The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-08-13
LATIMER FOR THE U. S. SENATE.
A Partial Record of What He Has
Accomplished in Congress.

Accomplished in Congress.
The Third Congressional District,
and Anderson county in particular,
presents candidate for the United
States Senate in the person of Congress
man A. G. Latimer who has special 6t-
ness 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 ed
uca5ion 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 its varying
phases, and is and has been a success
full farmer, and more thoroughly un-,
derstands the needs and is in more
thorough sympathy with the argicul-
tural population than any other man
in the field. And this not in antagon-
| ism to the other varied interests of the
State, but as lying at the basis Of all
true prosperity, realizing that these
interests are corollaires 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 in
| terests can prosper when agriculture IS
| depressed.
Mr.. Latimer has brought to the pub
lie service the same zeal and energy,
the same honesty and square dealing,
| the same practical business sense that
has guided through life in his private
business, and that he has made sue
cess of it. Look at the record OF his
ten years in congress in results brought
to people of the Third district. 1t
is not exaggeration to say that he has
secured more in ten years than all the
| other congressman who, have represent
ed the district since the war, and this
is not said to disparage them but as a
simple statement of truth. He went
into congress 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 In
the State in the hands of receivers in
| the Federal courts had for years failed
to pay their taxes due the State, and
he at once set in motion the necessary
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 knowledge
of all how the sheriffs Of some OF the
counties were imprisoned for attempt
ing to collect these back taxes. But
he was at length successful and the
| railroads were made to pay SOS, Goo
into the State treasury. Soon after
his entrance into congress he took up
the matter of securing the claim of
Newberry college for Sl5, 600 for injury
to their building by the occupancy OF
| the Federal troops. This bill had
been pending for years, and its friends
had almost despaired of ever getting
| it passed, but Latimer succeeded
where others had failed, and the col
| lege got the money. He has been in
strumental in 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 thou
sands upon thosuands of farm bulle-
tins are distributed giving the results
of the work of the department. of agri-
culture.
But passing over some other matters
| The greatest good that he has secured
to the people of his district is the es-
tablishment of the rural free delivery
of the mails to the homes of the peo-
pie. He has never claimed to be the
originator of the system, but only to
be one of the first men to perceive the
great benefit there is in it and to give
| it practical application, and today
there are 90 routes in operation in his
district at salary of $500 per carrier,
bringing s54, 600 annually into the
district and conferring vastly improved
mail facilities upon the people: :.
He has introduced a bill, which is
now pending, providing for l,500, COO
acres of the public domain to be set
apart for the public schools Of South
Carolina. He has now corps OF sur
veyors in the State instructed by the
| agricultural department to make SOIL
survey of 1000 square miles of terri
tory to ascertain the constituent ele-
ments of the soil with reference to its
| adaptability to the production Of crops.
He has also introduced an amendment
to the agricultural bill appropriating
$3.50, 600 for experiments in road max
| ing. These matters are referred to
show the practical lines along which
be has been working.
These are but portion Of the bene-
fits this farmer representative has Sc
cured for his people, and he comes now
asking you to give him wider field
for the display Of his usefulness
Anderson Mail.
The Negro Young Peoples Christian