The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-02-25
UP TO vARpAMAN.

the fund Tor the purchaSeSOf a silver
service for the battleship Mississippi,
held at Pascagoula few days ago, the
following resolutions were adopted:
BE it remembered, That after due
notice thereof, a public meeting of the
contributors of the first subscription
for the purchase of a silver service
for the battleship, by the people of the
port of Pascagoula (including Moss
point and Scranton), was held at the
courthouse of Jackson county, Miss,
in the city of Scranton, on the 23rd day
of February, 1909. There were present
majority of said subscribers. and
after the election of the Hon. Geo. d.
O'Neil as chairman and H. G. Herring
secretary of said meeting, the follow
ing proceedings were had and done:
1.-THE following resolutions, having
been submitted for the consideration
of the meeting, after a full and free
discussion thereof, were unanimously
adopted:
Whereas, there has been contrib
uted by the people of the port of Pas
cagoula 1894 toward the purchase of
the silver service fund of the battle
ship Mississippi; and,
Whereas, about $3.50 of the above
sum was forwarded to ex-Gov. James
K. Vardaman, before the creation of
the Battleship Commission by the Leg
islature of 1908; and,
Whereas, the contributors of said
fund are not Informed whether said
sum of $3.50 has been delivered by
ex-Gov. Vardaman to the commission,
or whether it constitutes a part of the
funds now in his hands. Now, there
fore, be it
Resolved, that If said sum OF $3.50
is still in the hands or ex-Gov. Yard
aman, he be and is hereby requested
to at once pay same over to Mrs.
Eunice M. Lockwood of Crystal
Springs, Miss, or re turn it to the con-
tributors, to the end that it may be
used in the manner and for the pur-
pose intended, to wit: The immed-
late purchase of a suitable silver SER
vice for the batleship Mississippi by
the regularly appointed agents and
representatives of the people of the
State.
Resolved that this meeting express
its appreciation Of the public-spirited
and effective work done by Mrs.
Eunice Lockwood, of Crystal Springs,
Miss, in raising funds for the silver
service for the battleship Mississippi,
which was purely labor of love on
her part, and hereby render our heart
felt thanks to Mrs. Lockwood.
Resolved further, That the secre-
tary forward Mrs. Lockwood and ex-
Gov. Vardaman copy of these reso-
This puts the matter squarely up
to Ex-Governor Vardaman and he must
either return the money now in his
10 the people who contrib
uted it, else he must deposit to the
credit of the commission, to be used
as intended whenever the members
may agree on a design for the silver
The editor of The News has been,
and is yet, friend of Governor Yard
aman. But it is our candid opinion |
that he has made mistake in this
matter The funds collected by him
Tor the battleship service should have
been deposited to the credit of the
fund in the beginning and the inter-
est thereon, if any, should accrue to
the principal. In his lettrs to Mrs.
Lockwood, Governor Vardaman init
mated that the funds in his keeping
would be deposited at the proper
ime-and the proper time" was when
the members of the commission had
been designated by the legislature.
In his contention that the preference
should be shown to a Mississippi bid
Ter, Governor Vardaman is right. In
MS suggestion that the president of
he senate and the speaker of the
house be added to the commission to
break a hopeless deadlock, Governor
Vardaman evinces desire to be fair.
But in refusing to deposit to the cred