The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-04-20
JUNIOR SENATOR OF SOUTH
CAROLINA AND HIS PEDIGREE.

1lCO A/lANA W %ASAtAAAoIOA
correspondent Of the Charlotte OBJ
server has written an interesting
sketch Of South Cardinals Junior
Senator, E. D. Smith, it is s~as fol-
lows:
North Carolina boasts Of the
Mecklenburg Declaration Of Inde-
pendence, Guilford Battle Ground,
Andrew Jackson and James Knox
Polk, but she has no Ellison Du-
Rant Smith-no, not one-and she
envies South Carolina-Lynchburg
Sumter county, his BIRTHPLACE.
Ellison DuRant now halls from
Florence, and is the junior Senator
from the Palmetto State.
"Who is this man that leans over
the railing of the House. on field
days, and takes such a lively inter-
est in the rough-and-tumble de-
bates and looks so longingly at the
participants on these space-making
occassions?N the boys in the press
gallery ask.
There is none other than Ellison
Durant Smith, the new Senator
from South Carolina. The envious
look in his eye, the uneasy twitch
Of his ready mouth and the ten
acity with which he hangs on would
make one believe that he would give
half his salary to be on the floor 50
that he could help Oily James, Henry
Clayton and Tom Helhin bob up
like North Carolina bases after big
rain-and spit vitriol at Jim Mann,
John Dalzell or Serene Payne.
80, but wouldn't I show them
thing or two if I could just put in
now and then?" is what Ellison Du-
Rants face says.
It is hardly fair to iken the South
Carolinian to mule, but any man
who was raised on a Southern farm
cannot help, when he sees Ellison's
chin uplifted, gazing about the farm
scene Of his boyhood, when neigh
boring balaam would step up to the
barnyard fence, look in where the
mules and horses were playing, and
believing that he could outdo any
beast there.
Pace too Slow for Him.
The Senate is too slow for. Eli
son Durant.
"Who is he?" the scribes keep in
quiring.
Let him answer.
"Ellison DuRant Smith, Democrat,
was born August l, 1866, Sumter,
now Lee, county," says the Congress
sional Directory book in which
Congressman are permitted to tell
who they are.
After giving his pedigree con-
siderable slice from his family tree
Mr.. Smith proceeds: "entered fresh
man class at the University of South
Carolina; afterwards entered Wof-
ford College, from which he gradual
ed in 1889. At Wofford he won gold
medals in debate, science and litera-
ture in his sophomore, junior and
senior years.
That was going some.
"He was a member Of the Legis-
lature from Sumter county, 1896
to 1900, this being his only previous
political experience. He is farm
er and merchant.
But listen: "He began the cotton
movement in 1901, which resulted
in the Farmers Protective Associa-
tion,' declares the directory, modest
ly.
There are some here who vow that
Ellison DuRant rode the boil wee
vii to power.
All this took place Immediately af-
ter 1.-THE SulIey 'break,' when cotton
dropped from II to 6 1-2 cents -
"He began study Of the cotton
movement
Mark his progress.
"Attended boil weevil convention
at Shreveport, La, which resulted in
plans for the New Orleans conven-
ton, January, 1905, which culml-
mated in the formation Of the South
ern Cotton Association" proclaims
the directory.
A. Boil Weevil Sleuth.
"He (Ellison DuRant) was made
field agent and general organizer "a
sort of boil weevil sleuth) in which
capacity he served three years, his
territory covering the entire South. "
Listen! The directory in strident