The Semi-weekly leader., 1922-09-13
STEPHENS SPEECH
AT JACKSON MEET
Nominee Says He Dug Grave of
Opponents almost Single
Handed"

"A crowd estimated at from 5000
to $4,000 by Jackson daily. gath>
cred in Poindexter Park. jackson.
Friday night to celebrate the cleo
tion to the United States Senate Of
Hubert ID. Stephens.
Mr.. Stephens is reported to have
said in part:-
II come before you happy man
tonight; happy not alone for myself,
happy not alone for wife and child,
| father and brother, sister and
friends. but i am happy for the
people of Mississippi in redeeming
the state from factionalism.
Il think ! see redemption dawn
ing upon us for we have had in our
state for ten years many things we
are not proud of. Many of us have
been fghting these things for
years. am happy for the victory.
for the redemption of Mississippi
from factionalism. am one among
many who went out in Mississippi
lighting the battles of the people. =
IS
And I have the magnanimity of
the victor and shall not say thing
unkind of my late opponent. +
sympathize with him, not because of
his deefat but because of his pitia-
BILE condition. / say this in all sin
cerity as I have known for months
his physical and mental condition.
But shall not gloat over victory.
! am glad to Join hands with the
loyal Democrats of this state, with
Miss Kearney here and the host Of
good women who have been RESPONSE
Bile for my election, to clean up this
bunch of rascals.
And in this fight shall neither
| give nor expect any quarterl
IT do not hesitate to say that the
leaders of the opposition in this
unacquainted with honor, they de-
spise decency, and they trample
virtue under foot They would not
know the truth If they met it in the
middle of the road.
Il shall keep up this fight and do
my level best to clean the rascals
out of the state.
During the past IL months I
have been going about over the
state, almost single-handed, digging
a political grave In this grave
Bilbo, Burch and Russell were
placed last Tuesday, buried under
more than 10000 votes of Democrats
of Mississippi. 50
"The day has dawned when the
candidate as well as the people must
realize that righteousness exaIteth
a nation, but sin is reproach to
any people, We must teach our
boys and girls these great princi-
pies of Democracy for which we have
fought this campaign.
Men not acquainted with honor
and who scorned virtue have gone
tout over the state leading the fight
against men. These men, through
factionalism, have been given larger
opportunities for graft and bribery.
These are the men who think that
the sun goes down on a misspent
day unless a vile deed has been done.
But am not going to waste my
time with lighting them personally.
I'm going to join hands with the
good women of Mississippi to clean
the whole lot of these rascals out.
Somebody suggested that / make
digntfied speech and not cali
names here tonight since the victory
has been won," said Mr.. Stephens.
But am against men of the kind
who conducted the campaign in the
name OF Vardeman. I am going out
and tell the good people who have
been duped and misled. But. if GER
tain men could proclaim from the
housetops that they believed in de-
cency, honor and virtue, / wouldn't
believe them. They wouldn't know
the truth If they met it in the road.
I'm raising the black flag against
them, leaders Of anarchism and boil
shevism.
Get away from fanaticism of
Vardaman's Weekly" urged Mr.. Ste
phens. 1T is just as much the duty
of the ministers of the gospel to go
out and talk the principles of Demo-
cracy as to preach the religion Of
Jesus Christ. = = 50
Mr.. Stephens paid tribute to Miss
Belle Kearney the woman candidate
OF the first primary who endorsed
him in the second.
I'VE have joined hands for Deno-
cracy and Decency," he said. at
knew Miss Kearney when she was
working in Washington for the in
terests of the people of Mississippi.
knew she had high ideals and I
had no doubt but that she would join
our forces in the second primary to
free Mississippi from factionalisn."
In speaking of the work of the
press of Mississippi, Mr.. Stephens
pointed out that when a newspaper
supported him in the race the Var
daman faction charged the paper
with being subsidized. He pointed
out that this was the usual cry.
THE editors of Mississippi have
the opportunity of doing a greater
work by preaching Democracy and
by striking the scales of Ignorant
fanaticism from the eyes of many
good people,"