The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-05-22

Normal school for negroes bill a,
evidence of this fact. He declared
absolutely false the assertion thai
he bad ever claimed il he was
elected goveror he would secure
a separation Of the taxes paid by
white pHople and negroes for edu-
cational purposes. What he had
lsaid WIS that the large negro
counties of the State were getting
large and unjust proportion Of
the school money of the State on
the per capita basis, which ought
to go to the education of children
in the white counties, and that
if the people would elect legis-
lature in accord with his views a
constitutional amendment would
be submitted and the present in
Justice to the white counties cor
rected. That was not done, but
he was not to blame for it for
the legislature did not see fit to
carry GU. his recommendations.
The governor declared, however,
that his campaign of education
four years ago has borne encour-
aging fruit, and that all six of
the present candidates for govern
or had mounted his platform on
the public school question, and
he was sure the next legislature
would pass the needed constltu-
tional amendment. He strongly
urged his hearers not to vote for
any candidate for the legislature
who was not in favor of this re-
form.
The governor briefly reviewed
his administration as governor,
and challenged any of his oppo-
nents to show wherein he bad
failed to keep any pledge made to
the people while a candidate for
governor four years ago, and de-
clared that if this could be done
he would pledge himself to resign
and never ask the people for
another Office.
On his return to Norfield in the
afternoon Gov. Vardaman was in
vited to deliver an address to the
people there in the the large town
hall before taking the train for
jackson. Norfield is the -four
ishing saw mill village where a
large proportion of the operatives
are men from the Northern and
Western States. Here the gov
ernor repeated greater portion
of his earlier speech, and it was
significant that these Northerners
applauded and commended his ut
terances on the race problem and
repeal of the fifteenth amendment
quite as vigorously as his Mlssis-
sippi hearers. In reply to the
proposition of a mounted consta b.
ulary as remedy for the crimi-
nal negro in the country districts,
the governor cited the fact that
since his Inauguration four at
tempted criminal assaults and one
actual assault had been made on
white women in the city of Jack
son, almost under the shadow of
the State capitol, where the
streets of Jackson are Illuminated
by electric lights and patfolled
by policemen mounted and on
foot. He declared that every as
sault on white woman by a me-
gro was but an expression of the
negro's yearning for social equal
itv with the white race = that
there could not be real political
equality without there ultimate
ly being social equality, and that
one of the most important steps
toward the wise and peaceful solu-
tion of the race problem was to
forever close the door of political
hope and equality to the negro by
the repeal of the fifteenth amend
ment and modification of the
fourteenth, as he had argued.
The governor was frequently
interrupted during both speeches
by applause, and it was evident
that the vast majority of his au-
diences were in hearty accord
with his views and sentiments.