The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-09-24

JACKSON, Miss, September pa
Politically speaking, the congressional
campaign, which comes off in all of
the eight Mississippi districts next
summer, is the Invest topic before
the people, and will be until after the
various contests are settled, in the
primaries to be held eleven months
hence.
| In some of the districts the race
is already fairly under way, but i'll
several others the prospective candi-
dates are keeping their eyes on the
situation, figuring on their chances
and losing no opportunity to keep
their fences in good repair.
In the first district there is some
doubt that Hon. E. S. Chandler, Jr.,
the present incumbent will have oppo-
sition. If he has it will undoubted-
ly come from Hon. Geo. T. Mitchell,
of Tupelo, who was Mr.. Chambers op-
ponent in the last campaign, and
made a good race considering the nat
ural advantages of the incumbent.
i'm the second district Hon. Thos.
|Spfght, the present incumbent, has
prospect of no opposition at all or a
| whole field full of aspirants. 1t all
depends on how the figures. on the
chances of the prospective candidates
look when the totals are run up.
Among those who are likely to decide
at any moment to enter this race are
Hon. Hubert Stevens of New Albany:
Judge w. A. Roane, of Oxford; d. M.
Featherston of Holly Springs; Leland
Pearson of Sardis; l.. j. Farley of
Herando, and State Senator Hugh X.
Mahon of Holly Springs. Messrs.
Pearson and Mahon were in the last
race, both being defeated by Capt.
Spight but both are strong campaign
ers. The contest will be one well
worth watching in the event all these
or half of them, should get in.
There seems to be no likelihood thai
Hon. Ben Humphreys, congressman
in the third district, will be opposed
for reelection.
In the fourth district, Hon. T. U. Sis
son, the present congressman, occu
pies a place much like that of Capt
Spight in the second. State Senators
C. E. Franklin of Pontotoc and J. Len
Seawright of Alderman, both of whom
were well groomed for the race last
year, but who declined at that tim,
to yield to the entreaties of theil
friends, are still being urged to ge
in, and it is not improbable that on,
or both of them may be in the cor
test before it is well under way. Ther
there is Judge j. T. Dunn, who for
merly held the circuit judgeship il
the fifth judicial district, and Judg,
| George A. Mclean, the present judge
both of whom are said to have thei
eyes on the congressional place, pro
| vided it can be figured that Mr.. Sis
son can be beaten.
In the fifth district it is said witt
| a good deal of confidence on the par
! of his friends that Hon. Adam Byrt
will have no opposition for reelection
The same is true in the Sixth dis
trict, where Hon. Eaton j. Bower
seems to have monopoly on the job
although there has been a good dea
of talk to the effect that State Sen
ator Theo. G. Bilbo, of Poplarville
might become a candidate. 1t is nov
understood, however, that Mr.. Bilbt
has given up any intention of makins
the race in the coming campaign, bu
that he will either run for lieutenan
governor or for reelection to the sen
In the Seventh District Hon. w. A
Dickson already has opposition of {
strenuous kind, and is likely to have
much more of it by the time the
campaign really opens in earnest, al
though this will probably be the
earliest of all the crops of candidates
Among his opponents will be Hon
Thos. Shelton, of Brookhaven, who
was defeated last year. Hon. Jesse