Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-06-23

Oy my voters L VIII no longer ask IOr
votes.
Answering question No. 4, 1 say hat
board for no member OF the legislature
was paid by me or my friends.
Question No. 5-No money was spent
in my behalf by any one except in pay
ing the legitimate expenses of remain.
ing in Jackson.
Question No. 6-Not one dollar has
been paid for the support of the jack
son News l am not surprised at your
being worried over that support, for
the paper is IA thorn in the side of the
Vardaman people.
Question No. II put Alexander out
of the caucus just exactly as l am go
ing to put Vardaman out of this pri.
mary. 1 had more votes than he had in
the caucus.
Question No. 1O-No corporation haI
ever contributed a nickel to. any cam.
paign fund for me.
"Question No. lit is not true that
either l, any committee for me, or my
friends nave employed anybody to sc
forth soliciting votes for me.
"Question No. 12-I nave never repre-
scented professionally the whiskey inter.
est, if there has been such an interest
in Mississippi. l opposed local option
election being held in 1907 because l be.
leved the state was going dry in 1908.
and preferred statewide prohibition to
a local option election. / appeared be.
the board of supervisors and received
a fee for it after statewide prohibition
was passed. | addressed a meeting IL
my county which raised a fund for the
enforcement of the law, and contributed
as literally to that fund as any one
had, and we imposed the aw and en-
forced it in that county as strongly as
any county in Mississippi"
Questions Nos. s and 9-Later in the
! speech he read the resolution Uf Rep
r~esentative Gazette, introduced at the
close of the session, declaring that his
commission was as stainless as any sen-
ator. Here he stated that this resolu-
ton received the unanimous vote of
every Vardaman and an~ti-Vardaman man
in the house and senate when it was
voted on.
That they had the benefit of every in.
vestigation in connection with the mat
ter, and the Vardaman men must have,
as they honestly believed, voted, unless
they were liars and towards, and that
this, from the Mississippi legislature in
his hands, justified him in denouncing
any one who questioned the honesty of
his commission as a willful and malicious
slanderer, not only of himself, but the
legislature.
He said that no opponent of his had
Questioned the honesty of his commits
sion and had been willing to meet him
before the people of the state, although
he had challenged Vardaman by speech
and letter.
If he could prove before the people
that the legislature of Mississippi had
been debauched that legislature should
be branded by the people and the man
who debauched it should be driven in
shame from all public life, but if he
made the claim and could not substan-
tiate it then he stood convicted of SLAM
dering his own legislature for political
gain and was unworthy of honor of the
people. But he said, "You want to put
me on the stand as a witness in the mat
ter. suppose you will accord to me
that belief accorded witnesses when
sworn in court, and I now say that 1
swear before God and man that no
money, whiskey, women or other i'm
proper influence was used in my behalf
before the legislature, and that the COM
mission which 1 hold was fairly and
honestly won and is without STAIN"
Question No. 2-He read a letter ad-
dressed to Bilbo by the grand chancel-
Ior of the knights of Pythias, stating
that the suit in question involved no
political question, but a simple law
question, and that he desired it kept out
of politics. The speaker asked if they
thought it wrong for a farmer to take
rent from a negro, for a merchant to
sell goods to a negro, or for a lawyer to
defend a negro in regard to his person
or property.
Answering the question in regard to
gambling and hunting on Sunday, he
said: eff I would say to one of you let
him among you who is without sin cast
the first stone, your arms would remain
by your sides, as if they were par
alyzed.
"While I have never been al habitual
card player, I was several years ago
indicted Ior playing a game of cards
with a party of friends, all of whom
were indicted.
"The judge, who is now a judge of
the supreme court, then stated, IF you
will make that statement in court, l
will lave the indictment dismissed to
which 1 replied that 1 could not promise
to be good in order to escape a fine, and
while 1 had no intention of playing again
I would ave to take my chances, just
as the other boys who had been indict-
ed. A fine of $50 was imposed, and I
have paid that fine, and neither that
judgment or any other unsatisfied judg-
ment against me appears on the judg-
ment rolls anywhere in Mississippi to