The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-08-20
MIR. BYRNES
TO THE VOTERS

To my friends in Bamberg county:
During this campaign | have been
unable to attend the county campaign
meetings or to visit my friends in the
county, because Congress has been
in session and legislation Of impor-
tance to the people Of the South has
been pending and 1 have deemed it
my duty to remain at my post. AS
matter of fact Congress has been
in almost continuous session for two
years, and l have faithfully endeav-
ored to represent the people of this
district.
My record is known to the people
and no criticism has been made OF
any vote cast by me or any measure
advocated by me. 1t is true that the
gentleman who is opposing me has
criticised my record, stating that no
bills introduced by me have been con-
sidered. | do not think that he in
tended to misstate the facts, but think
his statement is due to his ignorance
of the method in which the Congress
! sional Record is kept. A complete
answer to his criticism is given by
the Hon. South Tremble, clerk of the
| house of representatives, in the fol-.
lowing letter, from which you will see
that instead of none Of my bills hav-
ing been considered, as stated by
him, SO have actually passed the
house and have become law.
House of Representatives, Clerks
Office, Washington, D. c., August
10, 1914.
Hon. James F. Byrnes, Washington,
D. C.
Dear Sir:-I have your letter in
which you state that the gentleman
who is a candidate for the Democratic
nomination in the district now repre-
sented by you, states that the Con-
gressional Record shows that no bill
introduced by you in the 62nd or
63rd congress has been considered,
because no star appears opposite the
! bills introduced by you where your
name appears in the index.
In explanation of the index to the
Record 1 beg to say that star is
not placed opposite the bills introduce
ed where the name of the member of
congress appears, but if bill is acted
upon the star appears opposite the
name of the beneficiary Of the bill or
the subject matter of the bill. II
you will look at the index you will see
that no stars appear opposite the bills
under the name of any member. This
doubtless accounts for the mistake of
the gentleman. Again at times, when
a private bill is introduced, after
wards become part OF an omnibus
bill, star may not appear.
20 frr
and find that of the bills introduced
by you during the 62nd and 63rd'
Congresses, SO have been acted upon
and have become law.
Yours very truly,
SOUTH TREMBLE,
Clerk House of Representatives.
| While many of the bills referred
to by Mr.. Tremble were what We
call private bills and Of no great i'm
| portance to the nation, they were
very important to the person or per-
sons directly interested. Among the
things have been able to accomplish
during the present Congress, and for
which / can Justly claim credit, Is
the adoption of an amendment to the
new banking and currency law, au-
thorizing the national and the State
banks, that join the new system, to
lend money to farmers upon their
notes secured by cotton or other ag-
ricultural products. In the emer-
gency now confronting us the wis
dom Of this amendment is appreciat-
ed, and those who have given study
to the question realize that when the
new system Is put into operation, as
| it will be in october, it will enable
the Southern banks to secure all the
money we need to market our cotton.
In this connection l should say to
the people that do not believe there
| is any justification for the fear enter
tanned by many that our crop must be
sold at sacrifice. We have enacted
an emergency currency law which will
give US all the currency we need.
Within the last ten days have urged
every bank in the State to form an as
sociation under this law, so that they
could secure this currency, and such
an association has been formed. At
ter several conferences with the
comptroller of the currency, he has
informed me that the treasury depart
ment will construe the law as author
Iizing the issuance Of currency to these
banking associations upon the notes
of farmers secured by warehouse re-
ceipts for cotton. We should there
fore, have no trouble in securing
money with which to help US hold
two or three million bales off of the
market, and this will be sufficient to
insure a. good price for cotton, be-
cause England will in a few days
most likely control the sea and we
will be able to export our cotton tc
the English mills. We can be assur-
ed that the administration intends
doing all in it's power to help us, and
l am glad that, together with other
representatives from the cotton grow
| ing States, l have been able to enlist
the friendly aid of the secretary of
, the treasury and the reserve board
in this emergency.
1 confidently believe that the peo-
pie will appreciate my having remain
ed in Washington to participate in
this work, instead of making a per-