The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1920-06-26

/
the new Democratic national commit
teeman for Mississippi, has issued the
following reply to the statement issued
last week by Governor Russell in re-
ference to the Democratic state conven-
| tion:-
The Democracy of Mississippi needs
no defense at my hands, or at the
hands of any person from attacks re-
sulting from an outburst of temper on
the part of our governor, but for his
personal reference to me 1 should say
that had no statement to make How
ever, since his article contains untrue
utterances regarding myself I shall
make this answer.
! During the campaign in which Rus
sell and / were contesting for CUB
ernatorial honors, he repeatedly charg-
ed that 1 was being backed by an e.
normous "slush fund" At that time
challenged the correctness of his
statement. I renounce his statement
as deliberately and wilfully untrue and
say, in answer, that know that a larg-
er sum of money was expended in Rus
sells behalf in the last campaign than
was used by any two of his opponents
combined, and further, that a very large
part of the funds expended in my be-
half has been paid, or is being paid by
me from my own funds, having bor-
rowed a part of the money with which
to meet expenses and obligations in
CURED in the campaign
AS to his charge that he had always
been opposed by corporations in Missis-
| sippi, it may interest Mississippians to
i d.
Monroe County during the recent cam
paign was Hon. D. w. Houston, district
counsel for, one of the largest railroad
systems in Mississippi, and it was this
1 same railroad lawyer" who placed Rus
sells name before the convention as a
candidate for the place of delegate at
large to the national convention.
state this not as rejecting upon any
railroad lawyer, but to refute Russelrs
claim of being opposed by the corpora
| tions.
Humphreys Did Not Expect to Go
| Russell charges that a few political
leaders conspired to leave him off the
Mississippi delegation to the national
convention. Here again he is in error.
Many political leaders felt that as a
matter of political expediency the gov
ernor should have been named on the
delegation, but an overwhelming ma
| jority of the delegates to the convention
were unalterably of the opinion that
only Democrats in accord with the ma
| tional party should be accredited to the
convention, and that the national par
ty, facing the duty of adopting a plat
form, political expediency and social
L A. - r.s1 H..
that at a time when the committee on
resolutions was set out, preparing the
Democratic delegates-at-large was TAX
en- up in the convention, Gov. RusselTs
name was put before the convention,
and some one else nominated Congress
! man B. G. Humphreys. Mr.. Humph-
reys was in the committee room and
was not aware that he had been nom-
mated. and had stated both publicly
and privately that he did not expect to
attend the convention at San Francisco
The platform committee adjourned
and returned to the floor of the con-
vention just as the secretary was con-
cluding the roll call, and / am sure
that every member of that committee
was surprised to know of the contest
that had been staged. The same mo-
tive animated the delegates at the Mis-
sissippi convention in pursuing this
course that had been evinced in the
Democratic convention in Missouri
where Reed was omitted; Tennessee
where Shields was omitted; Georgis
where Hoke Smith and Hardwick were
dropped.
Admits Two Parties in state
Gov. Russell is correct when he
states in his article that there are, in
fact, two political parties in the state
of Mississippi One is a Democratic
party the other masquerading as such
loudly proclaiming it's democracy. We
can only Judge the true from the spu
rious by examining the record of the
leaders of each. Such an examination
discloses that one of these parties IL
now led by Senator John Sharp vii
liams and Senator Pat Harrison. Thii
party Us in full accord with the admin
istration of Woodrow Wilson. Thii
party believes that the peace treaty
adopted at Versailles, including itI
provision for a league of nations
should be ratified; this party believes
that the national Democratic conven
tion, when 1t convenes at San Francisc'
should adopt plank providing for thu
Endorsement Of league Of nations; thiI
party claims under existing circum
stances that 1t is a true Democrati,
party. The other is lead by Ex-Senato
James K. Vardaman, whose public utter
ances and whose record in the Unite'
States Senate, both during and sine
the war, are well known; he has con
sorted with LaFollette. Borah, Hiram
johnson and other Republican 'stand
patters''. He repeatedly voted agains
the Democratic administration. He i
avowedly opposed to league Of ma
tions. The official organ of this part,
is a paper known as .Vardaman'
Weekly" and in an edition Of that pa
per, dated June II. 1920, find TIL
following declarations;-
vardaman xndorses Republicans.
First--An Endorsement Of the Repub
lican presidential nominee In the follow
ing languaEe;- Harding is straight
forward. bFead-EuaRed honorghlel well