The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1918-07-19
PAT HARR|SON'S RECORD THE REVERSE
AND He SHOULD Be ELECTED

for the Junior Senator or his friends
to claim he has monopoly on being
the poor mans friend" What has he
ever done for the poor man that any
other Senator from Mississippi or pub
lie man could not or would not have
done? The whole list of things you
enumerate as having been done by
hum since he went to the Senate could,
and would have been done just as
we'll, or better by hundreds of other
Mississippians who might have been
sent there in his place.
But while on the subject of the
poor mans friend" would it not be
we'll to remember that in 1914 he
missed a great opportunity to show
his friendship for the poor men of his
state when he bolted the Democratic
party and went with the ''nigxer low
ing," South hating Republicans of
the North. as he used to cali them.
and helped them to kin the Ship Pur-
chase Bill? have never been able to
understand why any Senator from the
South, who had the slightest interest
in the cotton planters Of moderate
means, could have reasoned it out
that he was doing him a good turn
when he voted to kill that bill. have
looked in vain for a plausible
excuse for Vardaman voting as he
did. None has been forthcoming frum
him or from his friends. The situa-
tion, as we All know, was this: The
business world was paralized by the
contemplation of the great European
conflict and the horrors which would
surely follow; conditions were demor-
alIZang, the banks were panicky, cot
ton as usual suffered worst of all,
the cotton market "bears", arch enc
mirs always of the cotton farmer,
aided by the shipping trust, were in
complete control, masters Of the stu
atfon, and price steadily declined
, until the farmers found themselves
with cotton priced at and 6 cents
that had cost them twelve to fifteen
cents to raise. The banks were noti-
flying them that they must take care
of their notes on the very day they
were due" Disaster stared tn cotton
farmer in the face. President Wilson,
far-seeing. wise and patriotic states
man that he is, graspirg the situation,
asked Congress for the passage of the
Ship Purclras Bill The very pas
sage of the bill then, even if the
United States had not purchased or
! built single ship, would have been a
wonderful help to the cotton market
because it would have Killed the ship
ping trust, the chief ally of tAe
"bears." and cotton would have un-
doubtedly sold for from five to seven
cents "A pound more than was realized
for the bulk Of it. But the stand-pat
Republican, realizing the benefits the
South would realize from its passage,
voted solidly against the bin, and by
the aid of seven so-called Democrats,
one of whom was Vardaman,. sue
ceeded in defeating the BILL What was
the result? Pay day came on, and the
farmers caught with only cotton with
which to pay their debts sacrificed it
for five and six cents per pound, and
a great many have never fully recov-
cred from the effects of the sacrifice.
Now it is silly and nonsensica1 to say
that the price of cotton would not
have been effected by the passage of
that bill. The Republicans, who are
naturally cotton ''bears," knew it
would put the price of cotton up, 50
the stand-patters opposed it to man.
The South had everything to gain and
nothing to lose by its passage, and
why Southern Senator, a man from
Mississippi, the "poor mans friend"
should have voted against it, is, to me,
one of the mysteries of history.
notice again that you and other
friends of the Junior Senator have
quite a good deal to say about his pa
triotism and loyalty, and very vehem-
emily proclaim that no man living is
more loyal and patriotic than he. Now
it is quite impossible for as to know
what is deep down in mans heart;
we cannot read his innermost thoughts
and feelings; we can only Judge by
his words and deeds how he feels. A
mans wife may say mean things about
her husband, may hold him up to ridi-
cule before his enemies, may chase
about the country with other men, al
low them to. take privileges not SAN
ctioned by public opinion or common
decency, and yet proclaim her undy-
ing devotion and loyalty to her hus-
band. She may be all she says she is,
but the average man does not take
kindly to that type of loyalty. He
has his doubts and he usually does
some investigating for himself, and