The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1920-07-19
SELLS RECORD IN CONGRESS
is ONE OF ACHIEVEMENT
Remarkable Amount of Money Brought District for Lands
Purchased from the People of the First District
SELLS BILL IS GREATLY APPRECIATED
BY A LARGE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS
Ranking Next to the Chairman of the Good Roads Committee
Are Proud.

No contest for Congress in recent
years has been productive of greater
Misrepresentation than that of thu
Reece followers in the present one
Reece himself in his discussion of the
record of Congressman Sam R. Sells
demonstrates his utter ignorance con.
cerning it, and the further fact that
such information as he possesses has
been received secondhand from Sells
enemies. From the time the first
word Of the campaign was spoken by
Reece up until now, there has been
nothing but malicious and vindictive
criticism, showing clearly the spirit
which prompted this contest. Reece
has not been out of the district and
state for five years, has had no op-
portunity to acquaint himself with
Sells record, but condemns it without
reservation. In this he is supported
by Mr.. Sam H. Thompson, Paul E.
Devine. and all of Sells, enemies.
Sells might have placed himself in
more favorcble attitude before the
people had he been willing to adver-
tise himself more freely. Unlike the
avcrage politician he has not rushed
into print every time he secured a
position for a constituent, or passed
a private pension BILL This reluct-
ance to have his name appear con-
stantly in the newspapers has afford
ed his enemies added opportunities to
charge him with having done nothing.
His Record.
10 has served nine years in Wash
ington, eight of which have been in
Congresses controlled by the demo-
cratic party. A minority member is
not ordinarily expected to accomplish
much under such circumstances. But
the record shows that Sells has not
been idle, and that the sum total of
his work is creditable indeed, and re-
flutes absolutely the accusations Of
his enemies.
Sells first work in Congress was
in the creation of the great Appa-
lachian Forest Reserve. He had added
to this reserve the White Top and
the Unaka areas in which have been
purchased more than 100000 acres
of cut-over lands for which its own
ers have received $100,000,000. At
the inception of the work, he came
into the district and personally nego-
tiated many sales between the Fed
eral government and it's owners. Dur
ing the war when the acquisition work
was about to stop for lack of funds,
he secured an additional appropria-
ton of $900,z00.00 with which the
purchases have been continued.
A Lasting Monument.
Sells in the creation of this great
Government Reserve has built him
self a monument more lasting than
the Soldiers Home, which honors the
memory of the late Congressman
Brownlow
When the Republican party gained
control of Congress in 1918, Sells was
elected chairman of the Committee
on Pensions, which position he now
holds. No member of Congress from
this district had in nearly fifty years
achieved the distinction of COM
mittee chailmanskip. 1t is not only
position Of distinction but one of
great power for to him all members
of Congress must come who have busi-
ness with that committee.
When Sells took charge Of the COM
mittee he changed the methods of
handling claims, which resulted in
such increased efficiency that 1887
cases were reported during the past
year as against previous maximum
of $50 in like period of former Con-
crosses, More bills were passed for
soldiers in this congressiona! district
than in any other in the country.
Sells Pension Bill.
He introduced on the first day of
the 66th Congress, H. R. No. 2, which
has become known everywhere as the
Sells Bill 1t provided pensions for
from $1,000 to $4,000 per month for
disabled Spanish War soldiers. 1t
also provided age pensions for all such
soldiers who attained the age of 81