The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1922-09-28
Percy Bell Issues an
Address to the People
70 THE PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI


candidate for Governor of Mississippi
subject to the 1928 Democratic pri-
maries. Since that time have been
over the greater part OF the State
and have made a number OF public
addresses in which have advocated
purity and cleanliness OF public and
private life, a rigid enforcement of
law, suppression of crime, co-opera-
ton OF our people to the end that
wealth may be increased and taxa
ton decreased, the proper sup
port of educational and eleemosynary
institutions, and have discussed with
our people some Of the problems OF
the State.
| am adopting this method OF again
bringing my candidacy to the atten-
ton Of all of our people and of urg-
ing upon them the necessity of exam
lining before 1923, most carefully the
records and qualifications of candi-
dates for public office. The Cover
norship is an office of greatest i'm.
portance in filling which no mistake
should be made. The possibility Of
making mistake will be largely OBJ
waited by correctly ascertaining the
records and qualifications of all Of
the candidates.
am not politician, but lawyer
and business man. | have some small
farming interests, while my practice,
which is private and not corporate,
requires me to deal with the business
problems Of my clients. Before be-
coming lawyer, ! was school
| teacher and superintendent of educa-
ton of my home county. l have
since served in both houses of the
Mississippi Legislature, and have
been Chancellor of my district. In
my practice as well as in the filling
of public office, / have endeavored
faithfully and conscientieusly to dis
charge my duties to my clients and
the public, and I cheerfully refer the
! public to any lawyer OF the State or
to any citizen Of my home county, as
ITO my standing and reliability as a
lawyer and man. AS many problems
confronting a Governor are legal and
all of them require judicial considera
ton and sound reasoning, my train
ing and experience in all three
branches of the State government
should be valuable.
My principal aim and desire in
seeking the Governorship is to rem
elected, shall devote all of my en-
ergy to that end, endeavoring to bring
about those beneficial changes which
/ believe all Of us are convinced
should be made. If elected, pledge
myself to give the State a clean
business administration, free from
graft, scandal. or corruption, or the
suspicion of them; to see that all,
rich or poor, capital or labor, adher.
ent or opponent, have square deal;
that the business of the State is con-
Quoted with the same care, economy
and efficiency which a good business
man gives to his own affairs, super
vising and visiting personally it's va
ried institutions; to guard the repu-
tation of the State for purity of adj
ministration and fairness of dealing
as jealousy as one guards his own
good name. / shall endeavor to aid
in reducing the burden of taxation,
both by increasing the revenue of the
State, and by aiding its development.
Our taxation system is sadly in need
Of revision, while great potentialities
of wealth are lying undeveloped
The vast cut-over areas of South
Mississippi, at present of small value
and yielding little revenue, present
great opportunity for development.
The present rate of cutting timber is
rapidly increasing these areas, and
will practically exhaust our timber in
a few years.
Fruit and truck raising on those
lands adapted thereto and reforesta-
ton of those adapted best to tree
growth, will add much to the wealth
of Mississippi, and furnish remuner-
alive employment for her people.
With proper encouragement and di.
versification, with the development of
our resources and cooperative mark
citing, our people can become wealth.
Ter and better able to meet the fl
nancial burden created by our vari-
GUS educational and charitable insti-
tutions. Our revenues should be ad-
ministered wisely and economically
by the elimination of useless offices,
by systematizing our spending by
means Of the budget system and by
saving wherever possible.
I shall also labor to remove our