The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-08-03

son foI the democratic nomination, |
think Mr.. Lever was looking to
Champ Clark Lever asked point
blank as to this replied, mot on your
life Another congressional candi-
date said Underwood but neither
Brantley nor Lever heard it.
In reading the Tillman letter Lev
er read only what he wanted to. he
didn't read this: Lever stated he
would not run against me but would
help me in any way" Lever tried
20 be the administration candle e
when he was Governor Mann 9 5
candidate Tillman had written, ii
there are two persons in South Caro-
Ina who have more reason to be
grateful to me ti,an Governor Man
ming and A. f. Lever l do not know
them'' Lever tried to beat Tillman
yet claimed to love him. He had
swung on to Tillman's coattail and
loved him because he wants TIL
mans friends to love him.
Lever had been paid 100000 in
salary. but in time of war he had de-
serted his post, and reminded me OF
a slacker" He doesn't know the first
principles of patriotism. 1t was pa
triotism to run for the senate then pa
triotism to run for congress, ant
the speaker asked, My God. Mr.. Lev
er which is it?' Said he was COINS
to run Blease Off the stump, but beat
him to the tall timbers.
Rrantley was getting after Lever
pretty sharply, an6 was having some
effect. About this time Mr.. Jake
Craft, a cotton buyer and merchant Of
North, interrupted, you have dis
cussed Mr. Levers record, now how
about your own Brantley saie
he'd come to that later.
He next went into a discussion as
TO building highways. Taking up the
proposition about the Edisto River
Brantley said he had signed the peti-
ton only TO drain lands not to run {
steamboat up it. Irrigation IL The
west and drainage in the South were
similar works Of reclamation ant
should be adopted. He closed by dis
cussing the financial and cotton sit
uation.
Congressman Lever.
Congressman Lever spoke third
and in answer to a question, Ain
you dead?" replied, he was {
long ways from being dead either
physically or politically. mo prose
cutting attorney or two By four lawy.
er will ever destroy the confidence @
the people Of the district in LITTLE
Frank Lever.
Lever then turned on Brantley
petition for drainage only.
thought Tommy would walk in tht
trap, and Pm ready for him. he sai<
as he produced a letter, and asket
Rrantley to identify the heading ant
signature, which Brantley did, at
tempting several times to make /;
statement to the audience which wa:
laughing and hilarious in anticipa
ton. Lever then read from Brant
ley's letter. which began by telling
of four hundred acres Of timbel
which would become available OF
Brantley's lana if the Edisto was op
ened for navigation, which would
also make sorae farm:. land avail
able. The letter then went on to sa.
that three benefits would come from
the work on the Edisto: give the cit
liens traffic by water route to Char
lesion, drain the nearby lands, ant
make available much. lumber.
At this time Brantley asked
We'll, have you done it?" Level
replied that he had provided for $35,
600 in the house, but the whole riv
ers and harbors bill was later killed
AS to Brantley, however. Lever sait
7 caught him with the goods" Th'
only issue anyway in this campaign
was Lever"
Lever then went into a discussion
Of the cotton situation. Brantle,
says fix the price, but 81 know if
tried that the southern farmer woult
get the hot end of the poker Ther(
were two bills before his committee
now to fix the price-one by q Nortf
Carolina man fixing minimum o
iorty cents, another by an Ohio mar
fling a maximum of twenty cents
He knew the temper of congress
better than Rrantley would If he
stayed there thirty-two years anf
with ninety-six representatives from
cotton States out of four hundred
thirty-five. he wouldn't run the risk
of trying to fix the price, so he hold
the bills UP in his committee. which
only had five or six cotton men Out
Of twenty-on
However, Lever said he had q plan
and had seen the president last Fri
Gay. He couldn't reveal the presi-
dents attitude because Of the conf
tlences involved, but here was the
plan Lever had suggested: Cd in
crease the ships available to send cot
ton to the countries needing it: CD
urge the federal bank to pursue lib
eral policy in rediscounting paper
with cotton as collaterial: O. urge
hat the federal licensed warehouse
system be used to the fullest extent:
"a ask the cotton farmers to retire