The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1918-07-11
DEFENSE OF HON. SAMR. SELLS
HIS fine RECORD IN CONGRESS-
Outline Of Work Accomplish ed by Congressman Sells
While in Congress- Absurd Charges Of Political
/ DemagOgues Shown Up By Able Defenders.
His Constructive Policy is Commended
Efforts to Develop Country

mission.
Efforts to Develop Country
The public has not forgotten the
efforts which were made during the
winter of 1862 by upper East Ten
nessee points to secure the location Of
the Armour Plate Plant. Sells left
large portions of his time during sew
eral weeks in helping to prepare for
the proper presentation of the case to
the commission. And while his eff
forts were not successful, our entire
section secured the most valuable ad-
vertisement it ever had, and which
will yield most gratifying results
when the war is over, and the devel-
opment of the country begins anew.
A similar effort was made to secure
the location of a nitrate plant, and
Sells gave his services as freely as
before. And in making these efforts,
he was necessarily away from Wash
ington, and missing roll calls, but he
was none the less discharging his of
fetal duties, and trying to serve the
people to whom he was responsible.
At the beginning of the Gath Con-
gress three years ago Sells requested
appointment on the Committee on
Roads which was given him. He at
once introduced a bill granting Fed
eral aid to the States for road con-
struction. Along with other bills Of
similar purport, his bill was consid-
cred and the committee framed bill
embodying features of all which was
finally enacted into law, and which
was the first road legislation ever
enacted by Congress. The amounts
apportioned to the various states were
to be expended under the direction of
the respective State Highway Commits
sions. And in an effort to see that
his own district received its proper
allotment he made repeated trips to
Nashville to appear before this COM
mission. In January he wrote to Hon.
J. J. Murray in the interest of certain
counties in his district which had not
yet been taken care of, and the fol-
lowing reply will bear testimony as
to whether or not he has been unmind-
full of his peoples interests.
STATE OF TENNESSEE.
Department Of Highways,
Nashville.
Feb. s, 1918.
Hon. Sam r. Sells, NJ. c.,
Washington, D. c.,
My Dear Mr.. Sells:
beg to acknowledge receipt of
your letter of January Gath, and same
would have received more prompt
reply but for the fact that have not
been well and have been out of the Of
flee of late.
Appropriations Secured
In regard to the appropriations Of
our Commission relating to counties
of your district / beg to advise that
submit the following for your infor
nation, which / am sure will receive
your most hearty approval.
Appropriations were made for the
year 1918 and ordered by the Commits
sion on January 18th as follows:
Hawkins county, $4,000.
Sullivan county, $4,000.
Granger County, $4,000.
Claiborne County, $4,000.
Cooke County, $4,000.
Greene County, $4,000,
Washington county, $4,000.
| believe that you have received
more appropriations in your district
than any other district in our state.
1t is my purpose to arrange the ex-
penditure of this money as rapidly as
possible, and / am sending out our
engineers in the next few days to get
definite information, whereupon /
shall order the work Immediately
started if possible.
Any further information relating
to these matters shall always be Civ
en- you with pleasure.
With my kindest personal regards,
| beg to remain,
Yours most respectfully,
(Signed) ]. ]. MURRAY,
Secretary.
In addition to the sums above set
forth, he has secured 10000 from the
Forest funds for road construction in
Johnson county. He is working on a
similar plan to aid Carter and Unicoi
counties in the construction of roads
to connect with the highways of North
Carolina. And when the remaining
counties of his district are ready tc
begin road building, | have no doubt
that they too will receive similar ben
efits. Harmon is no doubt correct in
charging that Sells missed some roll
calls while at his own expense he was
travelling back and forth to Nash
vile on this mission. But the people
in spite of Harmon's invective, will
Judge whether or not Sells was re-
creant to his duty.
Anyone who understands how legis-
lation is effected in Congress knows
that the real work is done in the Com
mittee room, and that the talk that is
INDUCED in on the floor Of the house
is idle, never affects the issue, and is
intended solely for home consumption
Brownlow made only one speech dur
ing his nearly fourteen years in Con-
gress, and even Harmon, after he had
exhausted his fund of malicious crit
cism, finally admitted, so far as he is
able to admit anything to the credit
Of another, that Brownlow was an eff.
fective representative.
But to secure further information
relative to Harmon's charge that
Sells was neglecting his duties, Hon
il. ]. Vaught Of johnson City, U. S.
Commissioner and Republican elector
for the First Congressional district in
1916, recently wrote to the committee
on Pensions Of which Sells has been q
member for years, and he received
the following reply:
COMMITTEE ON PENSIONS
uonSa Of Renraeanfativas