The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-12-13
MENDACIOUS and z.
STUPID DECLARES
EX-GOV. VARDAMAN
SENATOR-ELECT MAKES WARM
REPLY TO SEN. PERcY's
SPEECH.
lSSUEBETWEENPERCY ANDPEOPLE
Says Percy Likes His Present Job.
II is The First of Importance He
Has Had and Probably the Last,
So He Wants to Hold IL.


Jackson, Miss, Dec. 13.-Ex-Gover-
nor and Senator-elect Jas. X. Varda-
man makes warm reply to Senator
Leroy Percys speech in the United
/ States Senate yesterday in which he
declared his willingness to introduce
a resolution requesting that COM
mittee be appointed to investigate the
election Of Mr. Percy to the office he
now holds. and wherein he challenges
Mr.. Vardaman to show where or how
any one Of the 81 votes cast for Mr..
Percy on the final vote cast on the
night of Feb. %, 1910, was improper
ly Influenced.
Mr.. Vardaman at first declined to
give out a statement when Senator
Percy's speech was mentioned. saying
that he would wait until after reading
the full speech, but later. after being
shown the Associated Press report
giving the full meaning of Senator
Percy's remarks, he made the follow
ing statement:
81 have read only extracts from
his speech. It is both stupid and
mendacious. His reference to the suit
! instituted against me under the direc-
tion of Governor Noel is vicious and
false. Every dollar of money COM
mitted to me and every trust imposed
upon me as Governor was properly
accounted for and sacredly performed.
and the man who intimates to the
contrary becomes at once a malicious
slanderer. AS to the challenge to
Join with him in a request to the Uni
ted States Senate to investigate his
title to the seat he now occupies 1
/ have this to say: The seat does not
belong to me of right. There is no is
/ sue between Percy and me whatso-
ever, 1t is rather between Percy and
the people of Mississippi. The white
/ Democratic voters of Mississippi in
Vestigated the matter during the
Gears 1910 and 1911 They listened
with patience at times, and contemnt
/ at others to Mr.. Percy's feeble de.
I tense Of the secret caucus. and aftar
/ the matter was discussed for eighteen
months by Percy, Alexander. Noel and
the hired agents of predatory wealth.
the voters of Mississippi at the nri-
mary on the first day of August, 1911.
brought in verdict of guilty against
Mr., Percy and his secret caucus. Out
of a vote of $4,000 Mr. Percy receiv.
ed the small and pitful number of
2l0oO, II that is not enough to con.
/ vince Mr.. Percy that the voters of
Mississippi whom he misrepresents in
the Senate. doubt his right to serve
them, | am unable to suggest a meth.
cd whereby he could be convinced
Really, every idea of propriety and all
sense of decency suggests to Mr..
Percy that he is not wanted by the
people of Mississippi in the place he
now holds. The Cosmopolitan article
which he uses as an excuse for this
sudden change of front in the matter
does not contain anything that was
not discussed in the press of Missis-
sippi for eighteen months prior to the
election held on the first day of Aug
hst last. The truth about the matter
is this arrogant little creature did not
intend to resign when he stated on
the fourth of August that he might.
He has been beating around for some
excuse to take back what he said on
that occasion. He likes the job he has
1t is the first office of Importance he
ever held, and he knows it will be the
last. Anr now he is going to hold
on to it just as long as the naked
letter of the law will permit him. Per.
sonally, l am not surprised at his ac-
ton. AS to whether or not the Legis-
lature of Mississippi will join with
him in the request to have the Sen
ate investigate the matter, / am not
prepared to say. 10 occurs to me.
however, that if an investigation shall
be made, the proper forum would be
the Legislature of Mississippi, whose
members are fresh from the people
and perfectly familiar with all the I
facts bearing upon the matter to be
investigated, But prob - 1fr I<S<
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81 fccptsns r ~ u s. s: