The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-06-16
VARDAMAN DECLINES TO
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
Williams Reads From Interview With
vardaman in Washington Post in
Which Junior Senator Says Demo
cratic Senators Are "PussilIan-
imous" and Wilson's Stand is "Per-
fidous and sycophantic Betrayal"
Special to The NetUS.

Special to The Net0s.
Washington, June 16.-The stormy
debate Immediately preceding the
passage in the Senate of the repeal OF
the tolls exemption clause in the Pan
ANA canal bill, in which Senators Var
daman and Williams took leading
parts not only was important from
+. national aspect but is the first time
)he two Mississippi senators have
sopenly clashed on the floor of the Sen
ate.
Senator Vardaman's vitriolic Ian
guage in abuse of Democratic senators
who stood with President Wilson for
the repeal of the exemption clause
and the upholding of the Nations hon.
or almost brought on personal difficult
ties between the Mississippi junior
senator and Senators James Of Ken
lucky and West Of Georgia.
After these difficulties had been
settled, Senator Williams took up the
debate, which was as follows:
Mr.. WILLIAMS. Mr.. President, 1t
is a fortunate thing in the history OF
the United States Senate that, as a
rule, debates here are carried on cool
ly and calmly and logically. 1t Is a
fortunate thing that this is an arena
where men reason together, and do
not simply shake their locks at one
another.
Now, Mr.. President, | make 1t a
point to debate with Republicans.
do not publicly debate when | can
.<help it with my party colleagues upon
this side of the Chamber. l have
been very glad to hear my colleagues
speech this afternoon, because 1t has
proven that possibly some of the
things that he was reported to have
said in the Washington Post in pub
lie interview, all in quotation marks,
were not true My colleague said this
evening that he had uttered no word
of bitterness uuTlnS lhiS SohIio'Si"'
"had felt and feels none; and he has
intimated that if anybody did say he
had uttered any word of bitterness the
person saying it had uttered "a false
hood so diaphanous that it was not
quite respectable fiction" believe
that was the language used by him
He added that the newspapers had at
tributed bitter expression to him, from
which | infer he meant that they were
"fctionists"-that, | take it, is anoth
er way of saying slanderers or liars
do not know whether my colleague
always knows whether he is utterine
, words of bitterness or not. l have
n sometimes doubted if he was a meas
4 urer of his own language, or II nc
y knew precisely what his own utter
ances meant in English. AS he Illus
trated lust a moment ago, he is a very
eycitable man, with great intemper
ance of thought and of expression.
am inclined to think that the
Washington Post, in these quoted III
terviews which | hold in my hand
interviews in quotation marks-has ut
tered "untruths so diaphanous tha
they are not worthy to be considered
as ordinary, decent fiction" Certain
ly it. or its reporter has, If my col
league has uttered no word of bitter
ness" -,
Mr.. VARDAMAN. What is the sen
ator reading from?
Mr.. WILLIAMS. | am glong 10 rea'
now from what purports to De you
interview in quotation marks pun
lished in the Washington Post OF Mon
day, March SO and want TO ask III.
~ gcolleague as l go along whether thi
great sheet, which has represeh'e'
here only one side of this cohtro
versy--
Mr. yARDAMAN. Mr.. President
The PRESIDING OFFICER Doe
,,,,,rt,nued IN Page Two.)