Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1918-08-15
okoLoNA. MISSISSIPPI THURSDAY. AQc0sT is 1918

them, al of which should have beem
done, and would have been done. had
It been properly attempted.
have never belonged to any poliu-
cal faction, nor wore any mans collar,
nor sought office except ON individual
merit, free from combinations Of all
kinds. When the government called
for volunteers, in 1898, offered my.
services as a private soldier, and SO
qualified. asking nothing more. Com
pany Kl Second Mississippi Volunteer
Infantry, without solicitation. unant
mously chose me as their captain.
so served for eight months. On April
6. 1917, before any age limit had been
fixed for the national army, offered
to Major Workizer. United States re,
cruiting officer Of Mississippi, my
services as private soldier. or in any
other military capacity in which
could be used. AS the law raising
the national army left forty-five years
as the maximum age, my sixty-ons
years excluded me, but five of my
nearest relatives, only two of draft
age. were among the first to volunteer.
from the adjacent homes Of myself,
brother and sister.
President Wilson's Stand.
President Wilson has in no case In
tervened as between candidates whose
patriotism and fidelity are undoubted,
and will never do so. supported him
actively in his first race, when both
OF my competitors. and all Of tha
other Congressman from Mississippi.
opposed him for one of their own num-
ber, Mr.. Underwood. In speaking of
the dozen Senators, who, according to
Mr.. McAdoo, were the authors of the
most tragic incident In the war-the
filibustering to death Of the bill to au.
thorize the arming Of merchant yes-
sells. in self-defense, President Wilson
said, "A little group Of willful men,
REPRESENTING NO OPINION BUT
THEIR OWN, have rendered the great
government Of the United States
HELPLESS AND CONTEMPTIBLE. e.
Regardless OF factionalism or party
lines, defeat will. and ought to come
to each member OF this group. To
vote for any OF them - to endorse
their action and to discredit the Presi.
dent and our government, and to en-
dorse the action President Wilson con-
demned.
AS summed up in one Of the HarTi.
son campaign postcard pictures, his
chief reliance is the claim that the peo.
pie can't afford to risk Senator yarda-
man, "Who has constantly embar.
rassed his President, party and coun-
try" The assumption that there is
nc escape from such catastrophe, ex.
cept by electing Mr.. Harrison must
be based on the idea that factionalisn
fellowship Is the only door OF official
preferment; or else that the govern.
ment-paid assistance to Congressman
in the way Of clerks, postage and clert
cal assistance makes them invincible
as against a man from private life.
Possibly the realization of the fact, by
many of the friends of each of my
competitors that the bitter antagon'
ism that has been engendered between
the two has rendered my success. as
against either Of them, in a second
primary, assured, and that, therefore,
my candidacy should be ignored or
deceitfully underrated in order that
the chances of each might be improved
by running against the other.
The assertion that Mr.. Harrison
could have been reelected to Congress
without opposition, but was persuaded
by people 10 run for the Senate, Is an
unprovable assertion. If only the peo
pie responsible for such persuasion
voted for him, he would probably lose
every precinct in Mississippi. Cover.
nor Bilbo announced for Congress, as
was pu. shed in the newspapers, sew.
eral weeks before Mr.. Harrison an.
nounced for the Senate: and Mr.. Har
rfson then returned to his district and
overlooked the situation for about two
weeks and announced for the Senate.
doubtless preferring that race to a
fight with Governor Bilbo. or liking
the Senate better.
My services of eight years in the
State Senate and my work there, In.
cluding the primary election law, and
many other important reforms, and my
experience as Governor. give me as
much or more knowledge of parlia.
mentary practice and governmental
workings than is possessed by either
Of my opponents. Besides. this war
will result in great moral, social and
political reform, including the correc.
tion of much extravaganza and other
political abuses. The infusion of some
rev blood in the Senate will greatly
help these reforms, and may lead to
the exclusion from the Senate, by ex.
pulsion or otherwise, Of Senator La
Toilette and others Of his kind.
My election would mean that pa,
triotism has risen above factionalism:
and that those who have contributed,