Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-02-10
voir property however. this not having been

| And while engaged in the nenory-jogging
process, going to digress from the
main theme long enough to reCite few facts
of history.
| The Beauvoir home was purchased from
| Mrs. Jefferson Davis with funds raised by the
| Mississippi Division of the United Sons OF
| Confederate Veterans. 1t a labor OF love,
enthusiastically performed, but the first legis-
| latve session OF the Vardaman administration
| adjourned without accepting the donation OF
| the property to the State, for maintenance
soldiers home, and this neglect was largely
| due to the hostility shown toward the meas
| ure by Mr.. Nardaman, then Governor OF Mis-
| sissippi. For a period of two years it was
| supported by private donations.
| At of the meetings of the committee
of United Sons of Confederate Veterans hav-
| ing the movement in charge, Mr.. Vardaman
was present, and vigorously opposed the pur-
chase of the Beauvoir property, declaring that
| the money could be used for the purchase of
property elsewhere in the State He bitterly
assailed Mrs. Jefferson Davis, repeatedly re-
| ferred to her as "old lady Davis and his Ian
guage concerning her finally became disre-
spectful that he taken severely to task
| by Mr.. w. alvin Wells, Jr., of this city,
who championed the cause of the aged and
| feeble widow of the great Confederate chief
tain, and a sharp tilt took place on the floor
| of the committee room, during which Mr..
Wells curtly reminded Mr.. Vardaman that he
was not a member of the committee, and not
even a member of the United Sons of Confed-
crate Veterans.
We may not be able to memorize much
classic poetry, Mr.. Vardaman, having very lit
tie time for mental stunts of that sort, but
when it comes to recalling incidents in your
political history, memory is our long suit.
~
Mr.. Vardaman calls attention to the fact
I tkat only seven names appear the face OF
| the pass, but the conductors check mark
! shows that eight persons travelled thereon.
And he thinks this is peculiar.
Nothing very peculiar. 1t simply shows
| that the party Judged" on that poor
ductor and caused the Gulf & Ship Island
road to tote another passenger without re-
,eving any compensation therefor. Mebbe he
in a hurry and didn't count noses," &C
>epting your assurance that there were eight
names the pass, and the number of
persons in the party
For that matter, Mr.. Vardaman, isn't it
fact that you have frequently travelled rail-
road trains in Mississippi, while serving
Governor of the State, and friendly conductors
passed you by without demanding cash fare
If this isn't true, then a goodly number of
persons who have travelled in your company
Dn railroad trains most outrageous liars.
Some of them say that it was the exception,
and never the rule, for you to offer anything
the way of transportation to the conductor.
| And yet you preach and proclaim nightly
against 'the soulless corporations!' - Per
haps you don't about the corporations
oul, long you able stand in
With the conductor, its material agent.
Mr.. Nardan1an thinks he has found some
other pecularities about the pass that require
| explanation We are glad to furnish them.
Ie comments on the absence of the con
luctors punch, and the failure to detach the
)ass check.
In order that Mr.. Nardman may not cause
himself any undue worry, will hasten to
explain that conductors punch mark cannot
)e shown in the form of engraving used by
he Daily News. For that matter, cannot
how the water color the fberous texture
On which the pass printed, Mr. Narda
mans inquiry this point shows that, de
pite the fact that he is supposed to be a
practical printer, he knows very little about
1he engraving process.
There failure to detach the pass
check 1t was detached in proper form, and
aeatly pasted together before the Daily News
Il exceedingly anxious to have the orig
nal pass from which the photograph was
made which appeared in the common cause
organ last Sunday" says Mr.. Nardaman Il
want to examine that signature. In order
to do that, l going to ask the distin-
guished gentlemen who have the pass in their
possession to let have it. l shall take
care of it. 1 shall give security, if they de-
sire, for the return of it to them. / will have
cut made of it, 1 have promised in a |
former number of The ISSUE and 1 will
publish it in its columns
Gee! What a bunch of personal pro- |
nouns!
If Mr.. Vardaman is Exceedingly anxious
to have the original pass" he is at liberty |
to get it from the same source that it was OBJ |
tanned by the Daily News.
He didn't display any anxiety of that sort |
prior to the publication of the fac-smles |
by this paper, although it had been publicly |
charged that such a pass in existence. |
And, since Nr. aVrdaman has not asked |
permission to our fac-similes, we do not |
feel under any obligation whatsoever to lend |
him assistance in getting possession of the |
original.
Neither is it necessary for Mr.. Vardaman
to get the original in order to publish fac |
SMILES. If he submits formal request for |
the Daily News engravings, he may have them |
and we will not require any security
w. |
If Mr.. Nardaman had desired to learn the |
absolute truth in connection with the origin
of the pass, prior to publishing his emphatic |
denial, he could easily have done so.
His failure to make investigation to de- |
velop these facts is proof conclusive that he |
is neither fair candid with the public |
hoping to escape just censure by evasive tao |
tics.
Merely by sending a telegram to the pas |
senger department of the Gulf & Ship Island /
road, Mr.. Vardaman could have obtained a |
statement how the pass was procured |