The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-05-04
Saws There Was No Fight.

out the exact truth regarding tha
tax on potash. Congressman Leye
has had several votes of thanks ten
dered him for killing the tax, AM
now comes Mr.. T. H. Daniel, tn
Washington correspondent of tn
Herald, and says ther'
was never any fight of any sort il
the house over the duty on potash
Mr.. Daniel makes this statement il
a letter to The Herald in reply tt
a communication from Mr.. Lever
who complained that Mr.. Daniel hat
not been fair to him. Mr.. DAME
writes:
The communication of Repre-
sentative LeverSin The Herald of
April % has just come to my at
tention. Your editorial reply,
printed in the same issue, was en-
tirely sufficient, Of course, and de-
monstrates the poverty of excuse
that Mr.. Lever has offered for
his voting directly contrary to the
demand of the Democratic plat
form Of 1908 that lumber be plac-
en- on the free list.
However, with reference to his
charge that l have been unfair to
him in my dispatches, in that I
did not give him credit for his
Eight" for the farmer in, connec-
ton with basic Stag and potash
salts, there is something to be said
which Mr.. Lever did not say, and
that is, that there was no such
fight. The facts, briefly stated, are
as follows:
The third section Of the Payne
tafiff bill contained what is gener-
ally referred to as the maximum
and minimum provision. Mr..
Levers own statement of the
working of that provision is here
given, so that it may not be con-
sidered as unjust"
Tf Germamny, or any other
country, for that matter, should,
to secure some important treaty
right, give the least concession up
on the least article of trade, and
to that extent discriminate against
the United States, then the maxi
mum duty automatically applies
to imports from her.
Potash salts were in the Payne
bill, placed under the working OF
this provision. Eton ]. Bowers,
representative from Mississippi,
and others first called attention to
it and it was Immediately stated
by the members Of the ways and
means committee, who had framed
the bill, that it was an error and
would be corrected. so that these
should be absolutely upon
the free list.
Later Mr.. Lever became active.
He hunted up the newspaper men,
and began to talk of the great
fight in which ne was engaged.
tIe got into communication with
prominent South Carolinians, and
made them acquainted with his
great struggle for the Southern
farmer. He gave out interviews
and made a speech on the floor of
he house. protesting vehemently
,gainst this provision of the Payne
ill. which he called "joker.
All this be it remembered, was
,fter it was positively known that
he maximum and minimum pro-
yision was not intended to apply
@ potash salts or any other fer
ilizer ingredients and there was
positively no opposition to the cor
.ection of the error which had
,een discovered in the bill. placing
,hese under that provision. In
,iew of these facts l do not see
where the eight" came in, as it
las always been my understanding
hat there must be Two sides to
light.
The Anderson Mail says the above
in accord with information it has
Id from other sources, and re-
arks that "Mr. Lever did not make
" great fight, over the duty on
,tash, salts, because there was no
,cessity for fight. and he was not
.e first one to discover that through
mistake duty had been placed on
,tash salts. He might never have
nown anything about it if other
or representatives OF
le fertilizer companies had not call
his attention to it. Mr.. Lever
clever fellow. and everybody
lat knows him likes him, but his
riends Sso him great lnJustice
hen they claim for him honor to
,hich he is not entitled. That
rouses the resentment Of other con-
ressmen and their friends. Mr..
ever should take his press agents in
and and tell them when to puff
ut more particularly when not to-
seems a hard matter to settle this
latter.