Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-07-05
OSCAR BACKSTROM.

AS ITO lids DIV SeVerdl Vi bue plCnlCS
from the stump announced his candi
dacy, and the news has Travelled
round. some too, it is not altogether
o piece of information that we are
delivering to our readers when we
tell them that the young gentleman,
whose name we head this comment
with, aspires to administer the duties
of the Office of County Superintend-
ent of Public Education of Greene
county for the next guanriennium.
1t is rather in the way of definite,
maybe we had better say authentic
confirmation, that we present his
name and these few remarks thereon.
We are finding out that writing
candidates comments is very tick
lish job indeed. The liability to give
offense to some is extra hazardous.
To render our meaning plain is hard
task. Words usually admit of more
than one Interpretation, SO it is easy
to be misunderstood, however, we
shall in this, as with other comments,
do our duty with strict conformity
to the principles of policy which we
have laid down sometime back as to
such treatises. So be charitable and
fair when you read this one. We
would not indulge in this reference
were it not that the campaign has
now reached the feaver heat all along
the line and we know that everything
is being watched keeener and sub
jected to a more searching criticism
than in the earlier days of the con-
teri.
Oscar is the son of Rufe L Back
strom, nephew of the Hon. Charley
Backstrom, well-known as veteran
member OF the county legislative
body. Oscar is not full of years, as
the saying goes, but has passed
enough cycles of time to be classed
as a man under our statutes. The
writer has come in contact with a
good many of Greene county S young
sons since he came to Leakesyille, as
they came up to the seat of Justice,
and for a time learning too, to be
schooled. OF these, we can recall
none brighter than this same Oscar.
His brilliancy of mind melted our at
tention from the first. Was and is a
matter of common notice. He has
improved himself zealously by much
application. The two strongest in
situations of learning he has sat in
were the Poplarville High School and
Millsaps College, the latter he gradu-
ated from this term with the honors
of his class.
There is no discounting his intel
lectual qualifications. The training
these institutions afford is superb, so
we presume that he is amply equipped
so far as learning is concerned, to
handle this part of the reins of our
government. His experience as an
educator himself is not so extensive,
but his execution under 1T was quite
creditable. 1t will be no surprise to
us, if elevated to the post of respon
sibility, for Oscar to take hold of it's
perplexing intricacies with pleasing
rapidity and work out it's problems
for the good of the state and county
and in the noble cause of education.
He is in this position an untried
figure, but he gives exceptional prom
Use of both executive initiative, and
adaptive ability. That is the re-
quirements usually for one who has
not wore the harness. Let the voice
of the voting people speak. If they
want the present incumbent to con-
tinue his services by being his own
successor, well and good; but if their
decisive ballots say let's try another,
why it will meet with our appreciation.
We are Dt.mocnat all the way down,
ever bowling to the sovereign will Of
the majority. Blessed be the form OIL
government under which this princi-
pie prevails.