully
eats no idlo bread. No man ca t
truthfully say that the interests of
the" Third district have suffered since
1 h?ve' been in Congres?. On the con
trary, lb Would be very easy to show
that the Third district has farer*
much' better than many others.
It is given to but few members of
Congress to get their names connect- t(
ed with national legislation. Take tbe ?
new 'tariff law, for instance. It. Is V-i
known as the Underwood law, and B
rightly bo, for. Mr. Underwood, as h
chairman of tbe Ways and Means U
Committee, introduced it in the a
House and skillfully handled it. And b
yet, every Democratic member ot Con- t<
gress bad a band In making that bill c
and .in its passage. It was considered B
by tbe D?mocratie caucus add amend- I
ed by .Democratic votes on the .floor H
of ' the House. The ssme thing is true
of the now ?hrr?hcy law,' known as n
th? ?l ass-Owen law. It was introduc- y
ed In the house by Hon. Carter Glass,' c
chairman of the Committee on Bank-' hi
Ing and Currency, and. nobody Is Jeal- w
ohs of him because It .bears his name, al
Vet he will cheerfully - bear testi- a
mony that every Democratic member a',
of Congress had a' hand In Its making w
and ip Its enactment. The same thing u
Is true of the Smith cotton futures j,
bill, and the Lever bill for agrlcul- ?j
tural extension work. They w?r?
amended, and . rewritten many times
before they finally became law. The
"same thins win t? true of my biH to
provide for long-time credits on farm
lands at low interest. That bill may
pass and it will be aaown as the
Aiken law, if I remain In Congress,
but It will doubtless undergo man/
amendments before It- gets up to tl.e
President for his signature'. This is
true of nil legislation, for, in almost
every instance, legislation Is the re
sult of compromise. There are many
men lb Congress, and they have many
minds, and they are sb a rule good
[Su^^iusa p ui?i' sets through anai
becomes a HW'M is the work of the!
combined wisdom of the entire body.
I car/not -brag 'on myself, for Belt*
prhlse Is.half scandal, but t do he
lfe ve that my record In coghress will
compare at least favorably with the
average, and I would like for some
unbiased man to make the comparison
some day.
SIXTY-SIX ?ILL8
nick that I have secured the passage
of only 66 bills sirce I have been in
Congress. I have not counted them;
Hot If there *cro as asr.ny as ?? bills
that is probably RO per cent grtater
that is probably 60 per cent greater
[than any other member of Congress
has to bio Credit during my. service.
During one Congross 1 ?ecured the
pastaje of more bills than any other
member of Cktugs-eas, . Democrat or
try. It Is.claimed that most of these
wer? famall ..bills * tfhat te pr?b?JUy
true, and If It is true it proves that I
have been looking after the interests
ot ,tl>e small fellows in ?fy district
s
itftSfr to, the rinsll raa\ters which
WHAT DOMINICK DID.
I had hoped to go ^ through this}
am pal KU without making any direct
Bference to Mr. Dotninlck. but Binco
e has seen fit to help circulate- fnlsu
tatements about mo I will toll the
ruth about him. In 1002 Mr. Doin-ni'*k
-aB a member of the legislature from
[ewberry county. There was a bill
ending to increase the salary of the
heriff of Orangcburg county. It had
assed one house, and had passed the -
Iber house with an amendment, and
ad passed a conference Committee
nd got into free conference. On the
ist day of the session' the desired
hange'was incorporated in the gen
ral supply bill, and then the Orangc
urg delegation asked that the Indivi
na! bill be killed by haVlng the free
nferees report a disagreement. Dut
l the rush of the closing hours Mr.
lominick, who was on the free con
?rence committee, wrote a report and
arried it to the other members of
le committee and told them
e hod arranged It to suit
le parties interested, and they took
is word for it and signed it without
fading it. The bill was about to bo
ut through and become ? law, when
mebody discovered that Mr. Dbml
ick had struck out all before and af
?r the enacting words, and had writ
m a new bill entirely, providing for
?e establishment of breweries or beer
ottling' concerns in certain cities,
[r. Dominlck'B report was rejected,
nd in all the history of South ('are
na no member of the legislature
ver received such severe conderana
on from his colleagues us Mr. Doml
Ick received on the floor of the
louse and Senate. There are doubt
;ss men living in every county in
le Third district today who were in
?e legislature at that time, and who
ill testify as to the truth of what
say. It is interesting to add In this
onnection that when Mr. Dominick
Sored for re-election to the legisla
te the following year he was ovcr
eople,' receiving only Something like
DO votes in.the entire county. And
is home pe?ple tell me that In his
ici .f?r Cu?gfes? this year he ' ?151
sain he repudiated and that he will
til to carry his home county by many
undredB of votes.
