The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-08-13
Latime2 for the y. S. Senate.
A Partial Record of What He Has Ac.
complished in Congress.

complished in Congress.
The Third Congressional District
and Anderson county in particular,
presents a candidate for the United
States Senate in the person OF Con-
gressman A. G. Latimer who has
special fitness for the place as shown
by his past record. And what is
that record? A poor boy left by the
fortunes of war without the means of
securing an education beyond that
afforded by the old field school, he
started life with the only legacy left
him-that of the plow handles. He
has tried the field and the furrow in
all it's 7arying phases, and is and has
been successful farmer, ard more
thoroughly understands the needs,
and is in more thorough sympathy
with the agricultural population than
any other man in the f~'d. And this
not in antagonism to the other varied
interests OF the State, but as lying
at the basis of all true prosperity, re-
alzing that these interests are corol-
laries growing out Of the agricultural
interests of the State, and that as
agriculture is prosperous the others
will NECESSARILY share in it, and that
no country and no other interests
can prosper when agriculture is de-
pressed.
Mr.. Latimer has brought to the
public service the same zeal and
energy, the same honesty and square
dealing, the same practical business
sense that has guided him thrt ugh
life in his private business, and that be
has made success of it. Look at the
record of his ten years in congress in
results brought to people of the Third
district. It is not exaggeration to
say that be has secured more in ten
years than all the other congressman
who have represented the district
since the war, and this is not said to
dispsrage them but as simple state
ment of truth. He went into con-
gress new and untried man, fresh
from the fields, sent there by the
farmers, inexperienced in Legislation
and not skilled in the graces of ora
tory, and it was not long until this
farmer representative had something
tangible to show. The railroads 10
the State in the hands of receivers in
the Federal courts had for years fail
ed to pay their taxes due the State,
and he at once set in motion the me-
cessary legal machinery to make them
pay their taxes just as the farmers
have to do. He came to the relief of
the State, and it is within the knowl-
edge of all how the sberiffs of some
of the counties were imprisoned for
attempting to collect these back taxes
But he was at length successful and
the railroads were made to pay $2O8.
900 into the State treasury. Soon
after his entrance into congress he
took up the matter of securing, the
claim of Newberry college for $4,000
for injury to their building by the
occupancy of the Federal troops.
This bill had been pending for years,
and it's friends had almost despaired
of ever getting it passed, but Latimer
succeeded where others had failed,
and the college got the money. He
has been instrumental i'll increasing
the number of seed packages from
5000 to $4,000 in each district, and
thousands of farmers today testify
that the seeds are the best they ever
had; and thousands upon thousands
of farm bulletins are distributed Civ
ing the results of the work of the de-
psrtment of agriculture.
But passing over some other mat
ters the greatest good that he has
secured to the people of his district
is the establishment of the rural free
delivery Of the mails to the homes of
the people. He has never claimed to