Hattiesburg daily progress. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 18??-1909, 1903-09-19
col. E. [. RUsSELL's SPEECH.
He Touches on "Oli Mississippi.
and Pays a High Tribute to the
Iamented j. Z. George,

published in full the speech delivered
by Col. E. L. Russell, at Gulfport OIL
the occasion of the Vardaman recep
ton there not long ago, and it pays
sucb a hand some and eloquent trib'
ute TO "Old Mississippi, her loyal
greatness. that we glve'below extracts
from it, regretting in doing SO that
we haven't the room to give the
speech in full;
81 want to say word about old
Mississippi said the Colonel There
have been speeches on Old Mississippi,
and I want to say now that while i
recognize and honor tile enterprise and
ability and push that is making the
new state yet am free to confess that
hest love the old. Old Mississippi
must ever stand in the vanguard OF
all that was noble, and pure, and
clean, and vigorous and right. Her
sons and daughters were the noblest
of the land Always the women OF
that far =rate are foremost III the
hands of the good and true and hand
some and appreciatiye. Old Mlssls-
sippi may be eventually overcome by
the new but let us pray God that her
grand old traditions, her grand men
and noble women may not aso wane
and disappear.
cold Mississippi was state OF
achievements The people OF Missls-
sippi, inspired by patriotism and COM
mon sense, elected Gen. j. Il. George
to the United States senate from that
state. All, that was a great lawyer,
a great commoner, a great patriot.
Hs entered the senate to find Judge
Edmonds, of Vermont, chairman OF
the judiciary committee, and yet 1t
was on this committee that the dem
ocratic managers put Gen. George,
believing that he would represent the
democratic principles there. 1t was
a wise, a foreseeing movement.
"This great 'awyer, by the force OF
his inte lect, unyielding will and
great industry, forced Judge Edmonds
the great lawyer of the republican
party, to approve first an &C that
stripped the federal courts OF the
United States of two-thirds of this
Jurisdiction, increasing it from $500
to 81, 600; second to approve an act that
changed entirely the acts of congre g
relating to the removal of causes from
state to federal courts, the amended
act proposed by General George max
ing it almsot inn ossible now to re-
move a case from the state o the fed
eral courts; third, to approve an act
that provided that receiver appoint
ed by federal court and placed in
control of railroad running through
more than one state should operate
such railroad subject to the Jaws of
the state through which it ran.
Prior to this amendment it had been
judicially determined that receiver
appointed by federal court could
not be sued while operating a rail
road even if it ran through more than
one state. without the approval of the
judge that appointed him.
$50 Mississippi is entitled to the
credif of contributing to the United
States senate a senator that was a con-
structive legislator. He had the
genius to create and construct a new
system of federal laws that fully frus-
trated thu policy of the republican
party, which, was to confer all juris-
dictions upon the federal courts,
dwarfing and diminishing the dignity
of the state courts. General George
by these acts reestablished the jurIs-
diction of the state circuit and chan
Gerry courts and restored their ancient
dignity and honor. ALI citizens who
believe in this system of government
established by our fathers originally
intended. should always honor Sena-
tor George, out of whose great brain
and patriotic heart coincided these
federal measures that brought back
our federal and state governments 10
the original conception, and as pro-
vided by those who spent their blood
and treasure TO estab ish the republic.
1.-THE colone; then took up railroads
again, He said that the Mobile and
Ohio had had her troubles, that the
officer,' beds were not always OF down
and and that the fears and fancies
had been sometimes appalling; but a
steadfast purpose. an intention to do
the right thing, had brought them
ont until it was now one of the great
railways of the world. He told of a
time. many years ago when a pas
senger train was stalled because a
drawhead pulled ont. We had no
other drawhead. said the colonel,
and we had no means whatever for
repairing the damage, and we should
have been compelled to remain there
the engine had had time to
make the round trip to the division
Headquarters for repairs. Our policy
was then as it is now-to know our
patrons to- like them and to make them
like us. So while were in that
predicament, and wirile things looked
as black as we'll might, an old farmer
geed and hawed> his OK team alongside
Al.