The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1906-05-26

groes who to vote for, and the
election was as good as carried.
The white people, seeing the
awful effects Of this kind Of thing
had planned and worked for many
years and finally got the negro out
Of politics in this State altogether,
for the good of both races, but
here IN Lincoln county the white
people white Democrats, they
call themselves had gone back to
the old Radical-negro way of con-
ducting their campaigns and are
being told by hired bosses of
candidates and their strikers who
to vote for.
The comparison is a hard one,
but there is too much truth in it.
The remedy is in the peoples
own hands, and it. is one of the
things they ought to be ready to
deal with when the next campaign
opens. The candidate who tries
to buy his way into Office and who
uses money, except in perfectly
legitimate way, and all paid work
ers for such candidates, ought to
be rebuked and condemned
from start to finish by every hon.
est voter Of Lincoln County.
Another important matter is
worthy of the most serious and
frank consideration. There are
even now rumors in circulation
that there will be an effort on the
part of certain men in the county
who want Office to secretly organ
ize the whitecaps and members of
the Farmers League for political
purposes, as was done three years
ago, and if the scheme can be
worked, it is calculated that a
slate of candidates which has this
secret, endorsement are to fll the
county Offices. 1t is also current
ly rumored that some of the same
men who were prominent in white
cap councils during tine campaign
three years ago and used the
organization for political adtvan-
tage,a ,are to be on this slate for i'm
portant county Offices.
/ cannot certify from any know
ledge / have, just how much
foundation there is for these re-
peated rumors. | sincerely hope |
for the good of Lincoln county !
and all her people there is none.
Twice-three times, | believe
organizations of this kind have
cost the people of Lincoln county |
heavily in reputation and in dol
lars and many have paid the
penalty of such folly in real suf-
fering and humiliation. Twice
the power of the State has man
ifested itself in Lincoln county in
the form of armed soldiers to en-
force thetlaw and men have been
convicted and sentenced to the
penitentiary for crimes committed
in pursuance of the evil teaching
received in these secret organiza-
tions. Many women and little
children and old ay-haired
fathers and mothers, Innocent of.
any crime, have suffered as we'll as
those who were guilty on, account
of these things, and the man or
set of men who would lead or en-
courage any of our people into
movement of this kind again for
political advantage or any other
consideration deserves the severest |
condemnation of every man and
woman in our county. No man
who has misled them before along
this line or used them in this way
for political gain, ought to
have the gall, in the face of the
record, to ask the ones misled or
any one else to support him for
another Office, until there has been
ample time for him to prove in
other ways that he is worthy of
public trust and confidence.
Lincoln county has much to be
proud of and much to hope for in
the future if her people will only
seize and live up to their splendid
opportunities. Her people in
every neighborhood are growing
in intelligence and thrift. Our
county schools, the best we have
ever had, are throwing light in
all he dark places aud our young
boys and girls are receiving the
education and inspiration for bet
ter things bright proph-
ecy of what our future men and
women are to be. New railroads
are being built, new industries es-
tablished, new men with their
capital coming to our towns, new
farms being cleared, new and hap
py homes being built, and our
agricultural lands are responding
to the honest industry and intel
ligence of the farmer as never
before. Let US all profit by past
experience and mistakes and take
no backward step. We have only
to look to the proper moral and
religious welfare of our people
and rightly safeguard our polit-
ical interests by supporting COM
petent, upright, trustworthy men
for public Office. to make Lincoln
the grandest and most prosperous
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