The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-11-18
WYATT AIKEN
MAKES SPEECH
In Congress on the Present
Financial Condition of
The sodth.
Washington, Oct. 30.-While the bill

Washington, Oct. 31.-While the bill
for the relief of financial conditions
in the south was before the house on
Wednesday, Representative Wyatt
Aiken made a speech setting forth
his views. He declared that congress
could do something to relieve con-
ditions in the south, and he opposed
the adjournment until that something
was done. He did not make lengthy
speech, but he had something to say
as he always does when he gets up
to mark a speech, and his remarks
attracted general attention. He said:
Mr.. Aiken. Mr.. Speaker, I am one
of those who believe the government
can do something for the relief of the
people of the South, who are facing
disaster because of the great drop in
the price of cotton, their principal
crop, and will oppose the adjourn
ment of congress until something is
done along this line. g..
The people of the South are not ask
ing aims, they are not asking gift
of any kind; they are simply asking
that the government perform its right
full functions. They are asking that
teh government do something for a
great part Of the people and not for
any special interest. One-third of
the people of the United States are
directly interested in the cotton crop.
The price of cotton has been cut in
half by the war in Europe and unless
something is done for the people of
the South they are going to have the
value of their labor this year cut in
half. They can not afford to bear this
loss, and it is not right that they
should have to bear it.
In the past the government has been
lavish with the public funds. We have
built the Panama canal, at enormous
expense, to benefit the whole coun-
try, and during the last session Of con
gress we appropriated $30,0O0,OOO to
build railroad in Alaska to develop
that far-off territory. The Panama
Canal will be of no special direct
benefit to the people Of the interior
Of the country, and the railroad in
Alaska will not benefit one person in
100000 in the United States proper.
I doubt seriously if we had constitu-
tional authority for the aprropria-
tions for the Panama Canal, or for
the railroad in Alaska, yet there was
no great objection to these appropria-
tions. And if we had authority for
these appropriations we certainly
have authority for emergency legisla-
ton now for the whole people Of the
South.
Then we have spent many millions
for the irrigation of the arid lands OF
the West, and every year we spend
millions on river and harbor improve
ments. The money spent on these
projects can benefit at best only a
small part Of the peo-
pie. We seem able to find constitu-
tional authority for these appropria-
tions, and there is, as matter of
fact, no great objection to them on
the part of the people. The people OF
this country, and especially the people
of the South, are broad-minded, and
they indorse the porsition that it is
good policy for the government to try
to develop the country in every reas-
enable and proper way. This attitude
on their part makes it all the harder
for them to understand why the gov
ernment can not do something fol
them now in the ohur of their great
est distress. The people fthe South
will be disappointed if something Is
not done, and I believe the people
of the other sections Of the country
will indorse all reasonable and proper
legislation along this line. Sectional
lines have long been obliterated, and
an appeal from one part Of our peo-
nile in distress touches the hearts Of
all our people.
There may be honest differences OF
oninions as to what is the best thing
to do. and I think that perhaps the
peopie of the South may have suffered
in the opinion of the rest of the coun-
trv because of some measures that
have been advocated. Some PROPOSE
tions have been made that have I'M
pressed me as being utterly impracti-
cable. But we can not excuse our
selves by simply opposing what we
consider unwise. If we are to be true
to ourselves and to the people who
sent us here, if we are to be worthy of