The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1906-11-03
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ALDERMANIC
ELECTION IN THE FOURTH
WARD.

| In its issue of October "a, The
Leader gave a condensed state
rent Of the outrageous treatment
and insult offered DR.. /. W.
Cooper, President of Whitwortt
College, on the night of the first
primary election. It was then
stated that at three different times
during the night miscellaneous
party of rowdies who had been
Itanking up on beer at the homes
Iof some of the candidates, made
visits to the College, indulging in
loud talk (ladies who heard 1t
Icharacterizing some of the Ian.
guage as "yile'), singing ribald
songs and referring to President
lCooper as rotten or "rot. y
Twice it is stated they entered
the college grounds, and on one
Of their visits entered the Metho-
dist church and rang the bell,
causing residents in that portion
Of the city to think a fire alarm
was being sounded.
| The Leader article further con-
tanned the following paragraph:
| DR.. Cooper's sole ofense in
! this matter was that, at the urgent
solicitation of a number of the
voters of Ward Four, be had re-
Iluctantly consented to allow them
to use his name as candidate fol-
Alderman, and such conduct is a
Ereproach on the fair name of this
lefty which no good citizen can
afford to ignore. 1t is especially
incumbent upon Alderman A Abrams
and all his rational supporters tc
repudiate this wanton insult to 9
high-toned Christian gentleman
and the institution over which be
presides, and place the stamp ol
their public condemnation upon
lit. Until they have had ample
opportunity to be heard, The
Leader asks that any condemna-
tion of them for responsibility for
or sympathy with the outrage, be
reserved.
The Leader will say for the in.
formation of the correspondent
whose communication IS publish.
ed In another column of today's
paper, and of many others who
are interested, that before any
publication of the matter was
made in The Leader, the editor OF
this paper went to Mr.. Abrams in
person and fully acquainted him
with the outrageous conduct re-
ferred to and he very promptly
declared that be condemned what
had been done and disavowed all
sympathy with it; and, at his
urgent request the following dis
claimer was drafted and placed in
his hands by US which he said he
would sign, circulate among his
friends, and have published:
Whereas, on Monday night,
October %, after the result of the
primary election had been an
nounced, certain turbulent and
lawless persons visited the prem
ises of Whitworth College and
INDUCED in unbecoming conduct
thereat and in the streets adjoin-
ing, singing ribald songs, and en-
tered the Methodist church and
rang the bell, disturbing and
alarming the residents in that To-
cality; the whole being evidently
an expression of indignity and
disrespect to President l. w.
Cooper who was a candidate for
Alderman In the Fourth Ward;
| Resolved. That the undersigned
who we're opponents of DR.. Coop
er and supporters of Abrams de-
sire to hereby publicly express
our unqualified condemnation and
disapproval of such conduct and
will gladly unite with the officers
and all good citizens of the town
in bringing the offenders to JUS
tice. We have the highest posi- :
BILE regard for DR.. Cooper, and
exceedingly regret that he and his
institution should have been made
the subjects of disrespect."
Up to this time, now nearly
two weeks since the occurrence,
with the columns of The Leader
open and two other papers in the
city, Mr.. Abrams and his sup
porters, for some reason satisfac-
tory to themselves, have renamed
dumb as oysters SO far as Pres.
Cooper or the public knows.
The truth of the matter is, that
Mr.. Abrams attitude is a pecu,
liar and embarrassing one, on ac-
count of what his candidacy
actually stood for. As no other
candidacy for alderman in the
lclty, It represented, in its final
analysis, the gambling and lawless
element.
] Before Dr.. Cooper's consent
was obtained as candidate
against Mr.. Abrams, the opposi-
Ition to him in the fourth ward
i Wac midncpraa1 ond not ~ arv