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Vardaman
Friend of
Human
Rights and Foe of
Injustice
Strong Tribute Paid to
Mississippian by National Committee of
the Conference For Progressive
Political Action-Urges
His Support at Primaries in August
The
following is taken from the columns of LABOR (July 15, 1922), a
weekly newspaper published in Washington, D.C. This paper is the National
Organ of organized labor, and its purpose is to advocate measures of
interest to all the people, and especially the interest of the workers of
the nation. This statement is prepared by men who knew Senator Vardaman
when he was in the Senate, and who know by observation the work that he
did while a member of that body.-(EDITOR'S NOTE.)
THE
national committee of the Conference for Progressive Political Action,
organized under the auspices of the chief executives of the sixteen
associated railroad labor organizations, has issued the following
statement concerning former Senator James K. Vardaman, who is a candidate
for United States Senator, subject to the primaries which will be held
throughout Mississippi on Tuesday, August 15:
"The great
outstanding issue in Mississippi this year is the selection of a man to
represent the state in the United State Senate, and, in view of the fact
that James K. Vardaman, who formerly represented the state, is a
candidate, it is essential that attention be called to the very remarkable
service he rendered the people during his incumbency in the United States
Senate.
"A searching examination of the Congressional
Record reveals the fact that former Senator Vardaman was one of the most
active and one of the most distinguished representatives of the people who
ever occupied a seat in the upper house of Congress. Unlike many men
elected to the Senate, James K. Vardaman was always approachable and easy
to find, even during rush moments at the close of sessions when the
calendars were congested and when everybody was troubled with what we
sometimes call 'legislative rattles.'
Possesses Marvelous Powers of Leadership
"No
colorless, cold blooded, statistical voting record could ever describe his
practical sympathy and patience. He displayed wonderful constructive
ability when problems requiring great legal knowledge were under
discussion, and during trying moments when Senators on both sides of the
chamber seemed mentally helpless, when they would become pitifully
confused in parliamentary tangles, then the superior power of leadership
possessed by Vardaman would be revealed in all its marvelous
strength.
"James K. Vardaman never failed to champion
humanitarian legislation. In committees and on the floor of the Senate his
voice was always heard and his vote was always cast in favor of
legislation helpful to the people of our country. He was particularly
active when great questions affecting the fundamental issues of liberty,
justice, and progress were under consideration, especially when
corporation interests undertook to obtain legislation that would have
enslaved railroad employes, mine workers, and seamen.
"He
voted against making the labor of farmers and wage workers a commodity
when the antitrust bills were before the Senate. He voted for justice for
the persecuted coal miners of West Virginia. He was one of the great
leaders in the Senate who took the chains of servitude from the
seamen.
Supported Measures to Safeguard Life and Limb
"He argued and
voted for every piece of human safety legislation proposed during his
term--safety at sea, safety on the railroads, safety in government
workshops, and safety everywhere. On the civil rights bill for soldiers
and sailors, for the industrial and political rights of federal employes,
for protection to the child in every particular, and on every occasion
where the best interests of humanity were at stake, there James K.
Vardaman could be found at the front advocating the rights of toiling
humanity.
"For the child and the teacher in the school, the mother in
the home, for he producers on the farms, for the wage workers-in the
shops, factories, mines, on the railroads -and on vessels afloat, Vardaman
was the outspoken progressive, constructive legislator.
"One of the greatest tributes ever given
Vardaman was expressed by a legislative agent representing teachers,
children, and women workers when he said: 'Jim Vardaman is no rubber
stamp.' He stands upon his own rights and the rights of the common
people. You never see Vardaman jump when the agents of the Morgan banking
interests crack their whips in the United States Senate'."
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