The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1911-12-16
MENDAC|OUS AND
STUPID, DECLARES
EX-GOV. VARDAMAN
Senator Elect makes warm
Reply to Senator Percy's
Speech - Issue Between
Percy and People - Says
Percy Likes His Present
Job--It Is the first of I'm :
portance He Has Had and
Probably the Last, So He
Wants to Hold It,

Ex-Governor and Senator-elect Jas.
K. vardaman makes warm reply to
Senator Leroy Percy's speech in the
United States Senate, in which he de-
clared his willingness to introduce a
resolution requesting that committee
be appointed to investigate the election
of Mr.. Percy to the ofice he now holds
and wherein he challenges Mr.. varda-
man to show where or how any one of
the 81 votes cast for Mr.. Percy on
the final vote taken on the night Of
Feb. %, 1910, was improperly inhu-
enced.
Mr., vardaman at first declined to
give out q statement when Senator
Percy's speech was mentioned, saying
that he would wait until after reading
the full speech; but later. after being
shown the Associated Press report
giving the full meaning OF Senator
Percy's remarks, he made the follow
ing statement:
"I have read only extracts from his
speech. Il is both stupid and menda-
cious. His reference to the suit insti-
tuted against me under the direction
of Governor Noel is vicious and false.
Every dollar of money committed to
me and every trust imposed upon me
as Governor was properly accounted
for and sacredly performed, and the
man who intimates to the contrary
becomes at once malicious slanderer.
AS to the challenge to join with him
in request to the United States SEN
ate to investigate his title to the seat
he now occupies, / hasStilis 20 say:
The seat does not belong tor of right.
There is no issue between Percy and
me whatsoever. It is rather between
Percy and the people of Mississippi.
The white Lemocratic voters OF Missis-
sippi investigated the matter during
the years 1910 and t91f. They listened
with patience at times, and contempt
at others, to Mr.. Percy's feeble de-
fense of the secret caucus, and after
the matter was discussed for eighteen
months by Percy, Alexander, Noel and
the hired agents of predatory wealth,
the voters Of Mississippi at the pri-
mary on the first day of August, 1911,
brought in verdict of guilty against
Mr.. Percy and his secret caucus. Out
of vote of i33, 900 Mr.. Percy received
the small and pitiful number OF $1,000.
If that is not enough to convince Mr..
Percy that the voters of Mississippi
whom he represents in the Senate
doubt his right to serve them, am un-
able to suggest method whereby he
could be convinced. Really. every idea
of propriety and all sense OF decency
suggests to Mr.. Percy that he is not
wanted by the people OF Mississippi in
the place he now holds. The Cosmo-
politan article which he uses as an ex-
cuse for this sudden change OF front in
the matter does not contain anything
that was not discussed in the press OF
Mississippi for eighteen months prior
to the election held on the FIRST day of
August last. The truth about the mat
tea is, this arrogant little creature did
not intend to resign when he stated
on the fourth of August that he might.
He has been beating around for some
excuse to take back what he said on
that occasion. He likes the job he has.
1t is the first Office of Importance he
ever held, and he knows it will be the
last. And now he is going to hold on
to it just as long as the naked letter OF
the law will permit him. Personally,
| am not surprised at his action. As to
whether or not the Legislature OF Mis-
sissippi will join with him in the re-
quest to have the Senate investigate the
matter, | am not prepared to say. 1t oc-
ours to me, however, that II an lnves-
tigation shall be made, the proper forum
would be the Legislature of Mississippi,
whose members are fresh from the peo-
pie and perfectly familiar with all the
facts bearing upon the matter to be in
vestigated. But probably Mr.. Percy
does not like the justice the people
of Mississippi are ia the habit OF doing
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