By Rupert Howell
Paula Hervey, widow of the late Anthony Hervey of Oxford, an African-American and outspoken member of the Oxford community in favor of the Confederate flag, was one of 45 from seven counties who gathered Saturday to hear Jeppie Barbour as he began to organize a petition drive to put the controversial 1894 Mississippi flag on the ballot.

A retired businessman, Barbour, 73, is a former mayor of Yazoo City and brother of former Governor Haley Barbour.

No stranger to politics, Barbour gave a brief summary of strategy needed to have the current Mississippi flag, the flag of 1894, included in the Mississippi Constitution, “So that our grandchildren won’t have to go through this again,” he said referring to a referendum in favor of the flag which passed two-to-one in 2001.

The event was coordinated by the local camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and hosted at the VFW building on Highway 51 in Batesville.

SCV member and local historian John Nelson gave an overview of the issues leading to the current flag controversy and noted that instead of using common sense, “Whoever can scream the loudest and act offended gets their way.”

Barbour said some would have us believe that the flag issue is between, “us and the black community.”

“That’s a lie. It’s between us and sore heads that say they are offended by our flag  (if it is removed.)

“I would be offended if it was,” Barbour noted.

Barbour went on to explain that 108,000 signatures are needed, 22,000 from the four former U.S. Congressional districts. He noted he was not concerned about the numbers from most districts, but was concerned about the numbers from the old 2nd U. S. Congressional District which covers the heavily Democratic population.

He challenged local volunteers to get 500 signatures from the extreme western portion of Panola County and1,500 from elsewhere in the county.

While the crowd was still assembled, Bill Ford of the Panola County Tea Party warned that Iniative 42 concerning school funding, an issue that will be on the November 3 ballot, was a “Trojan Horse”.

Ford stated the measure had no method of (financial) support and its enforcement would be delegated to a circuit judge in Hinds County.