Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1914-06-11
Who is W. F. Stevenson ?

"AAV AZ W. - OSSVVkACVu
Mr.. w. +. Stevenson is running
for Congress in the Fifth Dis.
trict. Most newspaper readers
know something about him, but
he has been a busy man and his
contact with the district has moi
given the people of the distric,
the intimate knowledge of hin
that they should have. We pro.
pose in a few articles to do this.
He was raised on a farm anc
worked in the field each year un.
til he entered college at the age
OF eighteen. He read law anC
taught school at the same time
and became an active lawyer ir
May. 1887. He was elected to
the legislature in 1896. 1898 anc
1900. He was elected Speaker
of the House in January. 1901
and served until he quit the
House for that time. On hi.
election, one of the leading daily
papers made the following com
ment:
In the election of Mr.. w.
+. Stevenson, of Chesterfield
county, to the speakership of
the house yesterday the ex-
pected has happened. The
pected by rs at least, al
though the result of vote
seems to have afforded sur
prise in other quarters. On
the 18th of last May we said.
We have before referred to
Mr.. Stevenson of Chester
field county as one of the
rising men in South Carolina
politics. He has all the es-
Sentials for success as his
career in the the House of
Representatives has shown.
For the last two terms he
has been easily the leader of
that body. - He has
never been defeated i'm any
candidacy. He is a quick
debater with an inciSive man.
ner, and a peculiarly attract
i've, although awkward de-
livery"
The statement that he has new
er been defeated has to be now
qualified, since he ran for attor-
ney general in 1902 and was beat
en- by a small majority. The
Yorkville Yeoman said then that
he was being urged to run for
McLaurin's place and added:
There is no doubt that
candidates for Congress from
this the fifth congressional
district would feel greatly
relieved to see him in the
senate"
The Fort Mill Times of January
30, 1901, after a visit of it's editor
to the legislature, said of him:
Tall. slender and loosely
made, with a thin crop of
sandy hair, a stubby NOUS
tache of the same hue and a
head that appears none too
large, one is not apt to guess
the ability of this remark
able man. In all South
Carolina he is perhaps the
most forceful speaker and
debator. with perhaps one
exception, and his elevation
to the speakership was due
solely to the recognition of
his ability"
So now having left the incum-
bent quietly in office for sixteen
years he asks for the opportunity
to serve his State and the Nation
as loyal lieutenant of Woodrow
Wilson.
Having in four years reached
the top in the House of Repre-
sentatives and having also de
veloped and shown increased
ability in the subsequent years.
both legal and legislative. we
ask why he should not be given
an opportunity to do the same i'm
the House of Representatives at
Washington? AS a man saws.
who has been present at every
session of every legislature since
1900 and knows Mr.. Stevenson
and the other public men of the
State from personal acquaintance
and observation, He will put
the fifth district on the map"
Look out for a continuance of
this story next week.
Political Advertisement