Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1911-07-14
Vardanan i'm BrOOkSVilIe


and attracts attention by his fine
az pearance and graceful man
ners. He is spoken of by his ad-
mirers as a splendid orator, but
he showed no evidenced of it in
that address. He is more of an
elOcutionist. an actor, a declalm-
er. To be an orator one must
feel deeply, must be profoundly
stirred before he can move his
audience. This address was So
phomoric, a school boy declama
ton, utterly devoid of argument
or logic. 1t was a compilation of
beautiful gems of poetry, and
plati4udes such as you would ex-
pect to hear at a school COM
mencement. There waslno states
manlike discussion of great is
sues. but frequent appeals to
prejndice. Whenever the inter-
est of his audience would seem
to lag, he would make some allu-
sion to the secret caucus" or the
candidate for the senate in two
parts"
He belittles himself by speak
ing tof his distinguished oppo-
nents and Gov. Noel, in terms Of
ridicule or contempt, When he
spoke of the factional part of a
candidate" you could not help
thinking that if he should be
elected Mississippi would have
one senator in John Sharp Will
liams. and a very small fraction
of another in James K. Varda-
man.
Of course he used the same ele-
giant and choice epithets in refer
ring to the men who have made
serious charges against him as
man, and against his administra-
ton. This is much easier than
answering the charges. He is
fine in "long distance" abuse and
villification. He is an expert in
vituperation and the use of op-
probious epithets. He is GER
tainly an apt pupil of Brann, and
he had the intellect, would be his
equal as a scavenger of character.
Of course he discussed the ne
gro. His speech would be in
complete and "fat" without this
part. He quoted learnedly from
jefferson and Lincoln as to the
impossibility of the two races ex-
isting here on tel ms of social and
political equality. Certainly we
all agree with him on his propo-
sit on. He seems not to know
that we settled the status of the
negro ''Ui ct drn1iS" with our red
shirt brigade in 1875, and that
the constitution of 1890, secured
it by legal enactment. He was
but boy then, but it is strange
that he never heard of it.
His whole effort on this subject
is to blind his followers by ap-
peals to passion and prejudice,
and to ride into the senatorship,
as he did into the governor of
flee eight years ago. He will be
as powerless to keep his promise
about the division of the school
fund. Every thinking man knows
that he had as we'll promise to
give the moon as to repeal the
18th amendment. This is moth
ing but clap-trap to catch the un-
wary voter.
He next took up the whiskey
question and we were glad that
on that point we could agree. He
has been a consistent temperance
man. so far as we know, and for
this we cheerfully give him credit.
After hearing him it is easy to
understand why he does not dare
to meet his opponents in joint de-
bate. He knows he would be
made to appear ridiculous and be
the laughing stock of the crowd.
His experience four years ago
has not been forgotten. His
friends put it on the ground that
joint discussion might lead to
hloodshed as it did in Tennessee,
Gartnack was act alain until