The Tupelo journal., 1907-01-25

the board of his wrath knew no
bounds and h determined to de-
stroy them. With this object he
filled his partisan newspapers
| with willful Misrepresentation
of the board of control.
Sweeping aside the numerous
false charges he has circulated
in conversation and also the nu-
merous false charges he has cir
culated through the newspapers,
as a gentleman brushes cob-webs
from his path, Il will use one
case that establishes my conten-
ton that the Governor has know
ingly, deliberately and willfully
misrepresented the board of con-
troll. To take up the numerous
falsehoods he has so circulated
would so lengthen this article as
to tax the readers patience, and
one case cited will suffice.
Governor Vardaman and Com
missioner McNair were the COM
mittee to sell the states cotton
and cottonseed during almost the
entire three years of their SER
vice as members of the board. In
the face of this fact, the Gov
ernor wrote a gentleman of
Vicksburg, who had written the
Governor requesting that he be
given a chance to bid for the
States seed, that on account of
the fact that he had so little in
1uence with the board that he
was not in a position to offer him
any seed. This was done with
out even mentioning to his asso-
ciate on the committee or any
member of the board the fact
that the gentleman had indicated
a desire to bid for the seed. 1t
will be seen that this letter was
made to do double duty for his
excellency, by establishing in the
mind of the gentleman to whom
it was addressed two falsehoods:
1st. That the Governor was hon
est and desired to give him
chance to bid on the seed, and
End. That the board of control
objected to this.
By chance the board of con-
troll learned of this correspon-
dence, and on my motion direc-
ted the secretary to call on the
Governor for a copy of the rec
ord of his correspondence as a
member Of the committee for
the States product. He declined
to furnish this and his conten-
ton that the board of control had
no right to this record is so man
ifestly absurd that it is unwor-
thy OF discussion, Instead of
furnishing the record, as it was
his duty to do, he pursued his
usual course in transacting the
public business and answered
through the newspapers. In his
public statement he charged
that this request for the record
was stab" at him, aud that
it was intended to place him in
a bad light. | admit that this
business does place the Governor
in a bad light, but this is merely
an incident in connection with
this business transaction. If to
unmask a falsehood and reveal
the truth is a stab" at his eX-
ceilency, then, indeed, was the
action of the board a stab.
But it must be admitted that the
stab was from the front, with
the truth, and directly opposite
to the Governors stab" at the
board, in the back with false
hood The Governor further
writes that he expects to reap
benefit from this stab. /" In
these modern days the Governor
may be able to harvest a polite
al profit from this exposure by
the cry Of persecution, +" but it
is written, that in olden times,
for lesser sin, Ananias was
struck dead.
The Governor attempts to mis-
lead the public as to the COM
plant against him and pretends
to think that the board meant to
charge that he had failed to OBJ
tain good prices for the States
products. The board will con-
JeEd that the Governor violated
Instructions and that he was un-
.aithful to public trust, when
he failed to allow wide spread
competition for the States cot
ton seed, and the board also con-
ended that no one could tell if
he bestprice was obtained when
buyers were deprived of the
privilege of bidding, still the
greatest complaint against the
Governor was that he used his
position to misrepresent and
81 snder the members of the board
of control, and principally for
Chis reason, the boasd removed
aim from the committee.
wish to direct the attention
Of the pnblic to the fact that ia
his notice Of (not answ@ tile
Continued o. 8tn PAGE,