The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1911-03-31

the Importance Of an officer keeping an
accurate account l find myself In per.
iect accord with the views expressed by
Major Vardaman. l win, therefore. let
him speak. In the Commonwealth OF
October n, 1909, discussing the failure
OF the warren Of the penitentiary to keep
an account las 10 which the warden was
exoncratedl Major vardaman wrote:
The warden stated In his testimony be-
fore the board OF control the other day
that he knew that the law required him
10 a receipts for money paid out,
etc. that the board did not require II
and he did not do 1t. He did not ever
keep a cash book for his own use. Such
a policy is reprehensihle, and unless the
board Of control looks to a more rigid en-.
forcement of the law in such cases, every
member thereof should be proceeded
against. 1t is a shameful neglect OF duty
and violation Of law, for which no ex-
cuse can be rendered. Knowing the mem.
bers OF the board, ] am unable to under
stand why some Of them will permit such
methods. The truth is the warden should
DC discharged and a man employed who
VIII take the time and keep a record Of
his doings, but probably the warden
knows too much TO be turned out Just
now. II might complieatc Matters
Since the public now knows his views,
and he has assured us that hewill at all
times be guided by the supreme rule OF
his life never to have d political secret.
and TO turn the light on all public men
and take some trouble TO find the truth,
cannot the public wait In confident hope
and expectation until the governor has
had TING to put into practice this rule OF
Hfes If he will do this and show from
the original entries of the banks, their
ledeers, and deposit slips, and checks and
pass books that funds were kept intact
and paid out for proper purposes and
balances turned over when called for, he
VIII at least have put to ront and confu-
son those who have dared to visit on
him the eensure which he SO severely Wis
tied on the warden.
Gov. yardaman Solves the Philippine
Problem.
How to deal with our foreign posses.
sions presents a problem for the wisest
statesmen. Rightly OF wrongly, the
United States has acquired the Phillip.
pines, and with them several millions OF
dark-hued denizens. Here certainly
Major Vardaman could find a field for
his craftsmanship, No man could be
better fitted to deal with this race prob
lem. It might vex Others, but has he
not given his best years to a study OF
the race question: Sure enough, as we
might expect, he promptly evolved out
OF his experience and study a solution
Of the problem that cannot fail when
generally known and advocated to win
for him q worldwide reputation. 9th.
ers may halt and hesitate as to what
TO do with the little Filipinos. His plan
10 grand in conception, and would be
bold IN its execution. Here 1t Is tI read
from the Commonwealth Of january "a,
1902 If the United States are to hold
the Philippine Islands and make sub.
Ject provinces, ] think it would be an
act Of humanity to destroy the inhab-
itants outright, apply torch and sword,
burn It as you would a sage field and
then shoot the natives as you would a
lot Of rabbits Now, the major would
not advocate what he would not be will.
ing to execute. He was d major In the
war that brought us the Philippines.
When he gets his plan adopted he will,
OF course, volunteer to lead his troops to
She field. Think OF 1t, veterans. 70
yolir guns again, there is work for You!
Imagine, If you can, our brave and chiy-
alric soldiers %marshalled for this duty.
Can you imagine the gallant colonel here
on my right, who fought in nearly every
battle in the army Of Virginia from Bull
Run to Appomattox, out there in the
philippines shooting, not at tho face of
a brave foe, but at the little black streak
left by q fleeing Hlipinof Practice up
ON craftsmanship, colonel, for you know
you must shoot them on the wing.
Mr.. Alexander stated that he would
have to omit, for lack of time, all dis
~cussion OF the liquar traffic, as to which,
however, his record is well known in his
own city. He expressed regret that he
could not at this time deal with the
great danger of government by ~iniunc-
tion and the great wrongs which have
been perpetrated under the protection Of
some Of the federal courts in our coun.
try. He promised to discuss this mat
ter during the campaign.
He next proceeded into d full and
complete discussion Of the negro ques.
ton, saying that the effort Of some to
commit u party at this time to re-
opening the franchise question was I'M
wise, untimely and fraught with peril.
He followed his usual lines in this dig
c~ussion, drawing q clear distinction be.
tween q race problem growing out of the
physical presence Of the negroes and
the question Of white supremacy, as to
which he said there was no problem;
that a problem implied doubt, and there
was no doubt about white supremacy.
He commented on the personnel and
work OF the constitutional convention of
1890, and showed how it had for twenty
years eliminated the negro from poll
tics and was still effective. He said that
it was singular that an element in our
WI state should distrust that constitn-
ton and the ability Of the Anglo.Saxon
to maintain his W supremacy when
all other states that dealt with The sub
ject had largely copied after Missis
and when the supreme court OF
the United States had upheld its pro-
He quoted from the Common
wealth Of April II, 1909, in which Major
V%ardaman wrote; 1.-THE niggers III Mis-
are behaving well. They have
about made up their minds that there
Is nothing for them to do In this state
but to till the soil and attend to their
own business and avoid interference with
public matters" and asked what had in
trYened since then to change condi-
tions, He challenged those present to
say whether they feared that the ne
20 ,,,o,,ld faLa ony MORT yhsfawa. ma.