Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-06-09
PERSONALITIES

man VINO mas gone hunting Oh
Sunday should aspire to represent
Mississippi in the National Senate.
In fact, the Tippah county editor
is only n out of many in the
Vardaman editorial camp who be
came piously concerned about the
infractions of the Sunday law
whenever the name of the next
senator from Mississippi is men,
toned. 1t is indeed the rarest eX-
ception when a perusal Of any pa
per in the state supporting Major
Vardaman will not reveal some
reference to Senator Percy's pri-
vate life. In like Mr..
Alexander is referred to as "Pious
Alex" in sarcastic vein. But of
Mr.. Vardaman's shortcomings
| there is never a word.
Now morality is a most excel
lent virtue. The Beacon holds
that no man is the worse for lead
ing a clean, upright and sober
life No strain of immortality ever
added zone jot nor title" to a
mans value to society, but rather
the reverse. But the Beacon does
protest that if the question of a
candidates private life is to be a
factor in this campaign, then those
who are determined to raise that
issue shall not hunt alone for the
mote in the opposing candidates
eye, while being absolutely Oblivi-
Gus to the beam in the eye of their
own candidate. 1t is indeed a far
cry when those who oppose Mr..
Percy, Ostensibly for that reason,
are attempting to foist Bilbo upon
the people as their lieutenent-gov-
ernOr. We have heard much from
the Vardaman press in regard to
Private John Aliens part in a lit
tie poker game down at Jackson,
but never a word from that source
concerning the biggest poker game
Of all, which was conducted by
Vardaman's floor manager during
the Legislative caucus. 1t is pos
sibIe that pOker-playing is all
right when INDUCED in 10y a Var
daman adherent and all wrong
when a member of the ''opposi-
ton" is the guilty one?
Senator Percy may have en-
gagged in an occasional game Of
poker and gone hunting on Sun
day. Let us grant that, for the
evident qualification of the Varda-
man press; but after all, are those
acts, however censurable, any
| worse crimes in the sight of God
and decent humanity than coarse
abuse of some of the saintliest dis
ciples of the meek and IOwIy Naz-
arine? Are they any more to be
condemned than a prOfane tongue
and An indulgence in anecdotes
that are both grossly vulgar and
obscene? Senator Percy's life, in
the main, has been singularly
clean and manly. He has despised
the arts of the demagogue he has
scorned the wiles of the profes-
siOnal hypOcrite. He has never
posed as the arch enemy of strong
drink, while writing to a friend to
come and share with him a good
bottle of extra Dry He has
not feigned to be the relentless OPP
ponent of the corporations, while
using telegraph frank books from
two of the greatest corporations in
all the land for his personal mes
sages, and accepting free transpor-
tation in Pullman cars for himself
and a score of friends. He has
not attempted to array class
against class and ace against race,
using the negro question as a cam
paign issue only to drop it like a
hot brick after being elected to of
flee. He has not boosted of his
honesty and great love for the
"'sovereign people, while mixing
some Of the dear peoples money
with his own.
The Beacon regrets the necessity