The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-13
PRESIDENT HITS
 VARDAMAN CREW
 LIKE BOMBSHELL
Senator and Friends Yes terday Were Busy Issuing
 Reply to Letter of
 Opposition

Jackson, Miss, August 12.-(Special) President Wilson's letter to M $. Mo- Neill of Hazlehurst, former yardaman- ite, proved bombshell as big as the Ger man iong-range guns have been tnrow- ing at Paris, and vardaman's friends have been ''up in the air ever since they read it. No more 50-5O bets are 70 be had. Mr. Wilson states that he would consider the renomination of Senator vardaman a reflection on his administra- ton, and the people of Mississippi are going to see that such chalice is not pressed to his lips. Tn fact, that had already been determined upon, but this letter cinches the proposition that Vard- aman must remain at home after his present term.
 So great was the demoralization in the ranks of the Vardamanites at Jackson that the Great White Chief was sum moned to come post haste At least he came and spent the greater portion of the day in Jacqson. He and his cam paign managers got their heads together and put out a reply to the Presidents letter in which he once more straddles the neck of the negro and, of course, takes issue with MT. Wilson, He says:
 T am not surprised at the Presidents s opposite to me. Still, 1t is regrettable that President Wilson views with peru- lent intolerance independence of thought or action on the part of a senator or representative
 When I opposed so vigorously the nomination of the negro registrar of the treasury. and the negro judge of the Dis trict of Columbia, and then refused to violate the platform of the party to support the repeal of the free tolls, l incurred his everlasting displeasure.
 T think President Wilson is the first democratic President in recent years who has undertaken to make the test of ones democracy servile support of all the measures which he happened to favor 1t will be recalled that senators and rep resentatives have been condemned by the President for not being able to change their views upon certain measures with the ease and facility with which the President himself changed. For the good of the republic, thank God, the senator from Mississippi is to be nominated py the unafraid white democratic vo,srs of Mississippi and not by the dictation Of citizen of New Jersey I decline to ac- cept the Presidents statement as true, that vote for my reelection will De taken as a vote of condemnation of his administration, because have sup ported the administration 99 times where I have opposed it once. In fact, l have opposed the President in but very few Instances and in those cases where l opposed him it was where the President proposed to violate the party platform and traditions of the democratic party. It is not altogether fair, not by any means modest for one to arrogate to himself inerrency or infallibility as President Wilson does, when we realize that the record shows that the President has changed his mind on public measures with a rapidity and ease that no other President has done, of which have any knowledge. My record as senator rom Mississippi has been made with circum- spection and with an eye single 10 the interests of the people of Mississippi ana America. made that record 10 please and to serve the people and not to pIacate or flatter any politician or oniceholder. I am going to be renominated III spit0 or the Presidents opposition, and my renomination will not be- in any way, condemnation of President Wilson's ad- ,o,nistration. I hope my friends will speed up the fight. We are going to win this fight but we do not want to take anything for granted or relax our vigil anca until the last vote is counted.
 1T hope that this unwarranted inter ference with Mississippi politics will not cause my friends to show any resent ment by saying or doing anything that will be in the least improper or imprud- ent But repeat, hope that they will perform their duty and express brave. lincorruptible freemans will when thev go, to the polls on the 10th of Aug \,