The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1918-07-26
They Knew Not What They Did.


~AsSAeSsAsHn . CuCubbCS WCtC AuOJtO0C.
iOus. That they were fabricatine
falsehoods purely for the purpose to
deceive the supposedly Ignorant
people OF the country" They have
always INDUCED themselves in the
hallucination that nobody would
vote for Vardaman except a red
neck, and that all red necks were
fools. That was one view to take
Of the thousand and one falsehoods
told on him and about him.
Another view is that even Mr. Har-
risOn's leaders who seem to be pro-
mitigating mos. of these falsehoods,
do not themselves know the truth.
They appear to be densely ignorant
Of President Wilson's record as well
as of Senator Vardaman's record.
By way of illustration:
In recent synopsis Of Pat Har-
risOn's recOrd,'' they enumerate,
among others. measures he voted
for. the Ship Purchase bill, to pro-
vide ships to carry the farmers pro-
ducts to the markets of the world"
Now if that is the bill "Vardaman
defeated in the Senate" which is
clearly the meaning they intend to
convey. it was not bill to provide
ships to carry our farmers pro-
ducts to markets of the world" 1t
was bill to carry the products of
South American farms to the world
Here is bill for which Vardaman
is entitled to credit for helping to
defeat Senator Mute Nelson, by the
way, who though Republican, the
president is now supporting" as one
of their paid ads. in one of their
subsidized newspapers reads. led the
opposition to that bill. But aside
from all that, here is what Presi-
dent Wilson said was the purpose of
that first ship purchase bill. In a
newspaper interview in the fall of
1914, and as read iato the record by
Senator James of Kentucky, in Feb
ruary. 1915. Mr.. Wilson said:
Questionable. President, Judge
Alexander said Saturday taat his
advices were that the emergency for
it 1.-THE ship purchase billy was over;
that there were plenty of ships.
President Wilson-For the ordi-
nary trade, yes; but that is not what
it (the billy is for. 1t is chiefly for
the development of South American
t:ade where it will be unprofitable
for private capital to develop and
where we know for a certainty that
private capital will not develop it.
Nothing whatever to do with
shipping our farmers products to
the markets CT the world" South
America would not take farm pro-
ducts from our" farmers. 1t would
take manufactured products from
eastern factories and return South
American farm products to compete
on our market with our own pro-
ducts. That would not only have
been the result of the bill; it was the
intent Of the bill. 1t was to induce
South America to take our manu-
factured goods. The result would
have been highly satisfactory to
Detroit. Mich, for instance, where |
they manufacture so many autom0-
biles. South America would take
automobiles and Detroit had them
to sell; what more simple than |
this trade with South America and
let the people pay the freight That |
is the way Mr.. Harrison looked at |
it. That seems to be the way his |
campaign committee still looks at
it. However, being better informed
by The issue as to the real meaning |
and purpose OF the bill, they may |
change their minds. They are al
ready certainly and plainly easing |
up on the ship purchase bill" as a |
friRhtful example Of why loyal"
Mississippians should not vote for
the men who defeated it."
The bill Of course had nothing to
do with the price Of cotton. or the
shipping Of cotton to Europe. That |
highly profitable industry vas to be |
left exclusively in the hands Of
private capital, while the govern
ment. with the peoples money vas
TO undertake" to cultivate trade
with South America which 10
know Tor certainty will be unpro6- |
table and private capital will not
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