The leader., 1903-07-25
LONGING WILL WIN.
On a Question As 10 the Size Of the
Governors Majority.

I'm question AS 10 the Size OF the
Governors Aajority.
jackson, Miss, July %. Very
much to the surprise and dismay
of his political enemies who fos-
tered it, the campaign Of calumny
and Misrepresentation waged
against Gov. .Longino has now
reached the reactory stage, and
has now a boomerang effect on his
opponent, Senator Money, in
whose interests it was launched.
The coterie of disappointed
office seekers and disgruntled pol
iticians who are loading the op-
position made the fatal mistake of
firing their ammunition too soon.
In desperate straits, and with
the certainty of defeat staring
them in the face, they launched
the falsehoods intended to be kept
until a few days before the pri-
mary, and thus the Governor is
given time and opportunity to
make explanation, which he has
done with promptness, vigor and
straightforwardness effectually
silencing the carping critics who
have searched his political and
personal record in vain to find
some good campaign thunder to
devote to their own uses.
The past week has been an
eventful one in the Senatorial
contest. 1t opened at Raymond
with the Governors clear and
lucid explanation of the few in
stances where negroes have been
lappointed to small offices, show
ing conciusiveiy IN each instance
that the appointee was strongly
endorsed by the leading white
citizens, and that no objections
of any nature were made.
Next came the John Nance par
don matter, an instance where an
aged negro perhaps the oldest on
the prison rolls, was released af-
ter 80 years of servitude. The
pardon was granted by the Gov
ernor at the urgent lequest of and
Recommendation of Ex-Chief
Justice j. A. P. Campbell, who
presided as circuit Judge at the
negro's trial, and Associate JUS
tice S. S. Calhoon, of the Supreme
court, who at that time was pros
ecuting attorney. The negro un-
l.questionably deserved a pardon,
land the motives of such eminence
as these when they request Glenn
ency for a prisoner cannot be inn
pugned, but will be accepted in
good faith by every citizen of
Mississippi.
Perhaps the most notable event
of the week was the Governors
letter to &. w. Ellis, lawyer of
Hattiesburg, who addressed to
the Governor a very sarcastic let
ter inquiring as to his opposition
on the Philippine question, and
insinuating that he is in close
sympathy with President Roose-
velt and his Republican pie dis
tributors in this State. The Gov
ernor;;s reply left no doubt as to
his position on these questions.
He stated that he was one of
the delegates from Mississippi
who helped to adopt the Demo-
cratic platform at Kansas City,
and that he gives it his unqualified
support; that any intimation to
the effect that he is playing for
Republican favoris not only with
out foundation in fact, but is alb
solutely untrue. The sting of the
letter, however, was in its tail.
Mr.. Ellis was one of the disap-
pointed applicants for the chancel-
lorship Of his district some time
since, and in conclusion the Gov
ernor remarked that the failure of
this aspiration might also place
him in the category of being a
disappointed pie hunter.
Gov. Longino and Senator
Money once before had test as
to their popularity. In 1900 "a
plurality primary was held in
Mississippi to select delegates to
the Democratic Convention at
Kansas City, and it is fact not
generally known that in this pri-
mary Gov. .Longino received ], ,103
votes more than Senator Money,
lwho was also on the ticket. He
ran ahead of Senator Money ia
every congressional district in the
State except the first, and in this
|district Senator Money received
only one more vote than did Gov.
/ Longino. The total vote pollee
was Il, 1876 for Gov. Longino ano
/ 10,0 ,093 for Senator Money, and
lany fair-lninded person will ad
init that this was a good test of tht
lstrength.ef the two men, for there
Twas a great deal of feeling dis
Iplayed in the primary.
| The only question now lefI
lopen in the Senatorial contest il
that Of a majority, for il is a Ger
tainty that Gov. Longino is the
n i 4l< za<>,.,.4 80 AZ :. ~