The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-18
PERCY'S CHALLENGE
TO VARDAMAN|SM
Ringing Speech to Mississippi
Legislature
ASKS EARLY DECISION
Frustrated Wires Caused BY Storm
Prevent Earlier Receipt In Birming-
ham of the Address In Full
Delivered to SolOns
ASKS EARLY DECISION

| Leroy Percy before the legislature OF
Mississippi last Friday, In which he threw
his commission before the people of that
state for a vote of confidence, has at
tracted widespread attention.
| Mr. Percy called attention in simple
words to the shame which has mantled
the brow of every Missssippian caused
by the story that the legislature had
been corrupted: and to the investigation
which left standing In the middle of
the stage a mark for the scorn and con-
tempt of all men only one figure-a char
acterless man, self-confessed liar, a
self accused bribe-taker, and his only
ally poor, broken down, shameless wom-
an of the streets"
Due to bad wire connections, caused by
the storms, this speech in full did not
reach Birmingham until yesterday, and
is here reproduced in full
Mr.. Speaker, Members of the Mississippi
Legislature, Fellow-Democrats:
~ am glad to be with you again. Much
water has flowed by the mill since I last
stood here and looked in your faces, and
1t is good to have a chance to talk with
you again.
Coming from the national capital, l
can bring you glad tidings for national
democracy. The great party that scarce
more than year ago was swept into
power by an overwhelming majority, with
a chief executive entering upon the auties
of his high office under brighter aus
pieces than ever attended the Inaugural
ton of any previous President today is
like a rudderless ship wallowing in an
angry tempest.
Already from Massachusetts has come
the triumphant note of democracy. CAP
plause.) The republican speaker has been
battling for his life before a republican
house; the President has abandoned the
quiet and dignified seclusion of his great
office and is now going hither and thither
pleading and imploring with the repub-
licans not to destroy their party. The
leader of the Indiana wing of the party
has already def1ed and tainted the es-
tablished leaders of the republican party
for their broken pledges.
+ Under the curse of it's broken tariff
pledge the republican party realizes it's
foredoomed to go down in ignominious de-
feat, and the reasons that make that de-
feat SO certain are the reasons that give
value and worth to 1t.
why, the bewildered leaders of re-
prblicanism ask, has this storm swept
down upon us out of a cloudless sky, be-
cause we have broken a pledge given to
the people in the last republican conven-
ton? Why in all the years gone by we
have never kept party pledges and such
a visitation has never before come upon
us. Why now are we assailed 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
o. sectionalism 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 is
asserting itself politically as never before
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 than 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 1t in order to secure I'm cleo
ton, by vindicating them when that cleo
ton has been secured.
Shameless story
But, fellow Mississippians, while the
great papers have flashed this glad In
telligence abroad to buoy up the hopes of
the Democracy of our entire country,
those same great papers have carried an
intelligence which has saddened the heart
and caused the flush of shame to man
tie the brow OF every Mississippian. The
shameless story has been spread broad
cast over the land that a Mississippi
legislature has been debauched and cor
rupted by a son of Mississippi. Among
strangers seeking as best l could to up
hold the dignity of the state whose COM
mission l bore, knowing that that COM
mission bad been won as fairly and as
honorably as any ever held by son of
Mississippi. knowing that l had entered
this political struggle through no desire
to crafty personal ambition. but / had
cast my lot in with those who fought be-
cause they believed that Mississippi was
threatened with a grave disaster In the
election of James X. Vardeman, knowing
that had forbidden those who loved
me at home to bear one cent of the ex-
pense except the legitim ate expenses that
attend a prolonged stay in the capital.
thank God, no money has to be spent
on a Mississippi legislature; knowing that
no cent of my money nor of anybody
else for my benefit had been used to In
fluence the result, 1t seemed that the cup
m hod
from no race of office-seekers (applause)
but from men who always held honor
above life, country above self an unfair
nished name had been handed to me by
my forefathers, and 1t was my pride and
my prayer that untarnished still that
name should go from me to those who
should bear 1t hereafter.
kilograms Came Thick
But the Indignation that sprung from
personal feelings was swallowed up in
the Indignation that arose in me when
realized that the name of the state OF
Mississippi was sought to be dragged in
the mire Of degradation for political ag-
grandizement. The kilograms grew thick
or. and the air was full of rumors Of foul
deeds done, lies and ISLANDERS. and worse
than that, the limitations, the sugges-
lions, the inunendoes, the unfathered
questions for which no man would stand,
by which 1t was sought to drag down
the name of those Mississippi has held in
reverence. Anderson. Alexander. Byrd.
Kyle, Critz and Street, as pure and able
patriots as the state has ever produced.
Their past characters were 10 be no shield
to the darts of calumny; nay. how could
the living hope to go unscathed when
the new-filed graves afforded no shield
to the character of one who has gone
from you to his reward since l last was
hera with vou