The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-03-12
Mr.. CASKEY CRITICISES VARDAMAN
AND HIS DEFENDERS.

miles from a postoffice, and on bad roads, I have ;
been pretty well cut off from the world and what :
is going en-. | notice though that Senator Varda- :
mans friends are rushing to his rescue, and it is !
rather amusing to read what they have to say about
the ship purchase bill, hut they all agree it is very
liable to involve the United States in war had this
bill become a law!
MIR. Pittman, of Pontotoc county, thinks Will
son is a great President, but a great man is more
liable to make great mistakes than a man of small
%callbre." (The inference is Vardlman being a man
OF small calibre can not make a mistake on a great
question:; also it is beyond human possibility to
continue to remain uncontaminated by the atmos-
phere which we breathe, and the President is I'M
consciously being led by a sordid influence away
from his moorings -(Vardaman being more than
human is not effected). He, (Pittman,) has long
since believed that "Vardaman possessed the m
terial to make a great statesmen, and his attitude on
this question proves his great astuteness of mind,
his great courage, his ncorruptibllity, his featy to
the great body of the people remains loyal notwith-
standing the President, leading a great majority of
the Democratic party Qess 4 has endeavored to
seduce him." So to escape this seduction, Mr..
Vardaman says, Il will go over to the Republican
Party where they do not try to seduce men and
stay there till this question is settled, and then |
will come back"
Mr.. Pttman says the power to buy ships is un-
limited; Mr.. VIM. C. Ward of Winona says they can
only buy twenty eight-too small a number to do
any good! l would like to know which one isl
right. Mr.. Ward admits he does not exactly under
stand the whole bill, but believes as an economic
question Mr.. Vardaman is right in opposing it,
Mr.. j. o. Kendrick, of Alcorn county, says
Senator Vardaman has simply shown by his vote
that he will not be led by the nose, even by the
President" that president Wilson has made good
in many respects, but he is going too far when he
l. p,4. bip,cotff oru,,rI oc 1toto40r ~ tho oonor tho
legislative body puts their decisive yetoon it the
better for the country"
Well, it looks like the Republican part of the
body, with the assistance Of seven Democrats, have
put a veto Oh the President, and Mr.. Kendrick ought
to be satisfied, and let us hope that Mr.. Wilson will
{ be good for the balance of his term, and not dictate
any more.
3 Now it looks to me like if Mr.. Vardaman is
right, why all these different lines of defense by his
! friends? But that is not the question they are try
: ing to settle. They will none of them deny that
Mr.. Vardaman and six other Democrats went over
to the Republican party, worked and voted against
the Democratic party. Now then, can these seven
come back into the party they left? That is the
8 question, and will be decided by the National DEM
ocrati: party.
There is more than the defeat of the shipping
$ bill in this. We now have a Democratic administra-
q ton, controlled by the Republican party in the Sen
ate, and seven so-called Democrats. or Progressive
Democrats, as one of Mr.. Vardaman's friends
q puts it!
8 1t may also mean the breaking of the solid
South that the Republican party has tried for years
to do. If the other six carry their constituents in
their pockets, as Mr.. Vardaman does his, they will
+ be returned as long as they want the office W hich
o will be for lfe). But will they be Democrats? Mr..
l. Vardaman's friends have made the discovery that
President Wilson and the Democratic party has be-
q come the party of the trusts and corporations
n therefore, Mr.. Vardaman is right in opposing them
" and joining the Republicans! A wonderful discov-
a cry they have made.
1t is a we'll known fact that the Republicans
" oppose every bill introduced by the Democrats, and
O. it is their sole purpose to defeat them, and to dis
credit the administration, and how any Southern
,r Senator, or Representative, can forget what the Re-
J. publican party has done to the Southern people in
the past and ally themselves with it on any ques-
v ton, is beyond my comprehension.
d l would be afraid that the spirits of George
, Lamar, Walthall, Money and others who le a for.
lorn hope in 1876, and the thousands of the rank
n and file that followed them, and wrested the South
n from the hands of carpet-bag Republicans and
negroes, freeing its white citizens, that we might
J. live and govern our land, would come back from
&c the silent abode of the dead and haunt my pillow
at night, rob me of rest, point the accusing finger
and ask why l had done this thing?
i. Did we fight for your freedom ag ainst this
party, place you to represent the land we won, and
J. passed on to you and your children? Did we do
this thing for YOU to go over t, them? Let Mr.
Vardaman answer the few men left tn 1t helped to
f win this fight. There is a bug under the chip