The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-07-18
Says the Charges Preferred Are Same
as We're Made During the Campaign
Which Resulted in Ills Election
to the High Office He
Now Holds.

United States Senator McLaurin was
asked If he had a reply to make to
the editorial appearing in the vicks-
burg Herald last Sunday concerning
his official and personal record. He
said:
l have seen the diatribe of the Her.
aid. must not be expected to COM
pete with it in billing esgate.
Most of the accusations that are
made against me were made while /
was governor and during the time /
was q candidate for the senate in
1899. They were answered by eleo-
tion to the senate.
Since the others were to have been
made against me am glad they were
ewhile am living, SO that
may have an opportunity to answer
them; for the grave is no barrier to
the vindictiveness and abuse of the
Herald.
In the Herald of April 28th, after
charging 'boodling', the charge was
made that everybody knows the Nc
Laurin brothers had feast as long as
they kept the keys. AS no one of my
brothers had an opportunity to handle
the public money except Walter Nc
Laurin this manifestly had reference
to him, and in my reply | stated he
accounted for every dollar of the
states money that ever came into his
hands. The Herald, without specify.
ing or Offering any evidence of any
misappropriation of public money by
Walter McLaurin, claims that my de-
nial of his misappropriation of public
money licensed it. the Herald, to fol-
low him with it's abuse into the grave.
AS to its reference to the two ad
ministrations Of the levee board. The
fact that the old levee board issued
more than one million dollars of
bonds at per cent. interest and sold
them at discount, and that the levee
bce-S appointed refunded $3.50. 900 90
OF them at 5 per cent interest and sold
them at a premium, speaks for itself
The Herald charges me with drunk
enness. That /, at times, INDUCED
an appetite for whisky that caused
me to drink to excess and drunken
ness, / have not denied, justified nor
| excused. This was run on me when
l was candidate in 1899, although
had then quit drinking for neatly two
years. was that year elected to the
senate, and have never drunk drop
Of Intoxicating liquors since.
am sorry and ashamed that I ever
drank to excess. | lay no claim to
perfection. There has been but one
perfect man since the creation of the
universe, and He died for the sins Of
the world; many of which have
committed and repent.
AS to the Herald's statement that |
lodged the rate law until it's enact
ment was certain, ! am member Of
the interstate commerce committee,
and when it was reported favorsbly
by the committee it was by vote of
6 for and 5 against the rate law. q
was one of the six who voted to re.
port to the senate in favor Of the rate
law. When it came up in the senate
! made q speech in it's behalf.
When said used the lawful au-
thority Of the governors Office to see
that the state had fair and impartial
decision of the question of the liabil-
ity of the Y. & NJ. v. railroad for
taxes, the Herald charged me with
ssobtnsity'' and with slaDdering the
supyeme court. The railroad COM
pany at that time did not think that
the act wherein exercised the law
full authority was "obtuse' neither
did the Herald. | never spoke to .
supreme judge about the case until
after it was decided BY our supreme
court AS to Judge Whitfield, /
never spoke to him about it until he
came into my Office to show me an
article Of the Herald, denune iatory Of |
him for rendering the decision
said lawful, authority had
this lawful authority, the appoint
ment Of supreme Judge who would !
and did pass upon that case. One Of
the judges then on the bench. JudgeI
Woods, held that the railroad company |
was exempt from taxation there be-
ing . Vacancy on the bench. ] was