The Southern herald., 1911-05-19
"Let the Blessed Sunlight
OF Publicity Shine In"
The Mississippi Senatorial campaisn,1 1yLP.s

the author and Trainer Of the Democratic
tariff bill of 1876, admitted to be the
best tariff law that ever existed, and
which exemplided the Democratic doc
trine of a tariff for revenue, that bore
equally upon all the people and under
which no monopolies were sheltered or
milionaires created. There was that
somewhat erratie but brilliant states
man and great forensic debater, Henry s.
Foote. There was that great tribune
} of the people, who was never defeated
for Office, and whose wise counsel ever
made the state richer, Albert G.. Brown.
Then there was that other man, greater
than them all, that viearious sufferer for
an oppressed peOpde, whose name will be
revered and whose memory honored and
cherished, not only by Mississippi but
by the entire Southland, till his.ory dies
Jefferson Davis.
After the war was over and the recon-
struetiOn era, during which the ''harpies
Of peace were worse than the furies of
war passed, and the white people of
the state came into their own again,
there was that philosopher and states
man, whose fame became worldwide and
whose words of peace and patriotism
first touched the heart of the nation and
aroused the latent fires of slmbering
Democracy in the North and blazed the
way and made possible the election of
Tilden, the defrauded president-Lucius
Q. G. Lamar. There was that great con-
stitutional lawyer, that forceful con-
structive statesman, who despite the
carping critics, was the originator and
father of the franchise article of the
Mississippi constitution which legally
settled the question of white supremacy
forever-the grand old commoner, J. z.
George There was that knightly sol
tier, that accomplished lawyer and chiv-
alrie gentleman, the Chevalier Bayard
of the senate-Edward C. Walthall.
There was the scholarly Money, just now
retiring, full of years and of laurels.
There was the lamented Anselm ]. Nc
Laurin, the idol of his friends and the
friend of the people, whose death in the
zenith of his usefulness put the state in
mourning.
While Mississippi is proud Of her ros-
ter that embraces the names of these
illustrious statesmen and patriots in the
senate, she is to be congratulated upon
the fact that to this good day she has
not lowered the standard in the selection
of her senators, for it can be asserted
without fear or truthful contradiction,
that today, in the persons of Leroy
Percy and John Sharp Williams, her in.
terests are as safe and she is as strongly
and as capably represented as at any
time in her history. Mr.. Williams has
already won his spurs, his long and bril-
liant service in the house of representa-
tives has demonstrated that he is great
leader and mis- reputation as "safe and
sane" statesman is nationwide. Up to
a little more than year ago Mr. Percy
had had no official life. He had been
content to pursue the practice of his
profession, in the front rank of which
he stands, and attend to his farming and
business interests, which he had made a
success. Since his majority, he had for
twenty-five years been active as Demo
cratic leader in the ranks, and wherever
Democracy nad most needed a man there
he had always been found. Upon the
death of Senator McLaurin and upon the
assembling Of the legislature he became
candidate, with several other distin-
guished Mississippians, before the Demo
cratic caucus for his party's nomination
for United States senator. With the
other candidates, he addressed the eau
Gus, presented his views and told them
what he stood for and what he did not
stand for. While he was candidate to
win the senatorship if he could, ,lhe made
it plain that his own success was sec
ondary to the defeat of demagogery, rad
icalism, Vardamanism and Vardaman
himself, whom he regarded, with his doc
trines, as a menace to the welfare of his
state and to his country. In a clean,
square fight in the Democratic caucus,
held according to the precedents and
usages of the party for over half cen
tury, he was declared its choice, and was
strike down and trample underfoot those
who cross his one purpose as If they