The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-05-05
WILL NOT Be A
|. SENATORIAL CANDIDATE
GOVERNOR NOEL DECLARES II IS
NOT HIS INTENTION TO ENTER
RACE.
Relieves That Such Primary Would
Garry More Weakness Than Strength
Lying On Ed.

Il
issued a statement in which he declares
that he has no intention of being a candi-
date for United States senator and in
which he touches generally upon the pri-
mary. The concluding part of his state
ment is as follows:
Senator Percy is an honorable, coura-
geous and Understanding gentleman, UNI
accustomed, and highly sensitive to ma
| licious political assailment. Directly after
| reaching Jackson from Washington and,
doubtless without consultation or full and
| accute information, he startled the leg
islators and the people by "a proposition
| for a cali upon the state executive COM
mittee to sumbit the United States senator
| ship to a primary this year. Considering
his situation and feeling and that of the
Legislators, all smarting under unjust and
bitter assault, the course of each was not
unnatural, and was taken in the utmost
good faith. However, the legislature and
the Kinds county grand jury opened wide
their doors, publicly inviting all who knew
of any fact going to prove any corrupt
purpose or act of any legislator to come
forward with their evidence. After the
most searching inquiry, neither the grand
jury, nor the legislature could obtain any
evidence that any vote for United States
senator had been obtained, or affected by
any corrupt or evil act; and the. legisla-
ture, containing some extreme partisans
on each side, unanimously exonerated all
the candidates for United States senator
from any form of misconduct, or wrong
doing Considering these facts, it is not
only unnecessary, but unjust to dignity
the unsustainable and refuted charges of
corrupt selection of United States
senator by submitting them to the decision
Of special primary, primary in which
any form of political trickery and election
swindling could be INDUCED with legal
impunity.
"Neither candidates for any Office, nor
executive committees can devise or enforce
any plan restraining the right of every
candidate and voter to enter the legal
primary next August and there vote his
judgement. BY no primary action can the
result of the regular primary be anticipated
and controlled by the withdrawal of one
or more candidates, and the transfer of the
support Of those Withdrawn to any other
candidate All that any candidate has
right to expect from his friends, is their
support for himself, leaving them abso-
lutely free when he is out of the field.
According to my judgment trading of
votes between supporters of different can
didates generally amount to mere idle ex-
change of promises. A primary in No
vember would not l think, lessen, but
would increase, trading o. votes, as the
supporters of any candidate for senator,
by organized efforts, without opportunity
of detection till the primary of 1911, and
could secretly agree to support every
candidate for every Office, in return for
a like support next November.
GAS to the two contradictory reports
apparently emulating from the same
sources, one that my opposition to the
November primary is inspired or approved
by Senator Percy; and the other, that it
is due to my intention to become can
didate for the United States senate, and
desire for a longer campaign, | have
merely to say that both are false; and
that falsifers cannot be prevented from
indulging in falsihcation,re regardless of pre-
text. Should | desire to become candi-
date, for my Office, to be- legally settled
by the August, 1917 primary, | should
submit any aspiration for the decision
of the Democracy then regardless of any
other primary, believing such other pri-
mary, with its engendered bitterness, would
carry more weakness than strength to any
candidate who sought its benefit. While
/ make no pledge of future action in this
matter, / have neither expressed, nor do
| now entertain, an intention of becom-
ing a candidate for the United States SEN
atorship."