Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-08-03
.A|KENS CAMPAIGN SPEECH.
THE THIRD DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE
TELLS OF HIS STEWARDSHIP.
SOME OF THE THINGS HE HAS DONE.
A Strong and Ciear-Cut Contrast OF the Princi.
Piles OF the Republican and Demo.
cratic Parties.

y
gresham Wyatt Aiken at the cam
paign meeting held here recently:
Mr.. Chairman 1t is with pleasure
that | return to you, my fcllow-citi-
zens, to thank you for the honor con-
ferred upon me. You are the arbiters
of my official conduct, and it is for
you to say whether or not | have
served you faithfully. That | have
served you faithfully and conscen-
tiously have the answer of an APP
proving conscience; but it is up to
you to say whether or not this SER
vice has been acceptable, and whether
our compact shall be renewed.
In the language of Dickens, assure
you "Barkus is willing" l wish to
subserve the best interests of my
people in all things, even to the ex-
tent of accepting denomination. Be-
fore touching on such questions rs
are before the political parties to-day
| ask your indulgence while l refer
to my individual work as your rep:
resentative.
With Republican majority,
mainly from Northern States, which
majority is unit on all important
issues, there is little scope for the
activity of Southern Congressman
little chance for Legislation in the in
terest of the South. The most that
we can do is to support such general
measures as include the South in
their beneficial efforts, and record
our disapproval of such measures as
rob the many for the benefit of the
few.
Eloquence and logic are God given
endowments which will ever com
mand respect and admiration, but to
swerve from it's purpose an instructed
Republican majority, they avail as
little as does a breath in turning
back the oceans waves. National
legislation has become so ne-sided,
so centralized that we may hope for
little that is of benefit to the South,
except in an occasional general act |
introduced bill to increase rural car
riers to 5000. My hope of passing
it was based on the belief that the
rural carriers all over the United
States would appeal to their repre-
sentatives, and create general de-
mand for the bill. This proved to
be the case, and while we did not get
the amount asked for we did get an
increase to S72O.
Another bill which | introduced
and still hope to pass, in case | again
represent you, provided for an immi-
grafton bureau on Ellis Island to be
composed Of representatives. from
the various States, whose duties it
shall be to select and send to their seve
raj States desirable immigrants. This
was in the interest of thinly popu-
lated Southern States, the wealth of
which might easily be doubled by de-
veloping their resources with a com
potency Of labor. | could not hope
by any oratorical effort, even if had
the gift of eloquence, to secure the
passage of this bill but by showing
in business way the Importance of
building up the producing sections
Of our country as means of increas-
ing the general wealth, in which all
sections participate, there is chance
for it's passage. Our own Legisla-
turc, recognizing the necessity for
filing in the depleted ranks of our
white farmers with desirable white
immigrants, created the Office of i'm
migration agent, looking to the very
ends proposed in my bills.
nave luCGcdScu Lllc IL. " -.
routes in the district since my in.
cumbency from 60 to Of; and bear
in mind the fact that / succeeded the
most active Congressman on this line
in the State that he worked in fallow
ground, selecting such routes as easily
met the approval of the department,
while the more difficult have fallen to
me. succeeded in reviving and
establishing several routes which had
been turned down by the depart
ment.
BY reason of my position on the
Pension Committee of the House
have secured numerous pensions for
Spanish war volunteers, not only in
this district, but in the districts rep
resented by Messrs. Finley, Lever
and johnson and other Southern dis
tricts. These pensions had been
turned down by the department for
one reason or another and would
possibly have died in the committee
archives but for the personal inter
est | took in the applicants.
Mr.. Aiken here told of his fight in
the Walhalla post Office matter, APP
poinLment of postmaster at Pendle-
ton, securing mail on train No. 1
on the Southern, II. f. ID. and star
routes, ETC., etc.
In rccounting these matters | do
so in no spirit of boastfulness, but
rather as rendering an account to
you who have right to know the
details Of nv service