The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-03-24
SENATOR SMITH REPLIES.
PLAIN TALK FOR THOSE WHO
CRITICISE HIM .IGNORANTLY.
Junior Senator From South Carolina
Will Continue His Work for Fair
Prices for Cotton But VIII do so
Along Legitimate and Reasonable
Lines.

Special to The Daily Item,
Washington, March 20.-In reply
to various articles in the newspapers
North and South, Senator e. D.
Smith Of South Carolina, today issued
the following statement:
1T seems strange that newspapers
which are supposed to have an intel
ligent idea Of the men and affairs of
national interests should be so alb
surdly ignorant Of the real issues in
volved In my campaign in South Car
olina last year.
AT no time or place have said
that would work for the passage of
national. law fixing arbitrarily the
price Of cotton at fifteen cents, but I
did say, and do now reiterate, that
the producers Of this great wealth
producing article were and are en-
titled to square deal. That the
national government should see to it
that the exchanges should be so reg
ulated that the prices quoted by them
should be the price of purchase or
sale of the real commodity, and that
no exchange should be allowed to
hold In stock lot Of low grade stuff
practically unfit for market as a
basis for price quotations; and for
bid by law the tender of any such
cotton on contract
Secondly, that as we are compelled,
by the nature of the case, to sell our
cotton in the open markets of the
world that we be allowed to buy such
things as We need wherever we could
purchase them cheapest. If, in the
open markets our cotton is worth but
nine and ten cents and less, 1t is an
iniquity to force us to buy the manu-
factured necessities on a basis arti-
ficially and arbitrarily fixed by law
that would require fifteen cent cotton
to meet.
The South would be perfectly will
Ing to sell her cotton under the oper-
alton Of the great law of supply and
demand If she were allowed to pur-
chase what she needed under the
same law. And any tair-minded citi-
zen. whether he live in Jacksonville.
Fla. or Boston Mass. ought to have
sense and patriotism enough to see
the infamy of forcing the producers
of the real wealth Of the country to
sacrifice their profits to the great
trusts and combines by the operation
of an iniquitous protective tariff law.
The South may be ignorant, and
Soueh Carolina'Y junior senator may
be an expression Of that ignorance,
but he will submit his case to the
great public to Judge as between
what he has said and what he stands
for and the high class (?) editorials
that have appeared on his case from
cultured Boston and initiative Jack
sonville."
Senator e. d. Smith Of South Caro-
lima. in the course of conversation
today. said that he wanted the peo-
pie Of South Carolina to understand
that because he had not been using
the press for the last few months 1t
Is no indication that he had let up
one jot or little to do all in his power
to bring about better financial condi.
tions for the cotton producers.
He said that an organization other
than the one with which he was iden-
titled preempted the field and that
its officers were The logical spokes-
men. However. the senator said that
from his new position he is going to
keep them informed as to what, in
his judgment, is to be done under the
II shall possibly comment next
week." said Senator Smith in onclu-
sion. "on the institutions that cause
the difference In the price of other
farm products and the price of cot
A