The Jones County news., 1911-04-06
VARDAMAN is GIVEN
GREAT OVATION BY
FRIENDS IN LAUREL
Demonstration Eclipsed Any
Similar Event in the
History of County.

vicinity on Thursday of last week was
large and spontaneous, eyincing in no
uncertain way the temper Of the
people of this community.
But the Ellisyille reception is not
TO be compared with the demonstra.
tion which he encountered on the
evening of the same day in the
ncighboring city Of Laurel.
At the conclusion of the Ellisville
address, in company with a large
number of friends and admirers,
Governor Vardaman left by auto
mobile for Laurel. On the outskirts
of that city the party was met by a
brass band and escorted through the
streets to the Southern Hotel. The
streets were lined with people, who
had come from far and near TO see
the distinguished statesman and to
hear him present the issues involved
in the present campaign.
Long before the hour for the adj
dress, the spacious auditorium of the
county court house was crowded to its
capacity, and it ssaid that hundreds
were turned away, unable to find
standing room.
The Laurel Ledger, which opposes
Governor Vardaman for the senate,
gave the following report of the
meeting:
II was at an early hour that tie
crowd began to gather around aud in
the court house, consequently, 1.-THE
court room began to fill some time
before the hour set for the speaking
to begin, and by the time Mr.. Va.da-
man appeared, the court room vas
crowded and many we're turned aN,ay
because they could not be accfn-
modated.
Mr.. Vardaman's appearance prQFed
to be a signal for warm recenf fion
which was rendered him. the chaSac-
ter Of 4 fe welcome, being, such az to
preclude any suggestion that it Fas
not spontaneous. This reception was
repeated when Mr.. Vardaman took
the speakers stand proceeded kby
Judge r. T. Bullard, who in a dew
well-chosen sentences introduced T. he
Governor to his audience. Ack bw-
Lodging the applause rendered m,
Mr.. Vardaman Immediately end red
upon the purpose ahead of him o4 de-
livering an address upon the Fsen-
atorial controversy, the featute of
the State campaign with which'he is
personally identified
Major Vardaman's address occupied
nearly three hours of time in delivery
and covered a wide field of discourse
in which lights of eloqueuce illumi-
mated with many quotations from
ancient and modern authors, which
he used with such aptness it was
difficult at times to tell where QUOTA
tion began and originality ended. 1t
was with this. keen sense of deftly
presenting what he had to say in
manner which caused it to fall pleas
autly upon the ear, that won for him
that engaged attention which follow
ed him throughout Thursday night
until almost the hour of IL o'clock.
AT times the Major was epigram-
matte, especially so when he dismiss
ed some statement of his opponents
with ironic scorn, "The price is too
high, he said, "to pay to win the
senatorship through attempts to pull
down another" This statement came
in connection with running comments
upon those who had placed in circu-
lation false reports" concerning him
self.
With due regard to the facts
Major Vardaman did not present
himself to be as bloodthirsty on the
negro question as it has been given
out in some quarters. Judged by
what he said in his address Major
Vardaman is radical in his idea on
the negro question, in that he would
have done at the earlist possible
time those things which would tend
to enthrone white supremacy, without
waiting for others to do what he
claims must in the end be done to
preserve that white supremacy which
is of such vital interest to the up
building and the upholdiug of the
best interests of the Southern States,
wherein the question of white
supremacy is paramount.
In answering his critics in the mat