The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-08-01

he was against investigation of the
high cost Of living, Mr.. Byrnes said
he helped to get through a measure
appropriating $4,000 for this pur-
pose. Some time later the investiga-
ting committee asked for 100000
more, and he thought they ought to
spend the first appropriation before
they asked for more, and he opposed
it.
Mr.. Byrnes denied that he had
ever voted to exempt himself from
any form of taxation. He had paid
his income and other taxes and had
the receipts to show for it, he said.
He said that Mr.. Toole had even
fooled Mr.. Croft on this matter. Mr..
Croft had written to Lever for the
record against him, and Lever had
replied that there was no such rec
ord. He offered to give the Red
Cross $50 if any man can show he
had ever voted to exempt himself
from any kind of taxes.
Unlike Cole Blease he was not
afraid that the blood of our boys
will be on the head of President
Wilson or himself. He had voted
for the declaration of war, which
he described as holy war, and that
he had voted for war against Aus
tria. His opponents are asking the
people to join hands with the kaiser
and defeat Byrnes, he said.
Regarding his opponents charge
that he was against the draft law,
Mr.. Byrnes again made his position
clear on this matter, and said that
the act he had opposed had been
drafted by Gen. Scott, who had pro-
German tendencies, and who after
ward had been ousted from his job.
This act, he said, provided conscrip-
tion for all men between the ages
Of 19 and 25, with exemptions only
for those employed in manufacture
ing industry. Although agriculture
is essential to winning the war, no
exemptions were allowed on this
ground. The bill also provided pay
for the boys at only SIS per month,
while it increased the pay of briga-
dier generals from $4,000 to $4,000
a year. Six of the seven congress-
men from this State, he said, were
opposed to this measure. Senator
Tillman had personally urged him
to oppose it. He had asked his op-
ponents if they would vote for it, and
he again asked them. Not one in
dicated that he would. The military
committee had defeated this meas
ure, and the Dent bill was then pre-
sented, and this bill became law,
after being amended and perfected.
He had supported and voted for the
Dent bill.
The object at that time, said Con-
gresham Byrnes, was to raise an
army of only half million. The
speech his opponents discussed did
not refer to the bill that became law
but to the Scott bill, providing age
limits of 19 and 25. Congressman
Stevenson and numbers of other
prominent Democrats had opposed
the same measure he had opposed.
When the draft measure was per-
fected he, with all other loyal Dem
ocrats, supported it. Only % had
opposed the draft measure that pass
ed, one being from South Carolina.
Mr.. Byrnes said thathe stands with
the president, and will favor sending
every dollar and every man to the
front that is necessary to win the
war. He said that he had originally
favored allowing volunteers, that
France was calling for men quickly,
and that inasmuch as it required sew
eral months to put the draft into ef-
feet, volunteer system would have
provided men for immediate use.
There had been 134 administration
measures in the house, he said, and
he had supported and voted for 134
of them. He had worked to have
Wilson elected, had stumped North
ern States for him, had supported
him throughout his administration,
and had been personally thanked by
the president for upholding his
hands in congress. He had never
voted against his party caucus, he
said.
He charged Mr.. Croft with having,
during his service in congress, rec