Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-01-27

- ~ N@A@A W@%%NAN% 2@ 2
unique Tor its irankness, and pic
turesque Tor its unreserved utter
anoes, Is is that wonderful dOcu
ment Known Is Governor varda
mans Inaugural Address. b
this time It is safe TO say that
large majority Of the American
people who read, have carefully
reviewed the salient points Of thi'
great document, since Governor
Vardaman's name for The past year
has not alone been common proper.
ty among the politicians Of Missis.
sippi, but his towering individual.
ity and advanced ideas on impOr.
tant issues now before the Ameri.
can people, have attracted the
earnest attention of every thinker
abreast Of the times. Nor has the
fame Of Mississippi's new Cover
nor been confined to the plaudits oil
his admiring friends. The parti-
san opponents Of the Governors
position, throughout sections OF
the country where the danger to
existing condition is most imenent,
in their desperation to avoid any
disturbance, have relentlessly
assaulted this brilliant sol of the
South; and when they had no
argument to offer against his posi-.
tion, they have rcsOrted to all
manner of cowardly ridicule and
abuse. By the venal metropolitan
press throughout the length and
breadth Of the nation, Mr.. Varda-
man has been made the subject of
more unfair criticism than any
public man who has appeared on
the political horizon in many years.
But this has worked no detr1ment
to our distinguished son nor the
truth he defends. On the contrary
it has been vastly to advantage.
The people everywhere, recOgniz-
ing that where there is such an
effort put forth to smoke out the
new star in the American fTma-
ment, there must be some fire, and
a diligent research began every
where to discover the truth, and
to know more of the man so re-
viled. The first assaults came in
the hope to compass the daring
Mississippian's defeat. But when
he was triumphantly indicated
with the nomination In a state pri-
mary of his party, at which one
hundred thousand votes were
pOlled, and that too, in defiance of
the greatest odds any man has
ever surmOunted, the nation cheer
ed. Tt will be remembered that
Major Vardaman entered the cam
paign with no potent force to use
in his own behalf except his clean
manhood, his unassailable char
acter and his ability. Against
him, because it was we'll known to
the politicians that he could neith-
er be used nor deceived in the dis
charge of his official duties, was
the combined force Of all the
political cliques in the state, OF the
Federal administration, and all
the money, for corrupting pur-
poses, that could possibly be spent
in the contest. It was a battle
royal between the manhood of
Mississippi and 3 combination
Of unlimited wealth, the ward heel
er and the bigoted hypOcracy IN
der the guise Of two strong church
organizations. Manhood won,
Those who carefully read Cover
nor Vardaman's Inaugural address
will indeed be deuse If they do not
discover that manhood is in the
saddle ct the Executive Mansion,
in the state capital. There are no
uncertain sounds in this great
document. Any one who reads
It and can comprehend the higher
use Of the English language, can
not fail to be impressed with the
conviction that Mississippi now
haa q f4overnnr eanahia and deter.