The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-10
SENATOR PERCY HAS NO INTENTION OF LEAVING HE SENATE
Replies to Resolution of Mississippi Legislature
 Asking Resignation
HE MAKES DIRECT COWARDICE CHARGE
Says Resolution Was Born of Malig- nant Fractional Hatred and Desire t0s Injure Him-Does Not
 Question His Acts

question Ills ActS
 l Washington, March 9.-Senator Leroy Percy has replied to the Mississippi leg islature's demand that he resign by flatly
 declining to do so. He has. sent his an
 swer in a spirited letter which rings with accusations of cowardice, falsehood and
 malignant factional hatred.
 Senator Percy replies that when, just after his election, he offered to resign his
 unexpired term If primary were held in
 1910 to name his successor he limited his proposition to that year and not 1911 the year in which a primary finally was held. Does Not Question His Acts l Senator Percy begins by stating that | the legislature has not questioned his eiee- l ton nor his acts in the Senate, but has negatively admitted their validity. He l brands as false the statement that he had promised to resign if not elected in the primary which elected vardaman, and asserts as grossly absurd the contention 1 that having been defeated in the primary which elected his successor he should re- l sign. The primary which he proposed in | 1910 never was held Senator Percy says. l He declares he never did state he would resign if not elected in the 1911 primary, but on the contrary declared from stumps that whatever the outcome of that pri-
 mary he would serve until March 1, 1915.
 Senator Percy's Statement Senator Percy's statement follows: Washington, March 9, 1912. l "To the Senate and House of Represents | tives of the State of Mississippi:
 l T am today in receipt of your resolu- l ton of March 5, 1912. Your demand is l that I resign the seat in the United States Senate which did not receive at l your hands, but to which former leg islature elected me.
 You do not in any way question the
 fairness of my election to the Senate. you
 negatively admitted that was fairly and
 honorably elected; you do not allege that
 during my service in the Senate have by
 word spoken or vote cast been unture to :, the people. you negatively say that I have
 'been faithful to the trust committed to me.
 You assign the reasons for your reso-
 lution, first, that during the primary cam paign for the Senate, held to name my
 successor, I pledged myself to resign my
 unexpIred term if not elected in that )rl- | mary; second, that having been deefated 1 in that primary I do not represent the 1 people and should not serve out the term l for which was elected.
 Statement Is False
 "The first statement is utterly false;
 the second grotesquey absurd.
 After my election in speech before | the legislature I urged that the primary
 to name my successor be held in 1910 in stead of 1911, and as an inducement to my opponent to consent to such extraordinary 1 primary, I offered to resign my unexpired l term if defeated in such primary, and in | that connection used the language you quote and by specific language, too plain for n1isconstruction, limited the offer to such extraordinary primary if it should be held.
 | AS you well know, it was not held and 1 such offer became imperative. never re- l ferred to the question again. except to 1 mention the offer made by me in that speech and to quote the language there | used: in no public or private utterance l during the campaign did ever state that | I would resign if not elected in the pri- 1 mary of 1911; but on the contrary from more than 50 stumps stated that whatever l may be the outcome of this primary |, to- gether with my colleague, John Sharp Williams, will represent Mississippi in the l United States Senate until March, 1913 Any statement to the contrary is utterly I false and every. member of your honor- able body voting for the resolution voted 1 for and thereby gave utterance to de- | liberate and unqualified falsehood. Would Apply New Recall T resolution that one defeated in a race to succeed himself should resign his un-
 expired term even you doubtless know that no such doctrine of recall is in existence anywhere under it the thous-
 ands defeated annually in political con tests would not be permitted to serve out the terms for which they were elected; thus tenure of office would not be fixed by the terms for which they
 were elected, but by the following cleo tion.
 But you passed your resolution with no expectation that it would be obey- ed,' Senator Percy writes You well know that self respect alone would render such obedience impossible The resolution is your reply to the sneech in the United State Senate delivered bv he in December. in which I challenged you to request an investigation into my election to the United States Sen ate, stating that a majority of your body had been elected members of the I legislature by the industrious circula- l tion of false charges in regard to my election and that if you dared ask such an Investigation or to state that d sin gle, vote had been dishonestly cast for me. an investigation would be held and
 the falsity of such charges exposed.
 Makes Warm Charges
 .'<ot daring the fnvestfgation into my
 election or to make any allegations which might lead to il. you passed this resolu- tion born of malignant factional hatred.
 merely intended as a gratutous insult to me. Regardless alike of truth and of the interest of the state you represent. desiring to perpetuate partisan strife and to wound me, you were willing to in- pair or destroy my ability 10 serve that state in the United States Senate. Your resolution cannot injure me but your ac- tion should strip you of the respect of every decent. patriotic Mlssissippian.
 T shall pay no heed to your resolu- tion;! did not receive any commission
 from you \ shall not lay it down at
 your behest but shall continue to do my duty to the heople of Mississippi in inc tnitejd states Senate as God gives mo to
 see It. COTS that my course will
 meet the Tproyai of the brains and
 marhood of\niy state.
 Asfng tift this reply be placed on l
 the Journals pf your honorable bodv
 remalP respectfully. LEROY PERCY"