Don't know much about the Cult following of either the Jamis or Surly. However I am a proud owner of a Jamis exile and Surly LHT. Both steel bikes, however ones a hardtail and the other is a touring bike.

I like Jamis, and when I was shopping for a touring bike the Aurora was on the top of the list to look at. There were just some things about it that made the LHT the smarter choice for me (and color/scheme was definetly one of the deciding factors as well as maybe novelty).

Just get the bike that is the smarter choice for you based on your riding. And if you can't decide get the one with the prettier color(s).