The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-05

Meridian, Miss, July 4-tSpeeial)-Gov. James K. Vardaman and John Sharp Wil- Hams met here in joint debate this morn ing, appearing before an audience of prob ably 10000 people Both men were at their best and had a hattering hearing from start to finish. The debate opened at 1O:SO with MT. Williams leading and closed at 3:SO with MT. Vardamans sur render.
 Mir. Williams attacked government ownership of railroads with great sarcasm and then took up good deal of time handling the grounds taken by MT. Var daman for the repeating of the fifteenth amendment. Mir Williams said;
 what we need in our executive bodies is not men to advocate impossibities, but men to do things. One thing l know and that is if MT. Vardaman should enter the Senate agitating the repeal of the nf- teenth amendment he would come out with drastic enforcement of the four teenth amendment. If such thing as the repeal of the fifteenth amendment
  ing the negro question in politics l would work for it, vote for it and do everything in my power possible to get 1t, but it looks to me impossible
 Ownership of Railroads.
 As to government ownership of railroads MT. Williams said:
 Ut is not advisable to try to get this at the present, and in case it was gotten 1t would be a curse to the south. It would put the southern people where they would likely have to put up with railroad trains without separate coaches and otherwise he brought too much in contact with the negro"
 Vardaman Eloquent.
 Mir. Vardamans address was character istic of the man. He made many hne periods. His address was full of fiery eloauence and finished oratory. Among other things he said:
 "Thank God we have few mllionars, few cities and no paupers in the state ol Mississippi There Is today tendency to imperialism, to drift away from the Inoor- ings of our fathers and to get away rom the old principle of state rights MT. Will Hams speaks of me, saying MT Bryan Is ahead of his day and time. Yes, l say he is a long way ahead as the morning is the midnight. MT. Bryan does not want to make government ownership Of rall- roads an issue, and neither do l.
 Here Mir. Williams wanted to know when Mr. Bryan said it. MT. Vardaman said in a Wall street journal, to Senator Mooney and to others. MT. Williams wanted to sec a copy of some of the papers with such an expression, but the governor did not have one with him.
 Paints Tragic Picture.
 In discussing the repeal of the fifteenth amendment MT. Vardaman painted tragic and ghastly picture of a poor white woman, outraged by flend in Jackson, his retention and trial; how the woman sank into unconsciousness on the witness stand while the brute leered in fendish glee. He wound up ths thrilling recital with the remark that he would not have had this woman suffer that she did in that court room for all the negroes In the United States.
 Mr. Vardamans address throughout was loudly chered and was d masterly effort.
 Williams Rebuttal.
 Mr. Williams rebuttal was the feature of the occasion. He said he was not at all disappointed in MT. Vardaman's ad- dress that he had drawn a horrible pie ture of the negro fiend but what would the repeal of the fifteenth amendment have to do with 1t? Would it abolish the negro? Would not the negro with the same nature and tendencies still be here? repeal of the fifteenth amendment would be accomplished only by a tWo- thirds majority in both houses of Con gress If MT Vardaman was sincerely in favor of this why did he not in his long service in the legislature of Mississippi try to have the state legislature recom- x1 s,at tW. fA yat recommended during his three and half years terms governor
 MT. Vardaman Is getting in the habit of finding too many liars he said. "fhe Jackson News Is a liar. and now he ques- tions the stenographer hired by me, whom I never saw or heard of before l hired him. Then he discovers that the Times Democrat and the Gulfport Tribune are also liars. l asked him how he would amend the fourteenth amendment and have never received an answer. Now my friends, I will ask you: Do you want the Yankee to take charge of the negro ques- ton? (Answers come loudly No. No! NoD No, this agitation would simply mean an enforcement of the fourteenth and not repeal of the fifteeenth amend ment As far as I can the door of hope is already closed on the negro polti- cally It Is not the negro franchise that is now a menace to Mississippi, 1t is the negro himself. He Is cut out of the fran chise now, but it is he we fear and not his vote"
 In his surrejolner Governor Nardaman said that if elected to the United States Senate he would let those who do not know the real danger from negro suffrage know the exact condition of affairs in the south. Again he warmed to his sub ject and said:
 Better Davis Than Roosevelt.
 "I am not of those who are glad that the Confederacy failed in her purpose. l would rather live under the stars and bars under Jefferson Davis than under the stars and stripes with Theodore Roose- welt as president of the United States" This statement was cheered to the echo. There were few interruptions on the part of both Vardaman and Williams en- thusiasts in the crowd
 The applause was free and spontaneous during the whole time of the date. and there were plenty of followers of both men.
 Bryan Writse Tammany.
 Ttr1xr bF4ia