The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-01-21
THE MESSAGE OF
]. GOV.'VARDAnAN
A CONCISE AND GENERAL SUM
MARY OF HIS VIEWS
ON PUBLIC QUESTIONS.
Enumerates What He Regards the
Essential Principles and Policies
Which Ought to Shape and Charac-
terizes the Present Administration.
Major Vardaman said in part:


Called upon by the sovereign suffra-
glsts to assume the duties and per-
form the functions of Chief Executive
of this Commonwealth-ab in it's
constitutional authority-an indie
structible integral element of the gen.
eral government embrace the op-
portunity afforded by this occasion to
make my grateful acknowledgement
TO the good people of my beloved
state for the generous favors which
have been pleased to show me, to con-
Tess a sincere consciousness of my
ability to meet the demands of the
great trusts committed to my keeping
and to assure them that so profoundly
am | impressed with the magnitude
of the task, that | approach it with
those anxious and awful PRESENT.
ments which the greatness of the
charge and the weakness of my power
so Justly inspires.
Mississippi is a great state. Her
history is rich with the spoil of
time" Of heroic deeds, profound
statesmanship-the home of the high
est type of Anglo-Saxon manhood,
whose genius for law, devotion to
principle and strict adherence to con-
Stitutional government have made her
the protagonist-the guiding star to
her sister commonwealth in some of
the most vital matters of legislation
and constitutional reforms
OF her material greatness the half
has not been told. Her lands are fer
tile and fruitful-responding lavishly
TO the sturdy stroke of the honest hus-
bandman - superb forests, whose
woods are covered by the world-unde-
veloped mineral resources, waterways,
railroads, a gateway on the Gulf Of
Mexico, through which the ships of
every nation may pass to bear her
treasures away, and empty them in
the lap of the commercial world; and
climate as genial and health giving
as ever produced a sturdy and heroic
race.
When contemplate all of these
great interests-the hopes and aspira-
tions of men-the happiness and well
fare Of my fellow countrymen-th
possibilities which sleep in the womb
of time-the difficulties complex prob
lens and pregnant issues, which con-
front this people, the solution of which
will test the permanency of their
-civilization-all committed and relat-
ed to the auspices of this occasion, /
am overwhelmed with painful misgiv-
ings of thought, "and humble myself
before the magnitude of the undertak.
ing"
/ | should despair absolutely were |
not reminded by the presence of so
many patriotic men, incorruptible and
ssagacious statesmen fresh from the
people, representing every profession
and class of her citizenship, imbued
with common hopes, interests and
aspirations, forming in their official
capacity the legislative-a coordinate
branch of the government-that in
every emergency / may confidently
turn to them and find inexhaustible
sources of wisdom, of virtue, of pa
triotism and of zeal on which to rely,
under all circumstances.
To say then, my countrymen, who
have been selected by your fellow-citi-
zens, intrusted and charged with the
serious functions of legislation, shall
ever look for that announcement, for
that wise and prudent counsel; shall
draw inspiration from your fearless
performance of every duty, your pa
triotic devotion to the right at any
cost, and I shall expect that harmo-
NOUS cooperation. which is an indis-
pensible prerequisite to the accom-
plishment of the great work to which
) the people of Mississippi have called
us.
The campaign through which we
have just passed marks an epoch in
/ the political history of Mississippi. AL
though it was an intestine conflict-a
contest within the Democratic party
(the general election held in Novem-
Der being in effect a ratification of the
result of the primaries) party COM
posed exclusively as it should be of
white men, there was a great deal of
bitterness and unnecessary partisan
rancor engendered. The freedom of
Guthrie. The Missouri, Kansas &
4 oklahoma railroad has fled with the