The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1919-04-24
FIRST JOINT DEBATE Of
GUbERhATOR|AL CAMPAIGN
HELD, At CARTHAGE ON n
Lee Russell and Oscar Johnston Discuss Day
Large crowdRussen Attacks All Three Opposing Candidates
and Is Literally Skinned by johnston Whose Address
Frequently and Vocferously Applauded by Crowd.

for the Board Of Supervisors In the state
to equitably. assess in uniform manner
the taxes of the state. He charged his
opponent, Oscar Johnston, as being
against the tax equalization laws be-
cause the tax commission had raised
property values in the Delta and had
charged that il he was elected he
would probably name on the state tax
commission men who would not seek
to carry out the letter and spirit Of the
tax equalization laws. He charged
Johnston with being a secret Caucusite
and as having voted against the exon
Grafton of Senator Vardaman, while q
member of the state legislature.
Mr.. Russell claimed in concluding
his remarks on his own platform, the
bankers, the railroads, and other cor
porations to be fighting him. He laid
the issue of factional politics squarely
before the voters and said that it was
impossible to conduct a campaign in
Mississippi without factionalism for
the reason that there were two schools
Of thought in Mississippi and he was
the candidate of the one and Johnston
the candidate of the other. He
cited an editorial run in the Jackson
Daily News in support of his con-
tention. And said that while some
people in Mississippi were calling loud
~ for factionalism that they were the
men who were most ardently support
ing his opponent Mr.. Johnston.
Russell attacked Johnston for his
stand on the matter of college frater-
mites both while in college and later
while in the legislature. He called him
an autocrat, and inferred that he had
been reared in an atmosphere that
took him out of touch with the COM
mon people. He said that he had al
ways been politically antagonistic
toward Johnston and Johnston toward
him and that they had never agreed
on anything.
Takes Rap at Longino.
Mr.. Russell's manner was vigorous.
denunciatory and vituperative. His
address was forceful and throughout
he was given the strictest attention OF
his audience. Just at conclusion of his
address he took occasion to denounce
Longino, Ex-Governor Of Mississippi,
for alleged remarks made by the ex,
Governor In a controversy with Mayor
McInnis Of Meridian over the old SOL
diers home at Beauvoir, In which he
charged that Governor Longino had
told Mayor McInnis that he twas tired
OF all that Confederat6 rot In TINS
connection he paid tribute to the
x-Confederate soldier He further
charged LONGING. with having been re-
pudiated by the people Of Mississippi
at the polls, once in his race with Sen
atOr Money and once recently in race
with Judge Sydney Smith, whom he
stated had overwhelmingly defeated
Governor Longino for Supreme Court
Judge year or SO ago. He charged
that Longino was claiming the credit
for building the New State Capitol
when as matter OF fact the suit
against the Y. & M. v. Railroad and
the I. c. Railroad was brought by Writ
Adams in the term of the predecessor
in office of Governor Longino and that
all Longino had to DO was to spend
the money
Mr.. Russell went after the ex-Gov.
ernor, Mr.. Longino, in strong terms
for that part Of his inaugural mes
sage in which Governor Longino
recommended to the Legislature that
every time lynching was pulled off
by mob that tho family of the per-
son lynched should be entitled to re.
cover in the Chancery Court sum
of money in large amounts from the
county in which the lynching oc
Cured He stated that it was a we'll
known fact that about the only lynch
ings that occurred in Mississippi were
black brutes who had assaulted some
good woman and that II the ex-gov.
ernor's plan was adopted the county
where the lynching occurred would
be. forced to pay the family Of the
brute committing the outrage large
sum of money out Of It's public treas.
ury. He said that the ex-governor
had stated in his message that he
wanted the amount to be large enough
to make the public rise up about it.
and that he felt sure the public
would rise up and defeat any man
who would advocate such a measure.
Ridiculed Ross Collins.
He ridiculed the candidacy of his
opponent, Ross Collins, whom he in
timated had switched around until he
was lost in the shuttle and knew not
where he stood on anything himself.
The Lieutenant Governor concluded
his address with an appeal to the vot.
ers to go to the polls and look after
his interests in the coming election.
Johnston Greeted With Applause.
At the conclusion Of Russell's adj
dress, Johnston arose amid some ap-
plause. He at once went into the at
tacks Of Lieutenant Governor Russell
and stated that he was willing to meet
the issues OF the campaign fairly and
gquarely without mud singing and vi.
tuperation. That he had entered this
campaign with the idea Of conducting
it on high plane and intended to
continue with that idea In view at all
costs. That he was willing, II the
Lieutenant Governor 80 desired. to be