Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-04-01


information, that the speaker treated
al the other sspirants for the nomina-
ton save the brilliant gentlemaa nom
Greenwood, with absolute contempt.
Three others are announced candi-
dates, but to Mr.. Fox's mind, II his
speech Monday night can be taken &c
an index, not one OF the others are
entitled to the merest mention.
Another slgniAcantthIng In connec-
ton with the campaign is the state
ment sent out through the bureau Of
information at Jackson that Mr.. Fox
viii make his head quarters at JaSk-
son, and that his campaign win be
managed by men Of careful train
ing and experience. Il is indeed fortu-
nate for Mr.. Fox that he ls to be 90
managed, but very unkind In him to
"deny his Savior' as he does by de-
claring to an audience, even such an
one az faced him in the court house
Monday night, that he is anybody's
special candidate. II he is really not
the special candidate Of that Jackson
gang Of "training and experience"
why does he take so much pains to do
the very things demanded by them in
his canvass, /. Q. make Vardaman his
entire text and wholly ignore all the
other gentlemen running for Cover
nor? We do not expect that the ex-
congressman, who has responded to
the demand made upon him by ''the
bench, the pulpit and the plow-
handles" and yet offers to ignore this
call and submit his candidacy to the
decision Of the voters Of Clay county,
to c~ondescend to answer this question,
but there are others in the state who
will expect it answered before the
August primary. There are nov and
then conservative business men IN the
towns who, because they fear the
recognized strong candidate for the
nomination, may be q mite radical,
are enthusiastic for Mr.. Fox, but that
old gray haired man at the forks Of
the creek, and that toiling fellow who
is planting his own cor and cotton on
the side hills, view the matter from a
different standpoint; and 1t is these
latter men who r going to cast the
ballots which will name the next gov
ernor and the other officers to be elect
ed this fall. The day for the polti'
clan to name the candidate and mere
" leave the election of him TO the
fellow at the fork Of the creek and the
old man on the hill side, has passed
away. The primary has turned the
table on the politician and made the
voter master of the situation, relegst-
ing the political manipulation to the
rear. It Is this condition which is
frightening the Jackson push, and at
the same time placedits candidates at
3 disadvantage and on the defensive.
Perhaps when this campaign is over,
Mr.. Fox will not be In position to so
.elaborately thank the good people Of
Mississippi for their favorable support
Is he is able to do at the present time.
He seem to be up against something
be has not before CONFERENCE.-The
people instead Of the politicians.
The situation Of the politicians at
Jackson In the canvas for Governor
Is certainly q very perplexing one,
and it is not surprising that ct times
the "Men of training and experiences"
may lose their heads and get mad and
vicious. The facts are that the desire
for anything that will defeat the one
running, causes the Jackson
crowd to look more or less with favor
on the possibility Of the selection Of
either of the four candidates running
against him, than be forced to accept
Vardamsn. That crowd, anybody
knows, who knows it's membership,
would be willing at any time to desert
any or all Of the four men and 60 to
any other In whom they feel might be
found the strength to compass their
desire. But here IL where they are In
a bad mess. Four are simply dividing
up among themselves the votes in
opposition to Vsrdamsn and neither
of them is able to draw one vote from
him. AS the campaign progresses,
and as the people become more ac-
quainted with the issues presented,
some changes may take place, but the
serious conclusion is that with all
those now In the field running to the
finish, as there seems to be no way Of
changing, it looks very much as
though the people viii be able to win
and that the politicians will take a
back seat In Mississippi for g time.