The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-01-25
SEN. BURKITT'S
PEACE SPEECH
Interesting Feature of The Legislative
Session Following Peace i,
Pact.

Jackson, Miss, Jan. 25.-Politics
again cropped out in the Mississippi
legislature yesterday. For a time ii
looked like the dove of peace, which |
has been nesting and cooling around |
the capitol since yesterday, would be
captured and it's head chopped off by |
the factions, but the bird finally es-
capped with no greater damage than |
the loss of some of its tail feathers.
Today's breezy incident occurred in
the senate. 1t was due to two causes,
One was an editorial in the Jackson
News yesterday afternoon after the
signing of the treaty of peace, severe
ly criticising Senator James X. Varda-
man and Senator Frank Burkitt. The
other appears to have been the result
of a misunderstanding.
Yesterday after the peace pact was
signed by the leaders in the two
houses of the legislature, it was taken
into the senate by Senator Burkitt
with a request that it be spread upon
the journal as an expression from the
members who had signed it. The pre-
siding officer, it seems, misunderstood
Mr.. Burkitt's request, and put the
question in the form of motion for
adoption. This had the eeffct of max
ing the peace pact appear on the jour-
nal with the official endorsement of
the senate.
In order to correct this error, and
at the same time reply to the criti-
cism of him by the Jackson News,
Senator Burkitt today arose to a ques-
tion of personal privilege. Speaking
deliberately and with measured words
he said;
Senator. Burkitt's Speech.
"Mr. President-On yesterday |
signed an agreement to eschew all
fractional controversies and strive to
work for the welfare of the people of
Mississippi. and incidentally to do
what could to heal the breach in the
party, to which every member of this
legislature processes to owe allegi-
ance. The conference held was an in
formal one, gotten upon our own ini-
tiative, and not by the authority of
either house. We did not assume to
speak for either the senate or house
of representatives, but we agreed to
exercise whatever influence we, as in
dividuals, might possess to allay 'po-
litical friction and work to complete
the duties devolviIg upon us as the
representatives of the people in the
shortest time possible and return to
our homes. My action taken in this
self-constituted conference has been
criticised by some of my dearest
friends as a move calculated to tie
their hands and to render them i'm
potent to do what they desired to do.
l want to say here and now that what
ever agreement I have, or may here
after make, binds only myself. am
not so presumptive as to suppose that
any senator on this floor is under any
obligation to agree with me in any
thing I may say or do. do that which
my Judgment prompts me to believe
will rebound to the best interests of
the people of the state, and I leave
every other gentleman free to exer-
else the dictates of his own consci-
ence in striving to attain the same
end, and no matter how radical the
difference between his views and
mine, accord to him the same hon.
esty of purpose I trust all men will
accord to me, for recognize the fact
that my adversary may be right and
I in error
Asks Reconsideration of Vote.
81, therefore, desire, Mr.. President
to move reconsideration of the vote
whereby the senate adopted the ac.
ton of the conference on yesterday
and only ask, as intended to do, and
as I thought did, that the conference
agreement be spread upon the journal
of the senate, thus absolving myself
and the other members of the confer
ence from a charge that our actor
handicaps any one, and leave every
J senator free to pursue whatever
: course he deems best.
: "Mr. President, l call the attention
| of the senate to the fact that up tt