The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1916-08-17
Number Is.

ment ought to incorporate in his map
of purposes to be fulfilled If heygets a
chance to stand at Armageddon and
battle for the people.
The Pork Barrel is the curse of Con-
gress. 1t is the system whereby Con-
gressmen swap their votes and often,
times stultify their consciences in order
that things may be obtained for their
district and they may thereby make
showing at home. The people pay the
freight. While would strive earnest
ly to bring the Third District every
thing that it is honestly entitled to,
would not make it matter of barter
or trade. The Southern Congressman
who does is fool We have always
paid our part of the taxes but we will
never get our part of the swag. And
would not relinquish one single principle
to get public building in every village
in district. If you want pork barrel
Congressman, vote for some one else
Tillman is not the man you are looking
| for. -
That's pretty bold talk, but it's true.
The present pork barrel grab by Sou
thern Congressman is well-nigh ma
tional scandal. great many of them
are acting like hogs. Federal approp-
riations for local buildings and water
ways are proper when they are neces-
sary, but this thing of building $780,
600 post Office in town of 1900 is an
outrageous waste of the people money.
The Congressman who indulges in this
sort of steal is, as Candidate Tillman
says, fool-and we 60 him one better
and say that such Congressman is an
unfit public servant. Things have come
to such pass in this country that we
are very apt to Judge Congressman
by the quantity Of loot and swag and
plumber he can land for his district. We
do not inquire whether he is man of
statesmanlike principles, we merely ask.
"Can he bring the bacon homer We
do not ask whether he ought, as mat
, ter of right to bring it home. Calhoun
and McDufie didn't care rap about
! postoffices and other Federal buildings.
They were not elected on the basis of
+ material benefit for the State they OBJ
v tanned from Congress, for they got
e precious little, and the people were sat
d isfed. The average Congressman re-
" minds us OF the woman who takes an
d empty basket to picnic and tries to
II see how much Of the good things she
II can jam into it to carry back home We
n should measure Congressman by his
f Legislative record as to principles and
t not by his capacity for gormandizing in
: the pork barrel
The Greenwood aspirant, in the sec
ond place, declares that the government
: spends Sl0 per capita each year, that
} we howl about State taxes and county
taxes, but never pause to consider that
our national taxes stamp us as the most
, eXtravagant government on earth"
that I'VE have many useless Offices and
: wasteful ofiiceholders. - He avows that
J II elected, II shall fight to stamp them
} out and bring this government back to
business basis. One billion dollars per
annum IS our record. ] want one bill
, hon dollars worth OF service or want
less than billion spent. pledge NV
self to strict economy and will fght
that which is wasteful and extrava-
giant
If MIR. Tillman could do that he would
!. have to tackle the Augean stables. but
even if he tried and failed, he would
deserve better of his country than
} thousand M. C.'s distributing seed.
mlsusing the free postage privilege, and
doing nothing more energetic than draw
ing their pay. The Congressman who
sets his face against extravaganza bv
the Federal government is up against a
problem but the support of the people
is his. If Mr.. Tillman should 90 to
Washington, there will be plenty of op-
portunity Tor the redemption of his
campaign pledges. The pension steal
: and the public building graft are enor-
nous. The time has come when some
thing ought to be done to check this
wanton waste Of the peoples money.
} The Nation is hard put to find enough
} revenue to meet its expenditures. is
} looking about for new sources and if
the present drift toward public bank
ruptcy is not stemmed, the day will
soon be here when the $40 a week clerk
in homespun will have to pay his income
tax just as the millionaire in purple
pays his.
The News unhestatingly and gladly
commends these two planks in Mr.. Till
49, -