Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-08-19

Vardaman" said Mr.. Percy "shake his
locks and stride across the Halls Of
Congress and seize the Grand Old Re-
publican Party and shake it like a ter
rier shakes a rat, and then kick it
around the Halls of Congress and out of
the door until it said Young man de-
sist; you are too many for me; take
everything you want. Here is the Con-
stitution; take it and fix it to suit your
self. ="
81 was for some time" said Mr. Percy
cat a loss to imagine whom Mr.. Var
daman had taken for model of states
manshiship until l ran across it the
other day in Mark Twain's Life on
the Mississippi" ''Huck Finn was in
boat on the river and heard some loud
talking on a raft SO he skinned off his
few clothes and swan over, and getting
to the raft crawled up on it on his Git
tie craven belly" and listened. Two
raftmen were quarrelling and one
said:
Man, stand out the way and gimme
room | am the bad man from Bitter
Creek and unmitigated terror from Gum
Swamp. When l shake my head the
mountains trembIe and when l spit the
river rises. When git mad the prio es
of coffins go up and men retire tremb-
ling to their homes. am sudden death
and DEEstruction, l IN the lone wolf
from Bitter Greek and this is my night
to howl
THE CAUCUS REVIEWED.
The legislature met 10 or II days be-
fore the day fixed by law for the cleo
tion of senator. The caucus was fa-
vored by all, all present signing the call
and voting for it, no one objecting.
| Vardaman was in favor of it and it an
interview said he would be nominated
| by it on the first ballot. 1t suited him
then. Vardaman's friends signed the
call and participated in the caucus.
Col. Street was unanimously elected
chairman. The clerks of Senate and
House were unanimously elected clerks.
The galleries were thrown open to all
friends of candidates and the public.
Newspaper reporters were given every
| 3
| the candidates were allowed in the cap
itOl. 10l voted for voting by ballot; 50
against. At the very least IA Varda-
man men voted for the vote by ballot
Some of Vardaman's leaders voted that
way. They voted TO settle this nomi-
nation as all other democrat nomina-
tiOns before the legislature had been
settled in Mississippi. Every Mississ-
ippi senator who was a democratic had
been nominated in caucus by secret bal
lot except those without opposition.
There is no method to instruct repre-
sentatives except by primary election
The Australian ballot had been ap-
proved by all states as the best
method to secure an unitimidated vote
heWilliams-V Vardaman primary showed
nothing except that a majority of the
people preferred another man to Varda-
man. 1t did not apply to this election.
Giving Vardaman the counties he car
ried they wOu not elect him. He had
lost in race between two men. Why
take it for granted he would win against
seven? The history of other caucus
nomination was given and it was shown
that this was held iii strict accordance
with those precedent George Wal
thai. McLaurin. and Money had been
nominated as he and they were good
enough company for him. Bark dale
| Campbell. LOwery and other noble
Ai7siSsippians had been defeated,
but were not 1t seemed, good enough
company for Mr.. Nardaman They
accepted defeat like brave, true men,
lut not SO with Mr.. Vardaman." The
tue objection to the caucus was not
the manner of holding it, but that
Nardaman lost. More than this, in
TWO such contests as this caucus,
Nardaman participated. Once he
participated in a sub-caucus against
McLaurin. where all agreed to sup
port winner in sub-caucus against Nc
Laurin i'll the caucus The scattering
of votes in legislature until caucus
IL mination was made was also feat
urc.
Bribery Scandal.
Before the legislature adjourned the
whisper OF bribery was heard, that
gubnatorial patronage and money had
been used to defeat Vardaman The
Senator held no brief for Gov. Noel.
tut after the attacks Vardaman had
made upon him. Gov. Noel would
have been a poltroon and fool to
have used patronage in favor of Var
d2man.
The investigation of the bribery
charge was searching and full. Every
! POSSIBLE witness was examined and