The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-03-11
A CHARACTERISTIC STATEMENT
FROM THE SENATOR BREAKS
AEEw THINGS TO soLoNs.
STATEMENT BRANDED FALSE
Says The Present Legislature Did Not
Elect Him And He VIII Not Obey
Its Behests-Denies He Promised
To Give Up The Office.

Washington, March 11.--Characteriz-
ing statements in the resolution ask
and unqualified falsehood,@ United
States Senator Leroy Percy Saturday
afternoon addressed letter to the
Legislature of the state of Mississippi
refusing to give up his seat. Il did
not receive my commission from you;
will not lay it down at your behest,"
he says. The letter in full follows:
Senator Peroy's Letter.
Washington, d. c.. March ., 1912
To the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives of the State of Mississippi:
am today in receipt of your resolu-
ton of March 5, 1912. Your demand
is that | resign the seat in the United
States senate which did not receive
at your hands, but to which former
Legislature elected me.
You do not in any way question the
fairness of my election to the senate;
you negatively admit that / was fairly
and honorably elected. You do not
allege that during my service in the
senate l have by word spoken or vote
cast been untrue to the people of Mis-
sissippi; you negatively say that l
have been faithful to the trust COM
mitted to me-
You assign as the reason for your
resolution: First, that during the pri-
mary campaign for the senate, held to
name my successor, pledged myself
to resign my unexp:red term If not
elected in that primary; second, that
having been defeated in that primary
do not represent the people and
should not serve out the term for
which I was elected.
The first statement is utterly false;
the second, grotesquely surd.
After my election in a'speech before
the legislature urged that a primary
to name my successor be held in 1910
instead of 1911, and as an inducement
to my opponent to consent to such
extraordinary primary, offered to
resign my unexpired term II defeated
in such primary, and in that connec-
ton used the language you quote, and
by specific language, too plain for mis-
construction, limited the offer to such
extraordinary primary If 1t should be
held.
AS you we'll know It was not held
and such offer became imperative.
never referred to the question of re-
signing again, except to mention the
offer made by me in that speech and
to quote the language there used. In
no public or private utterance during
the campaign did l ever state that
would resign if not elected in the pri-
, mary of 1911; but on the contrary,
from more than fifty stumps stated
that Whatever may be the outcome
of this primary |, together with my
colleague, John Sharp Williams, will
r represent Mississippi in the United
r States senate until March, 1913" Any
n statement to the contrary is utterly
A false and every member of your hon
n orable body voting for the resolution
n voted for and thereby gave utterance
a to deliberate and unqualified false
v hood
> AS to the second ground if your res
/. olution that one defeated in a race te
d succeed himself should resign his un
e expired term, even you doubtless know
Il that no such doctrine of recall Is IL
e existence anywhere. Under It tn,
s thousands defeated annually In politi
70 cal contests would not be permitted t.
serve out the terms for which ther
were elected. Thus tenure of offic
would not be fixed by the terms TO
which they were elected. but the resul
: of the election for the succeedin
term
But you passed your resolution wit
m no expectation that 1t would be oa
ID SERVED; you well know that self-respec
a. alone would render such obedience IN
IN possible. The resolution is your repl
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