The Semi-weekly leader., 1922-02-25
SAYS RUSSELL IS
VICTIM OF FRAME-UP
WessOn Man Says Corporations
and Politicians Are Behind
100000 Suit.


in as much as great publicity has
been given to the suit of Frances
Birkhead against Governor Lee M.
Russell, especially by the subsidized
press of the state as we'll as the Mem
phis Commercially and the New
Orleans papers, would like to say
just a few things to the people OF
Lincoln (my native) county with ref
erence to this case.
In the first place, ! want to say
to every man who voted for Governor
Russell, that you have no reason for
being ashamed of your vote. Gov
ernor Russell is high toned Chris
tian gentleman in every sense of the
word. He is a man of high charac-
ter, clean in his private life and un-
purchasable in public life.
The writer knows Lee M. Russell
and he also knows the bunch who
are trying to ruin him. For more
than a year the writer has had head
quarters at Jackson and usually
spends from three to four days each
week in the capital city, and natur-
ally has been thrown in contact with
the politicians who assemble at jack
son from time to time.
For the past three or four months
the Edwards House, (the highest
priced hotel in Jackson) has been a
seething mass of politicians. Tele-
phone representatives, Insurance rep
resentatives and representatives of
other corporations. They are still
there. If you have any doubts about
the truthfulness of this statement,
go to Jackson and see for yourself.
Yes they are there by the hundreds.
Yes, corporations, the trusts and
combines all have their paid repre-
sentatives there, but in all this great
throng we failed to find single man
who was there to look after the in
terests of the common people of Mis-
sissippi who are toiling day in and
day out to support these
corporations who are able to keep
their representative at Jackson's S
most expensive hotel for months at
time.
Why are they there? / will tell
you why. Over at the State Capitol
there is a man named Lee M. Russell,
who is in sympathy with the COM
mon people of the State of Mississip-
pi. From the day he was inaugurated
governor of this state down to the
present day, he has guarded the in
terests of the people. He has said to
the corporations doing business in
the state, you can give the people
and the state of Mississippi a square
deal, or you can get out-and some
of them have already moved out, and
some of the others will move out or
comply with the laws of the State.
Now then, this is why this great
host of corporation representatives
are in Jackson. They are there to
try to crush the man who has block
ed their game. They have called to
their aid and assistance the political
enemies of Governor Russell and of
course you know who they are. The
same old gang. The same old secret
caucus bunch, the same old bunch
who tried to put Bilbo in the peni-
tentiary when he was governor, the
same old bunch who have been try
ing to get back into the saddle ever
since jun Vardaman routed them
when he was elected Governor.
For the past two months I have
watched this Edwards House bunch
with much interest and have had oc-
casion to make a few notes at differ
ent times. Many caucuses have been
held-much moonshine booze has
been consumed-many schemes and
plots have been laid but later aban-
doned. They were becoming desper-
ate. Something must be done to
ruin the man they feared;
At last the opportunity presented
itself. A poor little unfortunate wo-
man came along, who was willing to
become the goat" and the fire
works" started. AS to this poor little
woman and the part she is to play,
we shall have nothing to say only
that we are sorry for her as she is
the one who will suffer most in the
end. But to the cowardly, white
livered ours who are trying to hide
behind the skirts of this poor unfor-
tunate creature, and drag down into
the mire the good name of the gov
ernor Of this state, I say, beware.
The people of Mississippi are patient
and long suffering but their patience
will not endure forever.
1t is simply a frame-up by the
trusts and combines and the politi-
cal enemies of Governor Russell to
destroy him because they fear him.
However they are already beginning
to see that they have made great
mistake and would gladly undo the
whole thing if they could. But it
is too late. What has been written
has been written. The die has been
cast, the issue drawn, and the people
shall know who is who in Mississip-
pi.
Governor Russell and his friends
have no fears as to the ultimate out
come of this case. Truth and right
will always triumph in the end. My
fellow countrymen if you believe in
fair play, if you would like to see
the toiling masses of Mississippi
have square deal, stand by Cover
nor Russell. He is a friend of the
common people, the only class who
are not able to keep their paid rep
resentatives indefinitely at Jackson &