Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-08-25
ADVERTISEMENT
ADDRESS OF SENATOR SMITH
The Democratic Voters of the State of South Carolina

In view OIL Ille 1dCL IudI 1
missed a number of campaign
meetings, being absent from the
State in attendance upon the
Democratic National Convention
at San Francisco where l was a
member of the Committee on
Platform and Resolutions and
consequently did not have an op-
portunity to meet my fellow-citi-
zens of South Carolina face to
face>and give them an account of
my stewardship in Washington |
have determed to issue this ad-
dress to the people.
l have been a farmer all my
life and in common with tho far
mers have had a struggle to
make ends meet and l have no
large fund at my service that
permits me to send others from
place co place advocating my re-
election to the senate. Ii re-
elected it must be upon my re-
cord alone.
In consideration of the services
rendered by me to the agricul-
tural interests of my State and
the South. l was elected to the
senate twelve years ago. On
every occasion / have stressed
with all the force in my legisla-
tion for the benefit of the agri-
cultural interests.
Briefly referring to some of
the measures which l have advo-
Gated and had passed in the in
terest of the agricultural classes
are:
AGRICULTURE: (1) Smith Cot
ton Futures Act, preventing the
depression of prices by the tender
of valueless cotton on contracts.
(2) Standardization of Cotton
Grades. / co-operated in 'secur-
ing this very essential legislation.
(3) Government comparison of
various grades of cotton, showing
much greater discrepancy in price
than there is difference in actual
value.
(4) Resolutions calling on dip
lomatic and consular representa-
tives of the United States abroad
to furnish information as to the
needs and demands for American
cotton in their respective coun-
tries and the best methods of sup
plying it.
(5) Government cotton reports.
ICY Census Department to fur
nish number of bales of spinnable
cotton and number of bales of
unspinnable cotton on hand. This
prevented the counting of unspln-
nable cotton in the carry-over re-
ports.
(7) l led the fight which pre-
vented cotton price fixing during
the war with the result that it
was defeated.
(8) NITRATE OF SODA: Under
the Smith bill, originated, intro
duced and sponsored by me, the
government has constructed a
huge nitrate plant at Mussel
Shoals, Alabama, for the manu-
facture of nitrate from the air.
This plant is practically complete
and this fall will turn out one
hundred and sixty thousand tons
Q60, ,000) of 45 per cent pure nj
trates, which being reduced to
the percentage of nitrate of soda
will amount to $50, 900 tons, This
output will be sold to the farmers
at cost at a saving of millions Of
dollars to them.
| am also the originator and
author of the law by which nj.
trate of soda was purchased and
sold to the farmers at cost dur
ing the war. The Congressional
Record will amply substantiate
this statement in every respect.
This law brought prices down
from S1l0 and S120 per ton to
$500 per ton. thereby saving the
farmers millions of dollars, II
it had not been for this piece OF
legislation there is no telling
where the price would have
scared.
10y Immediately upon the sign
ing of the armistice | secured the
lifting of the embargo on potash
from Germany, enabling the far
mers to secure this year a partial
supply at more reasonable cost.
(lO) l am author of the
amendment to section 13 of the
New Banking and Currency Act.
whereby the farmers secured six
months time on agricultural
paper aa against ninety days on
commercial paper. This puts the
farmer on an equal footing with
other businesses and enables him
to secure the proper credit for
the holding and marketing of his
crop.
S1D 1 co-operated in the pas
sage of the Farm Loan Act, an
Act which placed farm lands for
the first time in the history of
this country where it was pos
sible for farmers to use their
land as an asset on easy terms
to make them pay for themselves
while supporting his family and
helping to support his State.
By virtue of my services in the
senate I was ranking member of
the Interstate Commerce Com