The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1896-03-12
IN, IA Hon. a. q. Lafiuncr.
The elections Committee Report In His
IS Favor Brief Synopsis OF tho Good
Work He Has DOne and Is Doing in

= Work lie has DOno ana Is DOING
Z the House.
i Washington, D. c., Feb p, 1896.
1t will be gratifying to the friends {
= Mr.. a. C. Latimcr and to many of tn
:: readers OF the Press & Bannerto know tina
IS the Elections Committee Of the House o.
Representatives have reported unani
: mol,sly to the House that Mr.. Latincr is
entitled TO tho seat from the Third Con,
grcssiunal district Of South Carolina for
the possession of whichia contest has
= report will of course be acquicsccd i'm and
approved by the House, and the matter
being privileged one under the rules can
be called up at almost any time.
Or course Sncn contests arc supposed
to be determined upon the law and the
evidence; but still there is much in the
action thus taken that will be gratifying
to the friends Of Mr. La,imcr. Suppose
foi instance, that Mr.. Laimcr was per-
sonallv di>likcd BY his fellows in the
House, or that by previous conduct he
bad rendered himself obnoxious to many
of them. do you think the result of his
contest would have been the same? No
body knows better than LAWYERS and
Judges that person equations enter to Il
greater o: less extent into the tlctcrmina-
tion OF all questions that arc settled in
the Courts. the place above all others
where Justice is supposed to he mctrd
out without fear, favor or Affection The
ease Is not essentially different i'm the two
| Houses OF Congress, where members can
always find excuse and justification Tor
doing what they very much want to do.
ne individual is seldom lost sight of;
and really it is the personal ecmeut that
Is the greatest factor in determining The
influence anu usefulness Of i lnrnbcr in
either House OF Congresses II is not the
man who is most on his feet in debate, or
| VINO Is kccnrst in rcpartcc, that accom-
pllshcs tho most. Indeed, such person
Is oftcntimcs without any
Influence at all with his fellows
on the floor and can accomplish, abso.
luttly nothing Legislation is nodded
ana shaped in the committee rooms, and
| IL IT is there that members must have an
influence if they would affect results. \
favorable report from The committee in
charge of bill generally means that the
Oil Will pass If it can be reached on the
| calender or taken up for action.
| VI course many things. in Il body as
nnwicldy rs the House of Representatives
conSpire to pl event sacton on the great
bulk OF The bills Of Il local or special char
actcr; but 1t speaks well for the working
| qualities or Il mrmbcr when hc is able to
procure Favorable committee action Oh a
| bill which he has undertaken to champion
The work is done, not bv talking before
| the public on the floor Of the House, but
by quiet. PERSONAL, energetic intercourse
with the members who control the matter
| in committee
! MI Ialilnrr has cause also to be himScl If
gratiiiird at the manifestation Of friendly
| regard shown 10y tn" action of the Elections
Committee. lie has had evidence before
| however, of the willingness of members, to
| Il" justice to matters with which he was
connected. I'm the last congress, for in
stance, ne got Il unanimous report from the
! War Claims Committee in favor of the bill
which he introduced for the relief of New.
| berry College,, Il bill which proposed to pay
| 900 for in urics to the college buildings
while occupied as barracks by United
states troops at he close of the war. And
ErrSS t" get II like favorable report from the
| present Committee on War Claims lie al
So IN the last Congresses got n unanimous
rrr"r, from the Committee on Claims on /;
| bill which he introduced to refund to the
state the : 800 which was paid in fines il
! 'rhalI Of the Shcritls who had been ad
judged in contempt for seizing railroat
property that was in the hands Of Il receiv
cr" the United States Circuit Court. fit
ais" introduced and fathcred in the las
Congress Il bill for the regulating of rail
road rcccivcr-ships and directing chat tax
rS he paid III such eases the same as though
the roau were not in tho hands of Il rcccV
~. This bill was suggested By the situation
in South Carolina, and, if you remember
the Legislature mcmorializcd Congress ol
tn" subject. The bill, however, as L say
was introduced here and it's consideration
urged by MIR. Latimer; and upon this hil
the Committee on the Judiciary made
iaN"rahlr report; and the bill passed th'
House, hut died in conference on som,
some amendments made by the Senate.
mi ght also in this connection, If it wcr,
N,-h, u f,,,,
manner in which Mr.. Latimcr can lngrnti
ate himself with members, mention tn,
h"ndway lie is making III the present Con
grrSS, and on bills, too, of general imror
iimrr; as, for instance, hi which he hn
before the Committee on Agriculture tha
provides for the furnishing of seeds, bulbs
&C., To the agricultural experiment stations
and colleges throughout the country an!
l"r the propagation and distribution of suCl
things by the colleges and cNpcrimcnt sta
lions and, despite the fact that this bill ai
fcrtS the method heretofore prevailing q
every Congressman having such things t
distribute in his own way and under III
own frank, Mr.. Latimer has brought th
committee to his way of looking at the sui
lcrt. Another hill which he has before n
Committee on Public Lands IL one Of th
most important that can possibly recciv
the attention of Congress. The newc
states of the Union, ~ you know, nay
the hcnetit of certain part of the pupil
lands for school purposes. The orig!na
States, within whose limits there were n
public lands, have never had such benefit
This bill of Mr.. I.atimcr's proposes
cuualiZc the several States Of the Union i
| the grant OF lands for school purposes
South Carolina under this cqualizntio
would be entitled to 20S, $50 acres and TIL
scheme contemplatcs that the Unite
States, rs the public domain Is sold OF
shall divide up the money ratnbly anon
the States entitled thereto under the pre-
} visions of tho bill. The Public Lands Con
mittee, MS at present constitutes, is dom
mated by Western men from the State
within whose borders the public lands lie
and they are very generally opposed t
such n BILL hut Mr.. Latimor is 80 opcnin
the eyes Of Eastern men to tho Situatio
) that pressure enough may be brought t
7 bear to force report from the committc,
even though it should he an adverse ont
: Then, If the matter could bc forced to vot
:, in the House, the largo delegations froi
u the States to be benefited, New York, fC
instance, with her 81 Representatives. an
i,ehnSylvania with her %, would outvot
G inc western men. But a committee, whe
fearful that tho House would override II
o adverse report, will try to keep tho matter
nurica III the committee room. Matters
u the magnitude of this one, however, wi
not down and If hc pn I