The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-03-24

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conditions at home; that nearly every
Northern state had civil rights statutes
giving negroes equal social privileges in
all public places; that not a single North.
ern state and not half of those in the
South had made any Effort (, disfran-
chise the negroes; that no Northern
state had yet been willing to separate
the races in railways. He warned them
that If Mississippi should refer to the
general government thus controlled tho
settlement of the political status of the
negroes every white vote cast in Missis.
sippi would be killed by q black vote in
Northern and Western states. The ne.
groes were, al Major Vardaman says, not
giving us any trouble in our elections,
and there seemed to be q general dispo-
sition to let US alone. That is what the
white people of Mississippi want. He
stated that he had in every speech that
he has made put the question whether
there was any one who wished to take
the settlement of the political status of
the negro away from the white people
OF the South to be settled by the general
government dominated 90 largely by
Northern states, and he has never found
any one who wished this done. He
showed how Major Vardamau had been
elected on the platform dividing the
school fund between the races accord.
ing to the taxes paid by each, and said
that the journals of the legislature and
the governors message do not show that
ne made any effort to carry out his
pledges. He noticed the fact that Gov.
ernor Vardaman had CHALLENGED the cor.
rectness OF this statement, but he said
the truth OF the statement depended on
what Major Vardavan considers as a
trial" or an effort" to redeem his
pledges. II to merely state in an in.
augural address and a message quoting
from it that ut is quite certain that lit.
tie can be done to relieve the present
most undesirable condition of things
while the constitution remains as it is"
then to suggest that the only way
around those amendments to the federal
constitution is to change the constitu-
ton Of Mississippi so as to leave the
whole matter to the discretion Of the
legislature; if this luminous suggestion
with which he dismisses the whole mat.
ter meets his idea of q trial or an effort
to perform his promises, then Mr.. Alex.
ander would admit that he was in er.
ror, but he left it to the public who
heard the promises to say whether this
was ever a perfunctory performance of
the promise. IS that, he asked, the kind
OF trial and effort he expects to make to
repeal the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments if he gets to Washington?
Mr.. Alexander next discussed briefly
the principles that should control in the
selection of a man for the senate, what
a senator was expected to do for Mis-
sissippil, and what material benefits Mis-
slssippi wished to procure, and how it
was necessary by earnest, practical and
tactful work to secure them.
He touched very briefly on his own
personal and political record, and mem
TONED the caucus only to show that he
and the other candidates had not gone
into any caucus that was unusual or un.
Democratic. He challenged Governor
Vardaman to live up to the "supreme
rule OF his life" and his promise to turn
the light on all public men and measures
and to take some trouble to get at the
truth and tell the people in his Issue
what he had never yet told them, that he
himself had presided over one caucus
where a senator was chosen by a secret
ballot unde a resolution for scattering
the vote, and that he had himself got.
ten some of the scattering votes; that
he had not yet told the people in his ma.
per that when Madison and Street and
Vardaman were candidates for speaker.
and Madison, the Noxubee county farm.
er, claimed the majority of pledged
votes, that Vardaman withdrew and his
forces and Streets combined and voted
against the Madison forces for q secret
ballot, and carried it and thus won for
Colonel Street by one vote. Mr.. Alex
ander, while disclaiming personal knowl-
cage OF TINS caucus, appealed to Colonel
Street and the other members a. to
whether the facts were as stated.
In conclusion, Mr.. Alexander stated:
Never in any speech or writing have |
spoken aught against the followers of
any candidate or applied to them any
fepithet. l c0ncede to all men the patri.
otto motives and freedom of choice. Can
Major Vardaman say as much, With a
stagger 1T witticism, he refers in his
paper to my supporters az psalm sing
ing suckers" If this arrow had beer
aimed at me / would remain silent. hut
when it is aimed at a class, and thank
God, an ever increasing class of men who
honor me by believing in me, 1 would
De raise to them ana myself If l did not
repel the charge. Who are the "psalm
singing suckersf" Why does the Major
not come with me before the voters of
Mississippi and my own supporters and
tell them what in them has merited this
derision? What was meant as derision
accept as a compliment. 1 know that
in the creed of latter day politicians
the simple faith and sturdy virtues of
our forefathers are silently ignored or
openly derided; but l accept the chal.
ienge and covet the honor of standing
for that noble band of men,-men who
believe that there are heights in public
living and in public thinking, where duty
md devotion, where politics and princi-
pie, where patriotism and piety can walk
hand In hand. Such are the men who in
Mississippi have been in the forefront
OF every struggle to uphold the majesty
OF law and to promote purity in our
unVnHuvuAk A.