The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-10-30
DEADLOCK OVER OFFICES
WHEN WILL DIST ATTORNEY
AND MARSHAL BE NAMED?
If President Wilson Nominates An
other for District Attorney He
Reyerses McReynolds.

CuduCS VI liIS CoAis doOpl4Ou VI 1880
lation to give the State of South
Carolina two fully equipped Federal
judicial districts, the pressure upon
President Wilson to go ahead and
appoint the successors of District
Attorney Cochran and Marshal ].
Duncan Adams steadily increases.
Some time ago the department of
justice signitied to the incumbents
that the Administration wished to
have in theif positions men who
would be in sympathy with its poll
cies, and that for this reason the
designations of Messrs. Cochran and
Adams would be acceptable. The re-
quest was promptly complied with
in both cases, and it was naturally
thought that the nominations of Dem
ocratic successors would be made
within a few weeks.
Prompt dispatch of the business
in hand was unquestionably the in
tention of the President and the At
torney General. But for the tremen-
dous fight made by Senator Tillman
when he learned that the President
was about to nominate State Senator
Frank H. Weston for district attor-
ney, it is likely that the Attorney
Generals recommendation of Mr..
Weston for that place and of Editor
J. L. Sims, of Orangeburg, for the
marshalship would long ago have
been sent to the Senate with the
Presidents approval.
Tillman Concentrates Fire.
Learning what the recommends
tions of the Attorney General would
probably be, Senator Tillman notifi-
ed the department of justice of his
withdrawal of the endorsement of
Mr.. Sims, thus leaving that gentle
man without any positive Senatorial
backing, and proceeded to concen-
trate all of his strength and inf1u-
ence behind the candidacy of his
friend, j. William Thurmond, of
Edgefeld, for district attorney. Sen
ator Tillman Informed the depart
ment of justice that as the senior
Senator he claimed the right to
choose which of the two positions
should fall to him, and that he would
take the district attorneyship and re-
linquish the marshalship to Senator
Smith.
Senator Smith, however, refused to
acquiesce in this arrangement, de-
claring that he would adhere to his
original agreement not to oppose
Sims if the latter should be nomi-
mated. Attorney General McReynolds
recommended Weston for district at
torney and Sims for marshal, and the
President was just about to nominate
these two men when Senator Till
mans impassioned protest, reinforc-
ed by powerful influences by no
means confined to South Carolina,
caused the President to agree to a
delay while an attempt was made to
get the Senators together by the plan
to create another district attorney
ship and marshalship.
Poor Chance of Success.
In the opinion of The News and
Courier's correspondent, expressed at
the beginning, this plan for two dis
tricts never had much chance of sue
cess. 1t might be put through the
Senate pretty easily, as both of the
South Carolina Senators favored it.;
but over on the House side the situa-
tion is different. With all the argu-
ments in favor of a new judicial dis
trict, it is a long and tedious task
to induce Congress to agree to it.
When Chairman Clayton, of the
House committee on the judiciary,
wrote to Attorney General Mercy
nolds for an opinion as to the merit
of the Aiken-Tillman bill, recently
introduced and published in The
News and Courier, the reply was dis
tinctly unfavorable. Mr.. McReynolds
expressed the view that the business
of the State did not justify the es-
tablishment of the proposed new Of
fees at the time. While there have
been two districts in South Carolina
theoretically since 1928, the law has
provided official machinery for only
one-and that condition is apt to
continue for some years more.
What Will Wilson Do?
Now, what is President Wilson 60
ing to do? Suppose Messrs. Cochran
and Adams should follow the eX-
ample of two of their Republican
colleagues in the State of Pennsyl-
vania, whose resignation had been
submitted on request, and insist on
retiring without further delay? Such