The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-04-08
AUTHOR OF THE PRIMARY ELECTION
LAW MAKES AN ABLE SPEECH.
The legislative Records OF Other Can
didateS for Governor Touch
ed Upon.
They Didn't Vote Then Like They Are
Talking Now.
Special to The Tlmes.pemocrat.

LII al dUlC SpccCIl uollNSI6u 10
night in the hall of Representa-
tives by Senator E. F. Noel, can
didate for Governor. The ap-
pointment was announced some
time since, and a fair audience
was present and listened with
close attention to his remarks.
He was introduced by Hon. R.
H. Thompson.
Senator Noel began his speech
with the statement that there was
no necessity for any radical
change in the Constitution, laws
or policy of the State. Since the
adoption of the new constitution
Mississippi has prospered vastly.
Within the last few years prop
erty values have increased at the
rate of 8 per cent. year. Rail
road mileage has increased more
rapidly than in any other State in
the union. Banks and industrial
enterprises have. sprung up on
all sides. The census reports
show that factories have more
than doubled in value and in pro-
ducts within the last ten years.
While the population has in
creased at the rate of 2 per cent.
year, the value of agricultural
products has increased at the rate
of 4 per cent. This shows that all
agricultural labor, including the
negroes, is improving in produc-
tive capacity.
He reviewed the work of the
constitutional convention of 1890,
and showed that by eliminating,
regardless of race or color, which
was the only constitutional means
of handling the question, Grimm
ais, tax delinquents and ilIiterates,
a negro majority of more than 90
600 has been changed to white
majority of over 100000. Since
that time no negro has sought or
held any State or county Office in
Mississippi. That convention
gave the white race, as to schools
and suffrage, all the advantages
which the Federal Constitution
would permit.
Senator Noel remarked that if
there was anything radically
wrong in the Constitution or
laws, the fault was in the Legisla-
lures of the past. In those Legis-
latures Messrs. Fox, Vardaman,
Critz, his opponents, and himself
had served. He then proceeded
to review the record Of all the
present gubernatoriaI candidates
with reference to the various mat
ters that are being discussed in the
present canvass. He fist took
up the question of primary cleo
tions, and called attention to the
fact that Fox and Vardaman were
members of the Legislature
which legalized conventions and
made executive committees all
powerful. He said the journals
indicate they were then in accord
with that policy, although now
strongly favoring primary cleo
tions. He referred to the fact
that he was the author of the pres
ent primary election law, and has
labored arduously for its success
in the Legislature and the courts.
Speaking of the elective iudici-
airy, he said the whole field favor
ed that now. The record shows,
however, that Fox voted against
it twice in the Legislature and
Vardaman five times. The amend
ment drawn by him had been in
serted by the Legislature, but an
nulled by the courts on technical
basis.
The speaker then took up the
question of distribution of the
school funds as between the races,
the most important issue of the
present campaign. He said that
at Yazoo City Major Vardaman,
Judge Critz and himself made
speeches on this subject. In that
speech Major Vardaman, who is
advocating in general the with
drawal of the school fund from the
negroes, conceded, according to a
report of his speech by one of
his strongest adherents, that
nothing of this sort could be done
until the fifteenth amendment was
abrogated. He quoted Gen.
George to show that there was no
hope of relief from that quarter.
He stated that this concession of
Major Vardaman removed that
question from the forum as prac-
tical issue.
He then considered the distribu-
ton of the school fund as between
the counties. Each county, ac-
cording to the present method,
pays annually according to it's
wealth and receives from the State
fund according to the number of
educable children. On account of
relatively higher assessment, the
negro counties pay over 100000
more than they receive, which
goes to the white counties. Some
of the latter receive twice as much
from the State as they pay in.
He said that the negro counties
were the chief losers by the pres
emit plan, and they would not OBJ
ject to its repeal. He added that
under the present method of hand
ling the school fund the negroes
who constitute more than half of
the educable population. receive