The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1899-06-21
McIAURIN BEATEN.

r.. announcement last week. OF
c..rressman John Sharp Williams as
..Udidate for the u. s. Senate was but
..osher way of voicing what has been
,.r some time growing conviction
~ ..ono those who have closely watched
=. senatorial contest in this State,
~. That Gov. McLaurin is beaten
..r in his senatorial aspirations, and
.h.t Mr.. Williams and bis friends
..coUnize . this fact and believe that he
:. NAV now come in and stand
.h.nce of winning the prize that would
otberwise 60 to the Hon. John NJ.
Allen.
Ever since he assumed the execu-
,;va office Gov. McLaurin has been
nonularly considered "a standing can
aidater for the Walthall succession.
Sunported in his aspirations by his
trained and loyal clans-men, welding
to his own advantage the immense
appointing power of his office and
auparently weighing every act of his
administration as Governor with refer
suce to its probable effect on his sena-
torial candidacy, it looked indeed at
the opening of the campaign that he
would prove invincible. At the
Wiuona meeting, Mr.. Williams evil
IDENTIFY then so regarded the situation
and declined to accept the gauge Of
battle defiantly thrown down by the
Governor at Meridian and measure
lances with him.
Not so, Private John Allen. He met
the Governor at Winona and he has
been meeting him ever since. He has
met him, too, on the Governors own
chosen ground, discussing frankly and
fearlessly the issue as to whether or
not McLaurin should be sent to the
Senate as an endorsement OF his ad-
ministration as Governor. He has ex-
posed with master hand the Govern
or's cheap demagoguery, even to the
selfinvented claim of being persecut-
ed for seating green's with knife"
Aliens able and direct exposure'0 of
the indefensible features of Nc
Laurin's record as Governor and of the
bad breaks the Governor has made
since the campaign opened, have told
steadily on the Governors prestige, un-
til, as we have said, McLaurin is now
adefeated man. We have no charges
to prefer against Mr.. Williams, and if
be wins shall accept it as infinitely bet
ter than an endorsement by Mississip-
pi Of McLaurinism; but we believe in
honoring first the man who led in the
fight when others faltered and made
such victory possible.
Governor McLaurin and his parti-
sans have sought hard to discredit
Allen by charging him with conducting
campaign of personal abuse. The
only way Mr.. Allen has "abused" the
Governor is by exposing the faults of
bis administration. When he staked
bis candidacy on an endorsement of
that administration and challenged the
criticism of his opponents, thus
thrusting his own personality into the
campaign, there was nothing else to
90 but accept the challenge or grant
all he claimed. MIR. Allen chose to
adopt the former alternative, having
the wit and discernment to under
stand from the start that the work
In hand demanded the use of
pltchfork rather than kid gloves and
noneyed words. It therefore ILL
becomes the Governor and his parti-
sans to now plead the baby act and cry
out personal abuse and persecution
because his challenge was accepted.
All honor to Private Allen. Let him
receive the reward that is justly due
him.