The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1911-07-26
LET THE BLESSED SUNLIGHT
OF PUBLICITY SHINE IN
An Alexander Man Tells Of the Influences
BY Personal Experience During
the Caucus.
John Allen and the Poker Players--Duaney and Noel
Railroads for Percy---"Show the Books

representative In the work. Nc.
lnnis says John is doing noble work
and the outlook is good for Percy
10 the end. We have a score tc
settle with Vardaman for vetoing
the Nj. & D. merger BILL.
! did not discuss the matter fur
ther. seeing that it would be a
waste of breath. left the office
wondering if these railroad officials
realized that they were committing
a wrong in using the money of the
stockholders of the Railroad Com
pany in a political contest.
A few days after my trip to
Mobile ! had occasion to go to New
Orleans on business, and while
there / called at the offices of the
Queen & Crescent Railroad. In
some way the Mississippi senatorial
question was mentioned and l re-
marked that had recently been up
to Jackson. One of the officials,
who is at the head of the road said /:
IT hope Percy will beat the stuffin'
out of Vardaman." / remarked: I:
Il hope Alexander will be elect
ed. s To which he replied: 81
don't know anything about Alex
ander; we are for Percy here and
he ought to win." / did not pur-
sue the conversation any further.
1t was plain to me that the railroad
influence was being used for Percy
for all it was worth.
In February returned to Jack
son and the night ! arrived Speaker
Street was brought into the race.
! was in the lobby of the House and
capitol just before the caucus con-
vened, when heard John d. Nc
Innis of the M. Il o. railroad, say
to man with whom he was talk
ing few feet away from me,
Col. Street will enter the race to.
night have worked hard to get
him ID the contest, now it is a
Ecineh that he viii pull several votes
Yaraanan That will
H fBt ~ This
again ppressed the with the potent
railroad influence. Col. Street. /
know Is an excellent gentleman.
! have often wondered Il he knew
that it was the railroad influence
that brought pressure on him to
enter the race. and that ne was
used as a stalking horse to help
Percy.
| see the newspapers have been.
publishing great deal about John
M. Aliens speeches in which he
charges Vardanan with riding on a.
railroad pass and In which he calls
on Vardaman to show his books.
As before stated, am no support
er or defender of Vardaman, but
do love fair play and truth, and !
will relate few facts that may
cause Mr.. Allen some discomtitures.
just before congress convened in
Dec. 1896. / had to take trip from
Memphis, to New York. | travelled
via the Kansas City. Memphis and
Birmingham Railroad and took the
New YORK sleeper out Of Memphis.
| was restless and was late in retir-
ing. When the train reached ru-
pelo. the home of Mr.. Allen, he
boarded the train and came into
the sleeper occupied by me. In my
presence he pulled out his railroad
passes and told the conductor he
was going to Washington. The
conductor took down the numbers
and Mr.. Allen retired for the night.
Mr.. Allen went on through to
Washington and | saw him get off |
the train. He was at that time a
member of the House of Repre-
sentatives and the Mississippi law
prohibiting State officials from |
using passes was then IN force. |
Mr.. Allen may attempt to get out
OF this by claiming that he was a
Federal official, but he was likewise
a State official and held commits
sion issued by the State of Missis-
sippi. If it is wrong for governors
to use pass it is just as wrong for
q member of congress to accept
passes from railroads.
Mr.. Allen has called on other
people to show the books, and now
it is time for him to show his
books. 1t is also time for the
railroads to show their books. The
Edwards House at jackson should
also be made to show its books, and
Percy's campaign manager ought
to come across with his books.
Ia my opinion. Mr.. Alexander
pitched his campaign in the wrong
key, but am not his adviser. mi
my judgment, if Mr.. Alexander, in
opening his campaign before the
people, had exposed the trickery L
and rottenness Of the secret caucus, Il
his chances would have been im-d
proved in the Primary.
Many people blame Noel for the
Eottenness Of the legislature, and
think they are justified in blaming
aim. Il was brought out 10 evil
lence il the Bilbo trial 10 the SEN
lite that Noel bad official notice OF
wrong doing. and yet be failed to
let. Dulaney testified that he
vent TO Noel and told the governor
hat certain members Of the legis-
alure had solicited bribes from
lim. CoWart testified that he told
Noel that Dnlaney had offered to