The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-08-25
Ellerbe and Lever.

news and courier:
The News and Courier has been
to by "a Williamsburg
Voter" for it's opinion respecting
the charge brought against the
Hon. j. E. Ellerbe, candidate for
reelection to Congress in the 9Th
district, that by his vote against
free lumber when the Payne tariff
bill was under consideration by Con-
gress some eighteen months ago, he
read himself out of the Democratic
party. If so. the Democratic party
has also lost Congressman Asbury
F. Lever, of the 7th Congressional
district. who is under criticism on
precisely the same grounds. and prob
ably half of its members in Congress, :.
In our judgment, Messrs. Ellerbe
and Lever should have voted for
free lumber, because, as we stated
at the time, a duty on lumber
amounts in effect to putting a pre-
MUM on the destruction of our own
forests. Nevertheless, some thirty
five or forty Democrats in the House
of Representatives voted for such
duty, and while they are properly
answerable to their constituents as
to whether or not they acted wise
ly, 1t cannot in justice and fair
ness be maintained that they there
by wrote themselves down as Repub-
licans. any more than the fifty or
sixty Republicans who voted for
free lumber could now be claimed
we conceive it, does not require the
absolute surrender of ones own
who judgment, although of course
he who takes issue with his party's
platform must be prepared to defend
his action in so doing to his own
and that of his constit-
uents.
Had Mr.. Ellerbc and Mr.. Lever
voted for the Payne bill, as a whole
as did four members of the Louisi-
ana delegation, their case would
have been different. AS matters stand
the point really at issue is not the
Democracy of either of these gentle
men, but whether or not each of
them acted for the best interests of
his constituents and the country.
and If not, how serioualy the breach
should be regarded We have al
ready stated our own opinion that
Mr. Ellerbe and Mr. Lever should
have voted for free lumber. The
effect which his failure to do so
should have upon the candidacy of
each of these gentlemen must he de-
clded in relation to his record of
service, viewed as a whole, and also
with regard to the character of the
candidate or candidates opposing
him.
While, therefore, the discus
sion, which has been aroused over
the lumber vote Of these two Con-
gressmen has doubtless been inter
esting and instructive to a percent
age OF the voters in the sixth and
seventh districts, and will not he
without benefit upon the South Caro-
lima delegation in Congress. II is
not likely to have a preponderating
erect in shaping the choice Of
these districts. nor should it have.
Inc point at issue in each of these
districts is which of the men seeking
10 represent the district at Wash
ington is best fitted for the task in
the consideration of this problem
the voters cannot afford to shut
their eyes to everything except a
single vote of a candidate on one
clause of bill against which in it's
entirety the candidate voted.
We are not, of course. ADVISING
the voters OF these two districts that
they should vote for Mr.. Ellerbe and
Mr.. Lever. We are merely indica-
ting our view of the manner in which
they should arrive at a determine
tion in this matter.