The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-08-22

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such declaration might have upon
those who supported me. but who.
like myself. have not declared their
intentions in the second primary.
Permit me to cay that my support
ers belong to that class of Missls-
sippia{s who have the intelligence
and the courage to act for them
selves in the premises, uninfluenced
by anything 1 might say or do.
In one of your editorials of Aug.
III, l note the following: From
many indications it would seem
that Lee Russell and his supporters
are trying to curry favor with Gov.
Longino and his followers. but if he
or any of his ilk think that they can
approach Gov. Longino with such a
foul. disloyal, unworthy scheme to
betray Mississippi into the hands OF
| Vardaman. Bilbo and Russell, he
has missed the man.
The Clarion Ledger knows
enough about Coy. Longino to
know that he will never put this
shame upon his state
:" / thank the Jew for that word. !"
Truly never in my life have |
dealt Mississippi one foul blow or
entered into any scheme. disloyal,
unworthy o. otherwise, to betray her
into the hands of Vardaman. Bilbo
or Russell as my whole political re-
cord will show. In my recent race
e. 7 IL A< ct
uous fight of my life to take the po
litical affairs of the state out of the
control of both factions, and | OPP
posed Russell and Russellism be-
cause | thought that neither was
best for the states governmental in
terest. But it has been reported to
me on what seems to be good
authority that the Hon. Oscar
Johnston did not entertain the same
views as to Russell and his faction
before the first primary election, and
that he and some of his close
friends announced their purpose to
support Russell, should he be in the
run-off against me in the second
primary, thus seeming to waive or
condone the sins of Russell and his
faction. If. in their opinoin, Rus
sell. with his known Vardaman and
Bilbo predictions, was good
enough to be governor then it would
seem to come in poor grace from
them now to insist that the voters
who supported Longino and Collins
in, tho f.rof nrrrhf 70 10
for Johnston now because of Rus
sells factional alignment.
Quoting further from your edito-
rial utterances of Aug. II you say:
Oscar Johnston meyer used Lon
gino's negro record in his speeches
or campaign documents. Give cred
it where due-to Vardaman and
RUSSELL
1t is a fact we'll known to all the
voters of Mississippi that both Rus
sell and Johnston used what you
are pleased to term Longino's ne
gro record" as the chief slogan of
their campaign when they we'll knew
that the charges used against me
about the appointments of negroes
and the pardon of negroes and other
like stuff. equally untrue as made,
were unjust and a reflection upon
their own intelligence or integrity.
or both; that they both pitched their
campaign against me upon the idea
that | was disloyal to the white peo-
pie of Mississippi and the friend
and sympathizer of negro rapists of
white women in order to DESTROY
me in the estimation of the people
and by such false and despicable
methods to advance their own po-
litical interest. Both are equally
in that regard. and if there
was any difference in their activi-
ties Russell was the trailer and
Johnston the leader.
In your said editorial you say
further that the stuff was made
prominent by Vardaman's Weekly
and that Russell took up the Lon
eino Record and used it for all it
was worth, in his speeches and lit
erature."
Was it not more reasonable to ex-
pect that Russell would have re-
sorted to these methods with his
known political dislike to all the
men of any prominence in the anti
faction than that John
ston should have done so? And
lid not all anti-Vardaman people
nave right to anticipate for me ;
'air. and manly treatment from o.
Ear Johnston and his friends. with |
whom | have stood shoulder to
shoulder in all the fights against
Russell and his faction? If. there
ore. it be true. as you seem to think
t, is that the anti-Vardaman faction
would suffer for the lack of interest 1
n Johnston's election on the part
# those who would not vote for !.
i'm in the first primary, then put
he blame where it properly be- {
ongs and not on me and my
riends. =
Who? For Railroad Commissioner.