The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-11-13
AIKEN VS.. LEVER
spARrANBuRG HERALD WANTS
LIGHT ON SOIL SURVEYS.
Thinks 1t Odd That Claims for I'm
due Credit Should be the Occa-
sion of Two Corrections.

due Credit Should be the Occa.
sion of Two Corrections.
The Spartanburg Herald says
Representative D. Wyatt Aiken, OF
Abbeville, has taken occasion to put
8 few holes in some statements made
in the State. papers recently, to the
effect that Representative Lever de-
serves all the credit for the sol
surveys in South Carolina by the
national department of agriculture
AIR. Aiken shows that in his OWL
district 2,40S sqaure miles have beer
surveyed, while in Mr.. Levers dis
srict only 1907 square miles have
been surveyed and very logically
asks:
s'Ig this matter has been left ex.
clusively to Mr. Lever, as his friend
(the Washington correspondent OF
The News and Courier) would dc
him the injustice to intimate, would
the Initiative have been taken out.
side OF his district and would he have
favored other sections rather than
his own? Continuing, Mr.. Aiken
says:
''The first survey made in Mr.
Levers district was the Orangebure
survey, made in 1904, and the two
other surveys were in Lee and Sum
ter in 1907. The survey in Able
vile county was made in 1902
while Senator Latimer was in con.
gress, and before Mr. Lever was q
member of the agricultural commit
tee. The surveys in Darlington and
Horny were made the same year
while Mr. Scarborough was in con-
gress. These men had been serving
for some years when the surveys
were made, and both Of them were
known to be active and able repre-
sentatives. Mr.. Lever was then a
new man in the house, and it is
unreasonable to suppose that these
men of longer service would appeal
10 him, even before his appointment
TO the agricultural committee, to
have surveys made in their respec-
tive districts"
Further: This is written in NO
unfriendly spirit for Mr.. Lever,
whom I esteem highly as personal
friend, and appreciate as an able
and faithful public servant. And
do not believe that Mr.. Lever would
himself do injustice to his COL
leagues, but his friends, in this
wholesale claim for him, have over
stepped the bounds of reason, and
do injustice both to Mr.. Lever and
his colleagues"
The Herald goes on to say THAI
t'Mr. Lever seems to have consld~
terable trouble i'm the matter OF
his publicity. 1t will be remembered
that some months ago he bounced
The Herald and its Washington COR
respondent because of the publica-
lion of unvarnished facts and un-
biased opinions, and he was shown to
have claimed credit for great
eight" over typographical error in
the Payne bill, which fight" never
took place. Now one OF his COL
leagues in the house objects to a
wholesale claim of credit for work
done through the agricultural de-
partment, and he seems to prove
,conclusively that Mr.. Lever is not
by any means the leader in this
respect among the South Carolina
representatives
..It is odd that claims for undue
credit should be the occasion OF two
newspaper corrections. There are
other representatives in congress
from this State who do fully as
much public work as Mr.. Lever
does. if not more. Why is it that
there is no wholesale claims for
them in the press! Is it because
they do the work and let the pub
aicity part of it take care of ITSELF
and that Mr.. Levers tactics are
otherwise? Or are the wholesale
claims" to which Mr.. Aiken refers
IL 1lr~o