The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1915-08-01
Tells to the People OF Missis-
sippi What Should BE
Known.
CAN PROVE HIS CHARGES
States He Intends to Tear Mask
OFF Of Hypocrisy in Plain
English Language.

tear the mask off of hypocrisy
in plain English language" Gov
ernor Earl Brewer has issued the
following sensational statement:
MY Fellow Citizens-Some
time since told you in public
! speech that Bilbo had received
$l00 from Vardaman's commit
tee, announcing that there was
nothing in the election of Var
daman to the senate for him,
and unless Vardaman's friends
would do something for him he
would desert their ranks at the
very minute Senator Vardaman
needed him most | told you if
you had any doubt about this to
write to Maj. John Armstrong
and many people wrote him and
he replied that | told you the
truth. Now since this letter
came out from Maj. Armstrong
there has been much fraud and
hypocrisy and deceit practiced by
Bilbo and his satellites to de-
ceive the public. Now | am 60
ing to strip the mask off of it a
little further and give you a little
more plain English about it.
am going to tell you that they
paid him the money. Vaughn
Watkins, chairman of the Varda-
man campaign committee. drew
the $100 out of the bank, out OF
the funds Of the committee
and wrote on the stub of the
check the words, For God knows
what and turned the money
over to John Armstrong to pay
it to Bilbo. Now, | don't get this
information from John Arm
strong. | get it from other anC
reliable sources. Mr.. Watkins
is a truthful gentleman and | dc
not believe will lie about it.
make this charge straight from
the bat, and | promise Mr.. Wat.
kins ii he does deny it will prove
it. Now, Bilbo in his letter
lodges the issue. DR.. Ward In
his letter lodges the issue. He
does not deny that he had a con.
versation with Armstrong, jus,
as Armstrong said he did, but
tries to mislead you by other pre-
judicial matter he injects into hi.
reply. If you have doubts abou
Armstrong having had the con
versation with him, just as Arm
strong says he did, write t,
Charlie Waite, who formerl.
worked in the Kelly drug stor'
at Winona, and who was present
when the conversation was hat
between Armstrong and DR.
Ward. am solvent. If | mis-
state the facts against Mr.. Bilb'
/ am liable to damages for it, ant
| make this statement advisedl,
appreciating this. | now charg'
that he double e-crossed Vardamal
in the campaign and made Var
daman's friends shake down $40
to keep him from deserting a
the most crucial hour. If the
statement is untrue, let him su
me for it. | invite the suit.
: will prove it. What do you thin
, of this for gubernatorial tim
Der?
In saying that do not quot
Armstrong and that | did not &c
my information from him. don
mean to cast any reflection upo
his integrity, for tell you
, have known Armstrong since h
e was boy and know all his nun
E erous family. and | never kne,
one of them that wasn't a ger
tleman and thoroughly reliable
But mean to say that / had ir
side information about this mai
ter without getting it from Arm
strong, and | mean to say straigt
9 from the bat that Bilbo got tn
q money and that when he was bt
fore the grand Jury, sworn
tell the whole truth and nothin
but the truth. he never mentor
toned 1t.