Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-07-20
SENATOR PERCY
ASSALS VARDAMANISA
SAYS HE is MORALLY RESPONSIBLE
FOR ROSE HILL INCIDENT.
tTAe Senator Speaks BeIore a Large
CrOwd-Campaign Issues Re-
viewed

iHAroy Percy that the court house was
wholly inadequate. so the senator mount.
cd q wagon in tho court house yard
and spoke for two hours to q delighted
audience.
Flo explained tho term ~"cattle" and
"red necks," went largely into an aS
count Of his stewardship, speaking Of
his eforta In restricting Objectionable
immigration, his interest in and help
given by him to agricultural laws, say
ing that every dollar that he had ever
made was invested IN Mississippi dirt;
lAis opposition to Ubiquitous pension bills
and his success in blocking such legis-
IlAtionI his advocacy Of cotton claims,
lin which every farmer is Interested;
explained his vote against the amend
IRsnt of selection Of senators by the
people, which gave the United States
government control of same. lie dwelt
upon tho white mans ability to handle
the negro, as they are doing, without
the repeal of any amendment.
After reading an editorial from thu
Kosciusko Star Ledger, closing with
the paragraph, "TO our way OF think
ing a great wrong has been pcrpctrated
against the people of Mississippi, and
may eliminate in bloodshed at the polls,
for n thing may be depended upon,
the Vardaman forces are going to see to
it that they have u free ballot and a
49,
fair count, peaccably If they can, forcibly
If they must" and the endorsement Of
the editorial by Yardaman in his Issue,
and commenting at some length upon
such an appeal being made by IL leader
to his followres in a heated campaign,
Senator Percy said that "the object Of
the trade was to prevent the election
commissioners charged with the duty of
purging the pollbooks from performing
that duty, but declared that these Off
0ors would observe their oatns and do
their duty, chew to the line, let the
chips fall where they. may and that
the qualified voters Of the state would
say who should be their officers and
their senator, and there would be no
bloodshed at the polls.
He then referred to the stabbing Of
the officer at Rose Hill as foliowsi
Speaking Of bloodshed, | made a
speech two or three weeks ago at Rose
Hill, in Jasper county, to a large audi
ence of men and ladies, at an outdoor
gathering. Standing on the outskirts
of the crowd there were four men who
attempted to break up the meeting.
They interrupted me, whoeping and yell
ing Ike coyotes. I said to them, Men,
II you wish to ask me questions, come
around in front Of me, and face me like
men. I will answer any questions that
you ask. / would rather have Il hun
bred questions asked me than n lie
circulated about me with no chance of
correcting it, and whenever treat with
contempt the questions of the voters
Of Mississippi or am afraid to answer
them, l shall cease to ask them for their
votes They continued their noise and
Interruptions. l then said to them; III
you think this audience wishes to hear
you talk, come up here and take this
stand. / will give my time to you.
They replied by continued yelling and
Interruptions, to the evident annoyance
Of tho vast audience who were intent
upon hearing the speech. An officer,
q special deputy sheriff, as l was after
ward informed, approached them, and as
he laid his hand on IN Of the men the
man struck at him. The officer knocked
him down. The brother of the man RAJ
behind him and plunged a knife into his
back. As he fell he stabbed him agaiT
and again.
"Who was responsible for that deco
Of violenceH Was it that poor boy witt
his mind filed with prejudice and dis
tortod with hatred? l arraign before
the bar of public opinion, the greatest
tribunal hat ever sat in any case, jane
X. Vardaman as being morally, mari
you, morally responsible for this deco
Of violence This is a grave charge Il
make against q man running for tn
high office of United States senator. l
is a charge that a good man don't max,
unless he can substantive it. II true
It should strip Vardaman Of the supper
of the decent citizenship Of MississiPpi
!. it il a false charge, | don't dcsery,
that support.
l will risk my good name, characte
and office. upon my ability to nphol'
the charge, Three years ago this mont
Vardaman, in his Issue, approved OF tn
tactics. of the tobacco night ridcrs .
Kentucky, who posted, whipped, burne,
and murdered to put up the price OF tc
bacco, and suggested the adoption Q
these methods by the Farmers unio
of Mississippi to put up the price o
cotton. Throughout this campaign h
has, in his paper and public speeches
abused in unmeasurcd terms every COZ
stituted authority Of the law. He ha
charged the governor with being il tho.
q member of the supreme court with b
ing corrupt, has charged that the court
and juries were corrupt and debauehet
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