The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-07-19
vARDAMAN'S BARK
WORSE THAN BITE


To the Editor Of the CIarioD-L dyer:
How often ia the shark worse tbaI
the bite" and this is well illustrated Ii
vardsman and his "fox DIRE" that he /
using To c~onjure and arouse the Hitter
ate suffrage Of Mississippi. His parad.
before the people OF Mississippi ba'
been ssslcal and disgusting TO the state
reputation and prosperity. He hal
clearly demonstrated every desire Il
foster tho cheapest kind OF demagogy Il
bauiboozzle the electorate Of Mississip
pi. From the lack OF cornbread sense
as well as au honest purpose TO improve
the governmental betterment OF Missis-
sippi's national rank, he ''wonld serve
the devil to wear the livery Of heaven
and strike Mississippi down in its march
with her sister states by ~resurrecting
the dead political negro In Mississippi,
whose voting power, that ~masterfnl
brain OF J. H. George annulied and put to
sleep never to awake again by funda-
mental mud stills, that vardaman's silly
caysrtiHg cannot modest, especially
when great constitutional minds OF the
northern United States Senate with an
esasper4ting hope that J 4. George
could never wrest from the negro Of
Mississippi bis ballot, But the United
States Senate a~pprovingly commended
and the United States Supreme court
has held that II is not offensive or with
In the inhibition OF the 18th amendment
OF the Federal Constitution,
II General George. by constitutional
enactment DISTINGUISHED by the negro II
years ago and dismembered him from
every public furetiop, and the states OF
South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and
Alabama did likewise, her in what
state is yardaman trying to d~isfrauchise
the nesrol His Incorporate utterances
about how to dislnember the negro
demonstrates his usual rashness and in-
ability 10 handle the subject he has SO
naturally and Immaturely considered. II
he Is a student OF the Federal Constitu-
ton, a comprehension OF it would at once
tell him that the enactment OF the 10Th
amendment never enfranchised the ne
gro, although 1t might have been an
affirmation OF the result OF the war.
Under the unanended Federal Constitu-
ton the states could not have constitu-
tionally deprived the negro Of the right
to vote, therefore In order to conceive
the practical application Of Governor
Vardaman's plank not only would the
American people have to repeal the 18th
amendment, but they would have to
amend the original constitution by en-
a prohibitory suffrage, and God
that the hour will ever arise when
the many sacred rights that are now Sc
cured 10 the whole American people,
are thrown open to the slaughter Of the
.nerciless hand Of corporate greed Of
this country.
Governor yardaman, you must realize
that you are using the negro as a wedge
By which you might reopen the consti-
and let the forbidden enter and
snatch from us our secured rights. You
i~isinter the political negro that was
long since buried in the Carpet Bag
lays OF rs and blow Into him this putrid
life and brace him at the ballot box to
menace what we commonly term the
Red Neck" and "Hill Billy" vote Of
Mississippi, that you might counterfeit
hississippi's station in the United States
The writer has lived among these peo-
Die and realizes that they have been
nothered by misfortune and haven't
the pedant age when they can
the honest mind with prejudice
ND demagogy. No man deserves public
promotion who appeals to the low base
PASSIONS Of ignorance and the public
Ieart to gain political ascendancy. In
act any government finding Judgment
n such %preeeptors will crumble like a
ard house, or any other semi barbarous
'ody polite.
Your disquisition instead of improv-
ng this dual condition, is stirring up
he fool pbilanthropist In the North and
hey are sending white missionaries
lere under the guise Of improving the
legro, when such acts are only intensi-
wing conditions, and putting the good
white man In a position where he can't
Iefend the good negro when he is in the
light, and yet after you deliver one Of
bese vigorous pipe-dreams of the ac-
iursed negro, to some community In
Mississippi, you there SOW the seed of
violence, and . negro must be
lung, and then you go flying up the rail
Dad on q bob-tail special after this
'ullet-headed negro with the state mill
la to take him to your bosom, rs a
'hild of affection, and secure him from
he wrath Of your students Of govern
nent.
The good people OF Mississippi were
managing the negro by the unwritten
NV, n hundred years before you were :
'orp, and You cannot now teach your [
'mammies how to milk ducks" No one
the negro's presence more than
do, and no ope had rather see him ef-
ectually removed than l, but your