The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-05-02

4 NOSSCu dQtOeAlG0 teAGf6Ouldu
doctrine and scondenaned secret
lmefhods and eDnventiops in poll
ltic& These Kings. - times past,
have athxarted the will of the
jpeopl& aud led to much ill-ad-
j Sised 3egisl Non. hal no fac
Ttinns exist lnthis eubernatorial
campaign died violent death
in the joint debate at OkolOna,
Monday. Lee NJ. Russell was
the David who slew this Goliath
of deception, using the pebble of
Exposure, cast from the sling of
truth taking the monster center
in the forehead and prostrating
him beyond the possibility of re-
demption. This debate by un-
miStakable d e m on ationS
among the crowd present,
showed that there are factions in
this gubernatorial campaign; also
that those who disclaim factional
ism are either nonentities or are
attempting to deceive the people.
To prove this. Mr.. Johnston him.
self, admitted when pinched as
TO his Secret Caucus record in
1910 and 1911. He said, in an TN
guarded rejoinder, that if the peo-
pie had repudiated the Secret
Caucus in 1911 they had reversed
that verdict in the Senatorial
election of 1918. This admission
will be- construed by the people
to mean that Mr.. Johnston is still
standing by his record in the Sc
cret Caucus and his subsequent
attitude towards that caucus in
the election of 1911. Upon the
grounds that the people reversed
their verdict as regards the Sc
cret Caucus in 1918 he assumes
that they established the caucus
as a precedent of fair politics and
will vote for him for governor in
1919. a
The difference between Mr..
Johnston and Mr.. Russell on the
taxing system, consists mostly in
the fact that Mr.. Johnston simply
won't commit himself to any
thing that promises solution of
the taxing problem. He just ex-
poets the people 10 take him on
faith that he will find something
adequate to the situation after he
has been elected. Mr.. Russell,
on the other hand, commits him
self squarely.to the present system
as it can be perfected, or the
adoption of any better system
that would place the tax burden
upon just valuation of the same
kind of property located any
where in the state. The issue
between them, therefore, after
being boiled down can be stated
in these few wordS-RuSSell has
a plan which he proposes in the
open. If Mr.. Johnston has plan,
he won't tell il that way, or he
didn't at Okolona last Monday.
Both candidates favor centralized
boards TO administer the taxing
laws. This is a statement of Mr..
Russell's position now and of
what Johnston's position was in
1917. We don't know whether
Mr.. Johnston stands that waynow
or not-only himself, and his
close political advisers know, for
Mr.. Johnston has steadfastly re-
fused to tell the people anything
about his attitude towards a tax
ing system, except that he is op-
posed to the State taxing law and
State taxing board as now con-
stituted. aAa-4Q
We commend the following
report of the debate, published in
the Commercial Appeal, as fair
general statement of what oc-
CURED, with the exception per
haps of the last paragraph, which
says: The audience for the
most part. however, seemed to be
adherents of Johnston"
There is truth even in that
statement. The crowd was COM
posed mostly of visitors from
neighboring towns and represen-
tatives of big interests. attracted
there possibly for political cam
outage in the interest of their
candidate, Mr.. Johnston.
There were few farmers or
working men IN the audience.
Nearly all of that kind, however,
were shouting for Lee Russell.
The report follows:
Oscar Johnston of Coahoma coun-
ty, and Lee M. Russell. of Lafayette
county, met in joint debate in Oko-
Iona Monday before an audience of |
about 200 people from Chickasaw
and adjoining counties. Johnston
was presented by w. F. Buchanan,
a former colleague. and Russell by |
c. L. Cunningham. Each spoke for
two hours. with reioinde-s of thirty |
minutes each.
Johnston S stand against the State
tax commission and Russell's stand |
in favor of it constituted the main |
,1Os,,+ NJ tho debate Tho Caoo,d