The leader., 1904-12-28
YARDAMAN'S VIEWS.
He Gives Some Interesting Statistics on
Crime in Mississippi.

Crime in Mississippi.
AT the opening of the Cotton
and Corn Carnival in Jackson
recently, Gov. Vardaman deliver
ed an address, and among other
things, said:
There are no people on earth
who observe and obey the laws as
freIigiously and as righteously as
the white people of the State Of
Mississippi. 1t was stated in the
public prints not long since, quot
ing man who occupies an impor-
tant Office, that murders were in
creasing. ! think it was stated
that up to- the first of April there
had been more than 200 murders
committed in the State of Missis-
sippi. / did not believe that was
true. | thought 1T was an unfor-
tunate thing if it was true, and if
it was not true it ought to be cor
rected,. and sat down in my
office and addressed letter to
every sheriff in the State of Mis-
sissippi and asked them to give
me the number of murders that
had been committed in their coun-
ties from the 1st of January to
the 18th of November. The re-
plies came that there were 297
homicides committed. OF that
number $50 were committed by
negroes, and 227 were committed
by negroes on negroes. / want to
impress upon you this fact reveal
ed in that inyestigatlon-they
were all very young negroes.
They average less than twenty
five years of age, and while they
did not state in all the letters, a
great many of them stated that
they occurred around crap games.
Now an article was published in
McClure's Magazine in December,
in which Mr.. Mcclure states that
for the year 1908 there was one
homicide committed in the United
States to every $3.50 people.
Well, when you confne this to the
white people of Mississippi, put
ting Mississippi's white popuIa-
tion at 700, 900, there was less
than one homicide to every ten
thousand, and if you put the white
population at 800, 900 the homi-
cides committed by white men Of
the whole population you will find
that there was less than one homi-
eide to every twenty-four thous-
and people. So we are not so
bad, my countrymen, as has been
reported to the world by our own
people. ] have so often said up
on the stump, to the people of the
State, that there is not more
law abiding, law respecting, law
upholding and law loving people
on Gods footstool, than you will
find among the white people Of
the State of Mississippi
Governor Vardaman then enter
ed into discussion Of the negro
question, and touching on this
said:
We should make up our minds
to tell the truth about the situa-
ton here at home.
And instead Of going to the
congress of the United States and
saying that there is no distinction
made in Mississippi because of
color or previous condition of
servitude, tell the truth and say
this: We tried for many years
to live in Mississippi and share
sovereignty and dominion with
the negro. We saw our institu-
tions crumbling, we saw the pub
lie funds squandered, we saw the
civilization that our forefathers
had fought for passing away, and
the law of self preservation being
the first law, we observed it,. We
rose in the majesty and highest
type Of Anglo Saxon manhood and
took the reins of government out
of the hands of the carpetbagger
and negro, and, so help us God,
from now on we will never share.
any sovereignty or dominion with
him again.
The governor thought that che
Southern Congressman should in
troduce a measure looking to the
repeal Of the 18th amendment, to-
allow the States to deal with the
question Of suffrage as they saw
fit, and not until that was done
did be think the negro question.
would be settled.