The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1907-08-07
What Others Think Of Him
Lever At Florence.

The following from The Manning
Times, whose editor is State Senator
Louis Appelt, of Clarendon county,
gives an idea of the estimate placed
upon the services of our representa-
tive in Congress by those who live
outside of our district. Congressman
Lever was one of three distinguished
speakers at monster picnic and Con-
federate reunion in Florence county,
the crowd at which was estimated at
5000 people. The State correspondent
refers to Mr.. Levers effort as ''the
best ever heard on such an OCCASION"
The Times reports the meeting in this
wise:
1.-THE veterans had erected a large
pavilion for speaking purposes, and
upon the platform were seated Hon.
W. w. Lumpkin, of Columbia, the
orator of the day, Lieutenant Govern
or Thomas G.. Mcleod, of Bishopville,
whose home is not far away, and he
was where everybody was kin to him,
and Congressman A. F. Lever, of Lex
ington, who so ably represents the 7th
congressional district, and who is fast
becoming senatorial timber on his
merit. His work in Congress has
demonstrated his fitness for such
work, and without doubt he and
George Legare have accomplised more
for their constituency than all the
rest of South Cardinals representa-
tives put together. Lever is the idol
of the 7th district, and he has made
himself so, not by any spectacular
tactics, sensational newspaper atti-
tudes, employed press agents, and
other schemes to keep in the lime
light so frequently employed by poll
ticians, but by studying the welfare
of his people, and then going to the
| place, and the people in control to
work necessarily to accomplish pract-
ical results. Lever has done vast
amount of practical good for the far-
mers all over the State. 1t. was he
that procured the appropriation for
the improvement of our inland water
ways, the experiment in dairying, and
other things which 60 to make the
transportation facilities better, that
tend to encourage the draining and
developing of the lowlands, and that
actually touches the pocket nerve of
the entire people. His work has been
so satisfactory, that although he is
being urged from every county in the
State to enter the senatorial race, his
constituents in the 7th do not wish to
hear to it, fearing they will not again
have such "a friend at COURT and
while they feel proud that the people
OF the State appreciate the merits Of
their representative, and know that
he deserves promotion, they would
very reluctantly consent in giving
him up, even to take a United States
Senatorship.
The writer went to Beulah on a
crowded train over the Alcolu rail-
road, and reached the grounds too
late to hear the speeches, and only in
time to be pushed forward to acknow-
ledge his pleasure of being present,
by the mischievous Tom Mcleod,
now lieutenant governor, who We
predict will be governor at no great
future date, and he would make
good one too. As we said before we
did not hear the speeches, but we did
hear the comments Of the people, and
if all the good things said about the
speeches of all three visitors could
have been poured into their ears in
stead of ours they would have had to
exchange their hats for umbrellas to
cover their heads. The people were
delighted with Tom McLeod's force
ful arguments and fitting jokes, and
it was one Of these that gave him an
opportunity to get even with us, they
were spell-bound by Lumpkin's ora
tory and eloquence, and when he
would burst forth, we were told by an
elderly lady, into one of mis- tributes
to women, ''he got right good look
ing" Who? We asked. "Why.
Preacher Lumpkin." Lever, who can
be as eloquent as others when he will,
seemed to have captivated his hearers
by furnishing them with valuable in
formation and good advice, and his
speech made such an impression that
he was the recipient of enough extra
attentions to make the others jealous,
we believe Lumpkin was jealous, be-
! I,