Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-03-07
aAiseellanen,ls Rsaaing.
THE FEDERAL COURT BILL.
A Partisan of Chester Defends lati-
mer and critieises Finley.


A Partisan of Chester Defends Lati-
mer and critieises Finley.
Editor of the Yorkville Enquirer:
l have just read from your issue OF
the Sd instant, your editorial in refer
ence to the bill now before congress
commonly known as the South Caro-
lima Federal Court Bill" Believing
that you desire only to present the
truth Of this matter to your readers,
and to be entirely fair to all parties
concerned, take the liberty of telling
you what / know about the matter.
I was a member Of the delegation
sent by this city to Washington to
look after Chester's interest in the
bill, and was there for nearly a week.
Consequently I know something at
least Of the conditions as they exist In
Washington, as we'll as what has taken
place at this end Of the line. tell
you that Senator Latimer is no more
responsible for the fight Chester has
made and is making, in this matter
than you are, and your editorial does
him great injustice. Our people have
been thinking and talking about this
matter for years. and the moment we
saw from the papers that there was at
last a probability Of some legislation
along this line we went to work Of our
own free will and accord to try to
have Chester designated as one Of the
places where the court should be held!
We did not know the attitude of
either Senator Latimer or Mr.. Finley
towards us until our delegation reachi
ed Washington: and It Is absurd for
you to charge that Senator Latimer
managed to get Chester interested"
In order to bring Mr.. Finley to terms.
In our first interview with Senator
Latimer he told us that as the repre-
sentative of the whole district he
would take no part in the various con-
tests that were being waged over the
places where the court should be held;
that he believed the advantages of ev-
cry town in the district should be con-
sidered and the courts placed where
they would be most convenient to the.
most people. He very candidly ex-
pressed the opinion that Greenwood
and Chester had the advantage Of 10
cation over Spartanburg and Rock
Hill, but he assured us most positively
that he would not press his Judgment
in this regard to the extent Of injur-
ing the bills chances. He stated that
he believed the best interests Of the
state demanded the passage Of the bill,
and he did not consider 1t right to let
the whole or even one-half Of the state
suffer on account Of the ambitions Of
any one or any two towns in the dis
trict. And this Is what he told us
every time we saw him. and / now
tell you that we saw enough Of what
was going on up there to know that
this was his attitude towards the bill
am convinced that had Messrs. Jonn-
son and Finley risen to this height
The bill would now be law instead OF
corpse In the hands Of a committee
that will never meet. All Chester ask
ed of either Senator Latimer or Mr..
Finley was a fair chance before a dis
interested committee, and that is all
Senator Latimer promised us. We
think that was nothing more than his
1uty, and we likewise think that that
was Mr.. Finley's duty, but l am sorry
we cannot say that Mr.. Finley even
promised US that much.
Before leaving Washington we asked
Senator Latimer IL the bill went to
conference and Greenwood and Ches-
ter were knocked out would he sup
port the bill he replied that he would.
We asked Mr.. Finley IL the bill went
to conference and Spartanburg and
Rock Hill were knocked out, would he
support the bill; he avoided reply,
but so far as we were able to judge
from what he did say, he preferred to
see the bill die rather than have 1t
passed without Rock Hill in 1t. He
seemed to think that inasmuch as we
have not been asking him for Fed
eral court ever since he has been In
congress. we did not deserve consider
alton. We believe that this Is the first
time that there has been any possible
chance for such a bill to become law,
and we have not felt called upon to
-Int, IL, thn
there was a probability Of its becom-
ing law. We believe that when such
legislation as this is enacted, 1t Is the
duty of our representatives to consider
the district as a whole. and to locate
the courts where they would be most
convenient to the greatest number OF
the people in the district.
We contend for Chester that. on ac-
count of her central location. her rail-
road facilities, her hotel accommoda-
tions, and the fact that she Is county
seat, she is the place for the court for
this part of the district to be held.
The Lancaster bar and the Winnsboro
bar, and quite number of the promi-
nent citizens Of both of these counties,
agree with us in this, and they made
this fact known to both Senator Lati-
mer and Mr.. Finley. And We are fool
ish enough to believe that the YORK
vile bar and a large number or the
citizens Of York county, would express
a like preference, If county pride would
permit. 1t may have been a crime Tor
Senator Latimer to have stopped long
enough to hear the wishes Of some OF
the people of the district outside or
Rock Hill In this matter, but the peo-
pie of Chester and Of Lancaster and
of Fairfield, and some Of the people OF
York, l know, can never be made 10
believe SO. Yours very truly.
r. B. CALDWELL
Chester, S. c. March 4. 1905.
6B There are some people who think
.ho,, boya diecharped their full duty to