The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1907-08-16

fore the State Democratic Execu
tive Committee and made the fol
lowing address:
I Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen
Of the Committee am informed
that the returns from three countie:
in the State, Kemper, Smith anC
/ Grenada, have not been received
+ 1t seems that the committee is now
trying to get these long-delayed re-
/ turns and hopes to be successful in
/ its efforts tonight or tomorrow. ]
don't care to detain the committee
unduly, and assuming that the re-
/ turns sent to Secretary Of State are
approximately correct, | am willing
to accept them.
Right here | want to say a word
touching the request recently made
/ by the Scott campaign committee,
asking my friends to stand firm un-
/ til the result Of the election could
! be properly and legally ascertained
| by the official count The request
was made because we found it i'm
possible to get any accurate informa-
ton about the gubernatOrial vote.
I The newspapers, using every effort
at their command, differed with
each other in their figures and from
day to day found it necessary to re-
wise and change their own reports.
Under such conditions and with a
very close margin between my com
petit0rs an myself, ] thought the
( only proper course to pursue was to
await the action of the committee.
1 assume you will fully under
stand that | never for a single mo-
ment thought of making any cap
tious or technical objections. If |
desired to indulge in such tactics |
could do SO now, for it is exceeding
doubtful whether you have the right,
under the primary election law. to
receive and count at this late day
the returns from the three missing
counties | have Just mentioned.
Passing this objection without
further comment, it is quite certain
to my mind that one-half, or more,
of the returns you have are illegal,
and, if | chose to press the point,
must be disregarded in this election.
Let me read for your information
that part of the primary election
law relating to this subject. |
read from section 3705 of our last
code, as follows; The vote for
State and district officers shall be
tabulated by precincts and certified
to and returned to the respective ex-
ecutive committees having charge
of district nominations and to the
State executive committee, those
returns relating to State officers,
such returns to be made by register
ed letter or safe mode of transmits
sion within thirty-six hours after
the returns are canvassed and the
results ascertained.
You will observe at once, that
this law has not been complied with
either in the letter or the spirit.
The result of the election at each
precinct in each county should be
here before this committee. 1t is
quite important to every candidate
that the law should be strictly COM
piled with Indeed, | had just re-
requested my friends, Mr.. Leroy
Percy and Mr.. W. H. Powell, to
ask of the committee that the figures
and additions be properly veri-
fed, realizing that a material error
fatal to my interests might have
been made, when none such was in
tended. They and | were greatly
astonished to ascertain on inquiry
that the vote had not been tabula-
ted by precincts in many counties,
as the law required, and if | now
desired TO do so, this committee
would have no choice except to re-
ject the vote from all of those coun-
ties, which | am informed perhaps
is a ma ority of the counties in the
State, where this important matter
had been ignored.
This would undoubtedly give me
the nominotion, but while it has
been my ambition to become Gov
ernor of Mississippi, l don't care to
be Governor in this way, nor viii |
make any technical objections of
any kind. | wish to say further
that | have received kilograms and
letters from various counties in the
State informing me of irregularities
to my detriment. To illustrate, let
me select one county, without de-
tanning the committee for further
details. | allude to the county of
Pontotoc, which one of my COM
petitors, Mr.. Brewer, carried by a
large majority. | have in my hands
here affidavits showing that five or
six hundred illegal votes were cast
in this county, men being registered
contrary to law. by letter, by proxy
and even by telephone. many of
these registrations being made Just
on the eve of election, in direct con-
fiict with that important provision
OF our election laws which prohibits