The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1919-06-04
LONGING SPEAKS
NEWTON AUDIENCE
Replies To False Charges Of Oppon-
ents And Defines His Position
On Various Matters

nor of Mississippi and candidate for
the same office at the ensuing pri-
maries, delivered an address in the
city hall here yesterday morning at
II o'clock to a representative audi
ence of this community. While the
crowd could not be considered a large
one, his audience was larger than
greeted either of the other three can
didates who spoke here previously,
and his address seemed to make a ia
vorable impression.
The speaker was introduced by R.
l.. Simmons, a well-known farmer
and estimable citizen of near here:
who said Gov. Longino had made n
of the best governors we ever had
and he hoped that he would again be
declared the nominee in the first
primary.
After expressing himself as being
glad to speak to and meet the peo-
pie here, and desiring to see as many
of the people as possible in the short
time he had, he said hat when he
had enlisted in the army Y service
he fully expected and wanted to be
assigned to overseas duty, and tina.
before being released from his work
the campaign had far advanced
When discharged from the camp, he
had no political program, until he
came home and found what seemed
to be a demand for another entry
in the gubernatorial race, as the tire,
men in the race did not seem to sat
isfy the people as a whole. There
poured into him letters and requests
from all classes all over the stats
asking that he make the race, and
he felt that there was sufficient de-
mand for him to comply with thei,
wishes. Having had the office be
fore it did not have the spectacular or
romantic appeal that it might have
had, and he was not induced to entel
from anythinT like that. He ha6
reached that age when the desire tt
make money had passed away, and h
only sought TO serve the people, an
that if the people wanted him t
again serve them as governor, it wa
his duty to do so.
Since entering the campaign he hac
not been as active as he might have
been, because of consideration FOR
the farming classes. Owing to the
unusual amount of rains, which had
retarded the crops, he did not fee:
like going out and disturbing the
farmers in their work, for he felt 8
great interest in them.
He then took the matter of an
swering some of the misrepresenta-
tions that had been made Of him b.
opponents and others. He had nc
abuse or unkindness to say about
anyone connected with the campaign
During the entire campaign not one
word had escaped his lips that might
be construed as an arraignment of
either of his opponents. He had not
and did not intend to sling any mud
He wished the same thing could be
said about his opponents. During
the past few weeks, his opponents
saw that if they were to be in the
second primary, they must divert the
minds of the people, and each had
started to assail him, and had circu,
lated literature giving things to the
people that he had never heard of be-
fore. Such methods, the speaker said
should be repudiated by all honest
people.
He had read in a circular where
the board of trustees while he vas
governor had bought a tract of land
for the insane asylum for 50 an acre
This was true, and while he had
nothing to do with it, the land was
now worth 500 an acre. But, they
say that one Edgar Wilson, my broth.
er-in-law, bought an adjoining tract
at the same time and had profited by
it," said Gov. Longino. maybe he
did, but l had nothing whatever to dc
with it, was not responsible, and the
state had not suffered by it."
Again, said the speaker, it is charg-
ed that l appointed a corrupt and
immortal man named Kyle, or the
State Levee Board. He may have
appointed this man. though he did
not know he was immoral, but his
predecessor, Gov. McLaurin, had ap-
pointed him first, and he merely re-
appointed him, on a petition signed
by the people of his own county,
which course had governed him in
making all appointments, and if the
man was corrupt, he did not know it,
and the people who recommended him
and wanted him were responsible.
He had heard that he had made a
disrespectful remark about the Con-
federate soldiers, and that he was
not in sympathy with them. There
never wal anything in this charge.