Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-03-12
The WORK OF CONGRESS.

CONGRESSMAN flnley lS HOlllc lTOti
Washington having returned last FRI
day morning, and has since been en-
gagged in picking up the floating ends
Of his personal affairs, etc.
Mr.. Finley, who is the ranking men,
ber of the house from this state, says
the short session Of congress just clos
ed was one Of the busiest Of his eight
years of experience, and upon the
whole he seems to be reasonably well
satisfied with the situation.
Although he made several speeches
in the house, most of Mr.. Finley's work
this year has been done on the COM
mittee of postoffice and postroads. He
has been on this committee for four
or five years now, and has a pretty
thorough understanding Of the ma
chinery Of the postoffice department.
Not only that, the other members OF
the committee recognize the extent OF
his information and are always glad
to have the benefit Of his advice except
in matters involving party policy, the
majority of the committee, Of course,
being Republican.
While the committee room details
are never published in full, 1t is fact
that Mr.. Finley had a good deal to do
with the raising of the salaries Of ru-
raj carriers to 5000 a year. There
were Republican members who were
not exactly in favor of the raise and
who were afraid to oppose 1t openly
The situation offered a fine opportunity
for legitimate manipulation, and Mr.
Finley made good use Of his opportu-
mites in carrying out his desires.
Mr.. Finley was very much pleased
at the action Of the president in op-
pointing young Otis Wallace, only son
of the late Capt. George D. Wallace, to
a West Point cadetship. 1t will be re-
membered that Mr.. Finley took Mrs
Wallace and young Otis to see the
president about the matter about a
year ago, and the president gave his
promise as to what he would do at the
time. Capt Wallace, it will be re-
membered, was native Of York county
a son Of the late Hon. A. s. Wallace,
and a gallant captain in the Seventh
cavalry. He was killed by the Sioux
Indians at Wounded Knee, South Da-
kota, about sixteen years ago.
Another thing that Mr.. Finley feels
considerable pride in is the fact that
he was instrumental in getting through
appropriations to the amount Of one
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to
clean out the rivers In his district. He
had already gotten an appropriation
Of $4,000 for the Wateree, and after
the building Of a boat and the doing
of some other work there was still
about $4,000 left. OF the appropria-
ton this year 100000 is for the Wa
teree, and the understanding Is that
the $4,000 now available will be suf-
ficient to remove all the obstructions
from this river from Camden to the
sea.
Mr.. Finley also secured the promise
Of soil survey for Chester county,
and the promise Of the early compile
ton Of the typographical survey for
the Gaffney quadrangle. He secured
the establishment Of quite number OF
additional rural routes aud thinks that
taken all in all, the results Of his ef-
forts have been quite satisfactory.
Asked II he had voted for the in
crease Of salary to congressman he
said:
mo, / did not. 1 did not like the
way they went about 1t. I did not
consider it the manly thing to do. On
viva voce vote, the only vote that
was taken I voted no. I was one of
the thirty four men who stood up to
demand a roll call; but we did not
have enough. Under the rules about
fifty members would have been neces-
sary. My position was that II we were
going to increase our salaries, we
should have voted on the matter last
spring before the elections and go be-
fore the people on 1t. I am not at all
proud of the manner in which congress
voted this increase"