The Tupelo journal., 1917-10-05


well known in this part of the State
and he wanted the people to know
what his friends and his acquaint-
.ances and constituents Of his con-
gressioEal district thought Of him as
a man and as a congressman. He
confidently predicted that his con-
gressional district of seventeen
counties in this race would give him
an overwhelming majority against
Senator Vardaman.
He stated that he had been an ar
dent admirer and supporter of Sem
ator Vardaman and would not now
be in this race against him but for
the fact that he believed Senator
Vardaman's course in the Senate as
a critic and obstructionist of the
Democratic administration on meas
ures, and of the great war measures
of the administration, had made it
improper for the people of Missis-
sippi to send Senator Vardaman
back to the senate, and at the request
of many of his friends who knew his
devotion and loyalty to the party
and his great admiration of Presi-
dent Wilson and his ardent support
of the President in all of the great
measures which he had advocated
since assuming the Presidential of
fee, and especially in all of the great
measures proposed by the President
and the Democratic administration
for the successful prosecution of the
great war in which we are engaged.
He stated that he was. not going
to engage in personal vitueration nor
personal criticism of Senator Var
daman, that he had never done this
nor never expected to in any of his
political aspirations. He wanted no
friends of his and no papers that are
supporting him, to say anything at all
against Senator Vardaman's person
al integrity or personal honor or in
any way criticise his personal life,
and that if any friend or any news
paper supporting him did this that
he would be the first to deny such
statement and to show that he did
not approve it. He wanted to lift
politics out of the factionalism to
which it has fallen in Mississippi
and put it on higher plain. He
no mud singing and he APP
pealed to his audience and to his
friends to put principles above men
and mans ambition He invited
close scrutiny of his own life and
character and reputation among the
people who knew him and knew of
his. official career from the time he
was elected district attorney to the
present, and of all his public acts
and sayings.
He said, however, that Senator
Vardaman's career as public SER
want of the people in tn United
States Senate was a legitimate sub
ject for discussion and criticism and
he proposed IN this campaign to talk
to the people in every nook and cor
ner of Mississippi about Senator
Vardaman's official course and to
criticise that which he thought de-
served criticism. ass a
He then took. up in a most forcible
way the record of Senator Vardaman,
beginning with his vote against the
ship purchase bill three years ago.
He paid glowing tribute to Presi-
dent Wilson and his fealty and 10y
atty sts the masses of the people.
This Mas the climax of his splendid
speech, and in paying this tribute to
the President showing his great re-
sponsibility and the great sorrows
overwhelming him in his official ca
reer, and the courage and faith with
which he had met all of the issues,
and the great loyalty and sympathy
III tllC% COl1iIlS lldSSCS VI CIIC PCOPiC
that he had entertained and shown
by his every official act. He showed
very clearly and forceably that SEN
ator Vardaman's vote against the
ship purchase bill was a vote against
the interests of the people, and es-
pecially against that Of the cotton
and corn and wheat growers of the
country. He showed from one of
Senator Vardaman's interviews how
he had criticised the President as
having gone over to predatory
wealth He said that after few
Democratic senators had combined
with some standpat Republicans in
the defeat Of the ship purchase bill,
how the shipping trust had rejoiced,
and that trere had been much cham
paigne uncorked Son the night of the
defeat of this bill in Washington. The