The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1910-04-29
SENATOR PERCY'S
GREAT SPEECH
To Joint Session of the LeRisla.
ture of the State of Mis-.
sissippi April Is, 1910.

Hon. Leroy Percy addressed . join4
session as follows:
Mr.. Speaker, Members Of the Mississippi
Legislature, Fellow-Democrats:
Il am glad to be with you again.
Much water has flowed by the mill since
l last stood here and looked into your
faces, and it is good to have . chance
to talk with you again.
Coming from the national capitol, I
can bring you glad tidings for the ma
tional Democracy. The great party that
scarce more h a year g was swept
into power by an overwhelming majority,
with a chief executive entering upon the
duties Of his high office under brighter
auspices than ever attended the inaugu-
ration of any previous president, today
is like a rudderless ship wallowing in An
angry tempest.
"A1ready from Massachusetts, has come
the triumphant note of Democracy. ZAP
plause.) The Republican speaker has
been battling for his life before a Rspub-
lican house; the president has abandoned
the quiet Inc dignified seclusion of his
great office and is now going hither and
thither pleading and imploring with the
Republicans not to destroy their party.
The leader of the Indiana wing of tho
party has already defed and taunted
the established leaders of the Repub-
lican party for their broken pledges.
Under the curse of its broken tariff
pledge the Republican party realizes it's
foredoomed to go down in ignominious
defeat, and the reasons that make that
defeat 30 certain are the reasons that
give value and worth to it.
"Why, the bewildered leaders of Re-
publicanism ask, has this storm swept
down upon us out of = cloudless sky, be-
cause we have broken a pledge given to
the people in the last Republican conven-
tionf Why, in all the years gone by We
have never kept party pledges, and such
q visitation has never before come upon
us! Why, now, are we assaulted not only
by our enemies from without but by
those who have hitherto rallied to the
party cry within?
They now know that with the blight
of se%ctionalism swept from the country,
with the people viewing the acts of their
rulers with clear eyes, not dimmed by
passion nor poisoned by prejudice, the
intelligence and manhood of America 10
asserting itself politically as never be-
fore in the history of this country, and
that this party, and that any other party
that holds the reigns of power, is going
to be held to a ~stricter accountability
for party pledges han ever heretofore in
our history. And that is what spells
victory, assured victory, to = triumphant
Democracy, the party that lives close to
the people and carries out the pledges
made by it in order to secure an cleo
tion, by indicating them when that slee-
tion has been secured.
Shameless Story.
"But, Acknowledgements, while the
great papers have flashed this glad in
te~lligence abroad to buoy up the hopes OF
the Democracy of Jul entire country,
those same great papers have carried IN
intelligence which has saddensd the heart
and caused the flush of shame to man
tie the brow of every Mississippian. Th.
shameless story has been spread broad
cast over the land that . Mississippi
legislature has been debauched and cor
rupted by a son of Mississippi. Among
strangers, seeking as best 1 could to up
hold the dignity of the state whose com
mission 1 bore, knowing that that com
mission had been won as fairly and a,
~honorably as any ever held by a son o,
Mississippi, knowing that 1 had entered
this political struggle through NJ desire
to crafty a personal ambition, but I has
cast my lot in with those who fought be
cause they believed that Mississippi wa,
threatened with a grave disaster in tn,
election of James X. Vardaman; know
ing that / had forbidden those who lovss
me at home to bear one cent Of the q
pense except the legitimate expenses tina
attend a prolonged stay in the capital
thank God, no money has to Be spen
on a Missis..p pi legislature; knowing
that no cent of my money nor of any
body else fos my benefit had been use
to influence the result, it seemed that tn
cup was q bitter one for me. I had com
from no race of office seekers (applause)
but from men who always held homo
above life, country above self; an unta,
nished name had been handed to me b,
my forefathers, and it was my pride a
my prayer that u~ntarnished still tina
name should go from me to those VII
should bear it hereafter.
kilograms Came Thick.
"But the indignation that sprung fro1
personal feelings was swallowed up
the indignation that arose in me when
" IL