The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-08-26
sOUTHRORTH's SATURDAY SPEECH.

hosts for the fray.
The building was thronged. 1t
was not the gay ensemble that Mr..
Vardaman fronted at the Opera
House. The air was not redolent
with my lady's" dainty perfume
and quick tlutter of bright fans.
In fact, the sprinkling of ladies
was light in the immense throng.
There were solid business men,
professional men, men from the
shops, the farm and every voca-
ton; that silent throng," as
the speaker dubbed them, whose
votes speak in the moments of
supreme testing"
The Speaker, Hon. L. M. South
worth, of Carrollton, did not dis
appoint the highest expectations of
the audience. His thoughts were
phrased in as limpid, vigorous
English~as has been heard in many
a day. The lawyer orator climbed
several ornate SUBMITS, but his
speech was that of a man too dead
in earnest to trifle with pretty
words or fiorid flights-the tink-
ling cymbals and sounding brasses
of the orator who deals in meretri-
cious generalities, who plays to
the galleries, or ike Don Quixote,
combats the windmill. South
worth's auditors forgot the man
in his message. He did not seek
to combat fanciful grievances or
consign to the Lazaretto Mr..
Critics political opponent. The
speech was devoid of larceny of
character, it was kind, pungent,
straightforward appeal to the
thinking men. Mr.. Southworth
buried men beneath the great is
sues at stake. If there was race
question at issue, he plainly and
forcefully showed that it was SOW
ing the wind and reaping the
whirlwind to play upon the pas
sions and stir hatred in mems
breasts. Judge Critz stood for
white supremacy and was the ex-
ponent of the party that drew the
color line and wisely eliminated
the colored man from the unfortu-
nate place in the body polite
into which he had been thrust by
constitutional amendment. He
simply and earnestly showed the
falacy of Mr.. Vardaman's bold
assertions and chimeric prolesta-
tons. Judge Critz reverted the
law and would unswervingly en-
force the law for the protection of
life, liberty mad property in the
Commonwealth of Mississippi.
He would maintain the present
constitutional demands that give
the blacks as many months
schooling as the whites, on the
same basis as at present-seventy-
nine per cent of the public school
fund for the white children,
twenty-one per cent for the color
ed. This fund being distributed
at the discretion of the school
superintendent elected by the
people-presents a fair possibility
of a still further decrease in ratio
at the proper time and under
proper circumstances.
Judge Critz stands firm on the
question of white supremacy, but
is also a firm believer in law and
order and the protection of life
and property. Under present
conditions our State is prospecting.
Mississippi's broad acres Of farm
lands and forests of timber re-
quire coIored labor (the only kind
available.) Telrorize the black
men, fling him from the State of
Mississippi and business would
be crippled. The field hand, the
mill hand, the house servant will
be missing and a paralysis creep
over us.
The speaker pointed out the alb.
surdity of Mr.. Vardaman's plan
of working the State convicts upon
the public roads. Under the old
regime the State paid $780, per
annum for the keeping of prison
ers. Under the present method of
convict employment the State re-
ceives an annual income of $780,
900, which sums, to that extent
eases the tax payers. To show
the emptiness of this proposition
to work the convicts upon the
public highways he said: There
are some 1000 convicts confined
in our penal institution. Of this
number not more than. 800 are
able bodied men who could render
a days work. There are Is eoun-
ties that would get eleven convicts
each in the distribution. There
being on an average IS roads
in every county, in the
division, each would receive one
Gn1fQ or a convict with an over
seer at $40 per month. +"
Mr.. Southworth smiled when
he referred to the proud boast
that were Mr.. Vardaman elected
Governor he would protect the
white people from the rapacious
black man, and prevent the color
ed man from becoming a social
equal with the white. He had
lived all his life in the grand old
State of Mississippi and bad never
seen and never would see the mo
ment when he needed such pro-
lection or garrisonship. The
white man scorns such insinua
tons even. Such vapid twaddle#