The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1922-08-31
STEPHENS REFUTEs
CHARGES AGAINST HIM
Denounces Stories Circulated
by Vardaman Proxiss.


(From Memphis Commercial Appeal)
Jackson, Miss.-Hon. Hubert Ste
phens has resumed his canvass for the
second primary. Before leaving Jack
son Mr.. Stephens said few words
about the campaign and took occasion
to nail certain slanderous and false
rumors circulated in different places
where he is personally known.
To the Commercial Appeal CORE
spondent Mr.. Stephens said:
Il have never seen greater enthu-
siasm and eapnestness in any Of my
campaigns, than, my friends in every
section of the state are displaying.
And this means that we are going to
win by handsome majority on the
fifth of September.
Il am deeply grateful to those loyal
friends who rendered such valiant ser.
vice before the first primary when the
outlook was not as bright as it is to-
day. Mr.. Vardaman's friends were
! given the positive assurance by his
spokesman that he would be nominal
ed in the first primary, and 1t is nat.
ural that they should be discouraged
now with an anti-Vardaman majority
Of not less than 10000 against him.
He polled his full strength on the 18th
Of August and from that day his cause
began to wane.
"The opposition's storehouse OF
falsehoods and Misrepresentation was
bankrupted in an effort to defeat me,
and the whispered propaganda that
was spread against me on the eve of
the election by the most carefully pre-
meditated plan eclipsed anything
have ever seen in Mississippi politics
Letters are pouring into my office
from every section of the state telling
m, Of the Misrepresentation that
|
nent. In the effort to create preju
dice against me, misstatements have
been made as to my religious and fra
ternal conn ections. To answer these,
l will state that am a member of the
Methodist Church, and have been for
more than 80 years, and that the only
secret or fraternal orders of which
am a member are the Masons (blue
lodge, chapter, council and command
ery), the Woodmen of the World, Elks
and Knights of Pythias.
''In some places it has been told that
during the war l was drafted, that
married young lady, and her father
| kept me out of the army, and that
when the war was over | divorced her.
/ am told that this ridiculous falsehood
influenced votes against me. Again it
was told that / have been married
three times, that divorced two wives,
broke UP a mans home and married
his wife, and that am now living with
her.
THE fact Is that / married nearly
23 years ago, which was my first and
only marriage, and my wife and l are
still living together. as every one in
| New Albany knows. In labor centers
it was assidulously circulated that /
had, at some other point in the state,
bitterly assailed the leaders of organ
lied labor. Such statements were alb.
solutely false. l did call attention to
the fact in a vigorous manner as pos
--sible, and shall continue to call at
tention to It that certain well known
socialists, Bolshevists and |. w. w.
sympathizers had instructed the white
men and women OF Mississippi to vots
for James X. Vardaman.
81, myself, heard the prevaricator
who heads the list Of proxies, or rather
divides that role with his chief rival.
Bilbo, state in a speech recently that
Hubert Stephens made II speeches for
Lee Russell He knew that statement
was absolutely false, because he was
in Russell's headquarters at the time
and knew who we're making speeches
for Russell. Others have grape-vined
the charge that until recently / was
Vardaman man. / want to repeat
here for the benefit of my friends that
| If one single responsible person in
Mississippi will state that | made a
single speech for Lee Russell, If gave
out single interview in his behalf, or
IL solicited a single PERSON to vote
for him. will quit this race.
THAT proposition has stood since
the first day Of January, when dis
covered that part of the plan of my
male opponent was to have henchmen
infest the lobbies of local hotels and
buttonhole every person that would
give them ear and spread that report
never cast vote for James X. Var
daman in my life.
II have called attention to these
things for the purpose of showing the
character Of the campaign that has
been waged against me-a campaign
planned and carried out by some OF
| the aides and advisers OF James X.
vardaman-and to put my friends on
guard during the second primary fight.
This desperate. dastardly attempt to
defeat me in the first primary failed
and have no doubt that the men and
women Of Mississippi who believe in
fair bay. decency in politics and clean
liness in holding office will voice the&r
| resentment on the fifth OF September"