The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-04-02
slider the matter in its practical ap-

congress-naval affairs in the SEN
ate and agricultural in the house.
As chairman. of the senate naval at
fairs committee, Senator Tillman
has had a powerful hand in shaping
the naval policy of the country, and
he may justly claim a large share Of
credit for the magnificent showing
made by the American navy in the
present emergency.
AS chairman Of the vastly import
ant agricultural committee of the
house, Congressman Lever has been
oneof the truly valuable leaders of
that body.
But, presto, change-and let's
see what happens:
If Congressman Lever should run
for the senate this time, n OF
these powerful committee chair
manships would inevitably be lost
to South Carolina, for Mr.. Lever
could not expect to hold his con-
gressional seat while running for
the senate. Even if Mr.. Lever
! should be elected to the senate, he
could not be placed upon the senate
agricultural committee, inasmuch as
Senator Smith of South Carolina is
already an influential member. of
this committee; so that Mr.. Levers
years of experience on the agricul-
tural committee of the house would
be of absolutely no value to him in
the senate. The best he could hope
for would be a place at the very
foot of the Democratic members on
the naval committee of the senate,
the Craftsmanship of which great
committee Senator Tillman now
holds; but which craftsmanship
would be thrown away should the
people of South Carolina make the
mistake of retiring their old "war
horse"
Or, to look at it another way, if
Senator Tillman and Congressman
Lever both run, and Tillman is de-
feated by Blease, or by Lever, both
chairmanships will be lost to the
state of South Carolina.
Many people, it is understood, are
encouraging and pushing Mr.. Lever
into the senatorial race on the plea
that Senator Tillman cannot win
without an aggressive campaign
And this, they say, Senator Tillman
is not in physical condition to make
although he is clearly in physical
condition to attend to his exacting
and important duties in the senate
every day in the week. This is the
Columbia States slogan; a position,
it seems to us, prompted more by
partisanship than by either patriot
ism or practical politics.
But let's see about this. If Till
man alone cannot beat Blease, will
Levers candidacy insure Blease's
defeat?. Will IL not, rather, COM
plicate the situation, divide the an
ti-Blease forces and thus insure
Blease's election? With Tillman and
Lever both in the race, which one
is likely to be in the second race
with Blease? Many thousands of
old Tillmanites, who voted for
Blease for governor against Man.
ming, might not vote for Lever
against. Blease for the senate. Would
not Levers entry into the senatorial
race, if it should cause Tillman's
defeat, so enrage the Tillmanites,
that they would not support Lever
in the second primary?
Obviously, Senator Tillman be-
lieves all these things or he would
not now be standing for reelection,
because, as we have every reason to
believe, the old man really wishes
to retire to private life; but a sense
of duty to his state, as we'll as to
President Wilson and the nation,
prompted him to ask his people to
return him to the senate this one
more time.
Four years ago Senator Tillraan