The Tupelo journal., 1910-03-04
JACKSON.
PERCY NOMINATED FOR SENATOR
Kyle, Byrd and Street Withdrew From
the Race.

the Race.
Leroy Percy, OF G~reenville, Miss, was
nominated for United States senator in
the joint caucus, Tuesday night, on the
ffty-eighth ballot, amid scenes never to
be forgotten.
Percy received 81 votes, to SO for
Vardaman, they being the only contes-
tants in the final ballot.
When the caucus met, Byrd, Kyle and
Street withdrew from the contest, thus
eliminating every conservative except
Percy, who had been the leading candi-
date of the anti-Vardaman contingent
from the beginning of the contest.
1t has been rumored for days that
this would be done, and when the eau
Gus adjourned last Friday it was pretty
well understood that final elimination
would take place and that a nomination
would be made. This report seemed to
be well founded and had gained such
general circulation throughout the city
and State that about the largest crowd
that has attended caucus sessions was
OF hand. As the balloting proceeded the
excitement was intense and hardly a
person dared breathe. Vardaman had
his large quota of friends present, and
Percy had his, and their following on
hand. When the result of the ballot was
announced pandemonium broke loose,
and scenes of widest and most turbu-
lent Joy were enacted. In sharp con
trast with this was the woe of the de-
feated candidates friends, which was
not concealed, for they were as conf
dent that Vardaman would be nominal
ed as man ever was of any event.
In a few moments the scene was
transferred from the capitol to the city
and messages began flying all over the
State to friends of all the candidates
announcing the result.
This ends one of the longest and most
~stubbornly contested elections ever held
before a Mississippi caucus. When Sen
ator McLaurin died several eminent Mis-
s~issippians announced for his unexpired
terms, among them being Percy, Var
daman, G. H. Alexander, j. Fl. Kyle,
Adam Byrd, Frank A. Critz and lately
the venerable Speaker Street. One after
another withdrew from the contest, as
fast as the conservatives were enabled
to close in on their following and keep
it intact. All of the anti-Vardaman
candidates were filled with one idea, and
that was to defeat the ex-governor.
They were known to be willing to sac
rifice their own personal fortunes in
favor of the most available man for
the place, and it was finally decided
that the great lawyer from Greenville
had the most effective following, and
was the most popular with the cOnserv-
atives, so he was ultimately selected to
40 battle alone with the doughty Varda-
man.
Night after night the caucus met,
with a deadlock on and both sides con-
fident. From the beginning it was no.
ticed that Percy was inching up on the
other conservatives, and that Vardaman
had 10 votes that he could count On.
The conservatives gave him so as his
full strength in the caucus, and the sew
eral test votes that were taken showed
this to do so. On the first test vote
Vardaman fought for an open ballot,
but the conservatives maintained the
precedent of many years and the caucus
preserved the secret ballot. Then it
was seen that Vardaman was beaten if
the conservatives could hold the dead
lock long enough to tie up their fol-
lowers. This was the final result.
There were a number of exciting in
cidents connected with the contest, the
most interesting being the controversy
in the press between the g~ladiators who
went into the arena for the final
round. Vardaman wrote an editorial in
his paper charging that the trusts and
railroads had emissaries in Jackson
working to compass his defeat, and III
the interest of one of the candidates
Mr.. Percy replied to this with an ar
ticle reviewing Vardaman's record, and
citing his personal criticisms of several
men distinguished in church and State.
This provoked a strong reply from
Vardaman.