They have not forgotten how he
tade the county pay him an outrage
as feo for doing work which It was -
is duty to do, while drawing a
alary as clerk of the board of coun
! commissioners, without extra com
onsatiop.
IN CONCLUSION
I have tried to answer this slondcr
us attack fully, although I'believe It
as not cost . me votes, because 1
?lt that I owed to my frirnds, who
ave been so true'"to' hie in the past,
j ob so. If i-bav0tnot answered any
jscntial charge it is because I have
verlooked'lt.T have been, necessarily
usy here'since.the .'attack appeared
l the Newberiy.paper, i
I have linked Domuiicl:'s naine witn
nker's in this matter, for I havo
nown for months that Baker hd-J
?en furnishing Dominick with am
?unitlon. Domlnfck probably rcal
:es by npw that the ammunition is
iulty and won't shoot straight. Many
eople know of Baker's frequent trips
} Anderson and other places in tho
'hlrd district, more than GOO miles .
rom his post of duty, to confer witlt
mm I nick. It 1b notorious that Baker
as been neglecting his work in orMor
? go to South Carolina to engineer
Campaign against me, while I have
een here In Washington looking af
ar the interests entrusted to my
are. If what I have wrlten about
laker is not true he has ? remedy.
cordially Invite him to sue me for
bel,
.Congress has been in session al
tost continuously for the past four
oars, and I haye not been, able to
anva?n .the district each year, as
ad been my custom before, and as: I
'ahted to do. We. bave been in Bos
on continuously since April, 1013,
nd.lt looks today as if we will be in
esslon until, the fourth of March,
rhen this congress expires by llml
ition. ' I wont to tho Third district
l tho early part,of August aud made
*o campaign tour as arranged by
ie executive committee, speaking at
ach court h'on??.. During that week
Te E>vopean war bUdrlenly' broke
K)SCs and we found one morning that
ie South was facing a great disaster
ocause of tho .threatened drop in tho
rice of cotton caused by the closing
t the European markets. I had
oped to spend the remainder of the
me until the primary In Uae district,
letting my friends, but the situation
ecame so serious'by the close of the
ampalgn tour that I hurried here, and
ave been here ever since. I felt that
' the people of the district ever.did
ccd ttiV BsrviccB iu Wuahingion they
oeded them In this crisis. I want to
et away from h?re next week, but do'
ot know thr.i I will be able to do so.
I? will arrange to have this article
rinted in aft manw of tho nowspa
ers of : thedistrict, as'possible in '".:':/
i'eir'- next issue, and . will also have
cone copies printed in circular form. ?
wiU ask my friends to. try ; to get
ils article generally circulated over
ver tb.e entire district at once. I
tank my friends Jn advance for this,
s f thank them for all their goodness
) mo In the past. ".
And In conclusion. I want to sav
iat I have lived aU my life in the
bird district, more than halt a cen- \
try* and aiu now serving my sixth
inn in Congress. My life has been
n open book. I know the people of
ie district, and I believe th?y know
ie. If, after aU these years, the peo
!o are willing to retire me on the
anderen?; chattes, made at the
leveuth hour of the. campaign, by a
rdven scoundrel. I ani read to step
*wa and,put. I believe, though, thai;
tA neorSp* nf ffu? Third district be
ere in" decency and f*tr play.T apd
mt 'bn ihe^^th^
?b?ke tfie m?thtVas used! against toe
i no unc?T-fa? tefia?, -
^}niV^ps8rthia article- which Is
r^^lfrglKif, with; the following
wsSe from; Speaker Champ Clark:
^^ahould not be ponf. to congress