The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-08-16
Postmaster General Payne Con-
 siders Himself YiRdiCated
MORE TROUBLE AT INDIANOLAI
Democrats Are More Determined Than Ever to Make Roosevelt's Person ality the Chief Cam
 pagn Issue.
RY- WATTERsoN sTEALEY.

BY PATTERSON sTEALEY.
 Washington, August 5-6Speclal)- administration is stm huny about the Vardaman postoffice incident, and does not seem disposed to allow the matter to drop. Today Postmaster General Payne gave out letter said to have been written by Governor yardaman of Miss slssippi to the editor of the Daily Mall of Anderson, S. C.
 1t is asserted at the postoffice depart- ment that the editor of the Daily Mail wrote Governor Vardaman and inquired if the assertion made by the Postmaster General regarding the editorial to which reference was originally made, was true. The governors reply, which the postof- flee department made public today, Is as follows:
 'Executive Department.
 Jackson, Mss, August 6.
 My Dear Sir-Your very kind favos of the 4th instant has been received. If had q copy of the Commonwealth you de- sire l would take great pleasure in send- Ing it to you, but the files of the old pa per are a hundred miles away There was nothing in that editorial offensive to Mrs. Roosevelt or that reflected upon her in the least. l simply undertook upon scientific grounds, an explanation of Ted dys degeneracy and general cussedness, without holding his ancestors responsible for it. I thought I owed 1t to his anees- tors. Really should be ashamed to charge the devil himself with -le respon- sibility of the infamy of that distin- guished accident Sincerely and cordially,
 U. K. VARDAMAN."
 Is Considered Vindication.
 Postmaster General Payne considers thia letter a vindlcation of his action in de- cllning to name the postoffce Vardaman and he stated today that it ia furthe.' evidence of the fact that Governor Var dsnnan did write the original editorial despite recent denials of the charge.
 More Trouble at lndIanoIa.
 If for no other purpose than to in- crease the democratic majority in Missis- sippi. Postmaster General Payne today or dered the reduction of the postoffce at Indianola. Miss, from presidential grad- ing to the fourth class. This is the of- flee that figured so conspicuously in the public eye last year by reason of the Presidents determined effort to force negro postmlstress, Minnie V. Cox, on the people of that place despite their pro- test.
 The postofico department felt called upon to explain It's action today and an- nounced that this acton was due to tha receipts of that office for the last fiscal year falline belo that minimum amount established Tor presidential offices and not to any desire of the department to further show its disapproyal of the course taken by certain of the citizens of tha town towards the former incumbent of the office The department did not ex- plain however that the arbitrary action of the President which he took in viola ton of the constitution was responsibls primarily for the increased receipts of the Indianola office
 Will Emphasize Personality Issue.
 The republicans have issued their cam- paign book and much has been said about issues during the past few weeks, but tha fact remains that the Presidents person. ality Is oyershadown them in this politi- cal contest. The republicans do not take kindly to this issue and they are ham, mering away on the tariff, Judge Par kers Esopus telegram and any old make believe issue by which they can divert attention rom tne peisohdlit1 Oi iho wlelder of the "blg stick" The democratid campaign managers realize this confessed weakness in the republican plan of bat tie and more emphasis from now on will be placed on the personality of the Pres- ident as contrasted with the demoeraey's candidate of safety and sanity.
 The republican organs in the east. have been asserting with much zeal that ths democratic campaign committee has ig- nored Bourke Cochran and that no ex- tracts from either of his great speeches would circulated in the campaign. No doubt the wish was father to the thoughts for cochran's arraignment of the Roese- welt administration on eve of adjournment of congress was so stinging and severs that the republicans found themselves un- able to rally and attempt reply until several days had elapsed. Cochrans elo- quent words exposing republican duplic- ity are to be circulated in every district in the land A big order has been placed for the printing of extracts from both of the great speeches of the Tammany orator. There are already many requests for the Cochran efforts at congressional bea ddtfarte