The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1910-07-06
THE LAUDERDALE MEET.

ed the widely advertised political
rally at Lauderdale Springs last
Friday. The speakers of the occa.
sion and the order In which they
spoke were as follows: Congress-
man Adam Byrd and Hon. S. A.
Witherspoon. candidates for Con-
gress in the fifth district; State
Senator Theo. G. Bilbo, ventilator
at large Of the ecret-ballot sena-
torial caucus: Hon. G. H. Alexan-
der and Senator Leroy Percy, cam
dldates for the United States SEN
ate, and Hon. Earl Brewer, candi-
date for Governor. Vardaman,
who was invited. was in Oklahoma
to fill a lecture engagement, and
could not be present.
1t was the first time that three
candidates of the Senatorial COM
bine which tied the Legislature up
AZ days last winter Percy, Alex
ander and Byrd-had appeared to-
gether on the same platform since
that time and faced an audience
of the common people, an audience
that the sequel proved was over
whelmingly for Vardaman, the man
they had combined to defeat. Col.
Street. the chairman Of the caucus,
and for a while before it as a
candidate himself, was in the
audience. Mr.. R. H. Henry, of
the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, and
freddie sullens, of the jackson
News, thick and thin journalistic
bottle holders for the -Varda-
man combine, and VIM. Crump,
Pink Smith, and George Alexander,
of Greenville, close personal and
political friends of Senator Percy
who were with him all during the
caucus. were with him Friday.
There were probably 1000 to
2.5Oo people on the picnic grounds.
all told, but it is not believed that
over 1000 or 1900 of these at any
one time listened to the speeches,
and most of the time the crowd of
listeners was below the one thous-
and mark. Senator Bilbo drew by
far the greatest number Of atten-
tive listeners and received the
lions share of the applause. So
eager was the audience to hear him
they called out and insisted upon
his going on when his allotted hour
had expired and he had to plead
for his hearers to excuse him be-
cause he could not trespass on the
management's arrangement of the
days program. When he did stop,
he was treated to an ovation.
Scores of men and ladies pressed
forward to shake hands with and
congratulate him, and soon he was
hoisted on the shoulders of several
of his stalwart admirers and borne
aloft above the crowd out forty or
fifty yards from the speakers
stand.
The breathless attention given
Bilbo, only interrupted by out
bursts of applause. and this enthu-
siastic demonstration of approval
when he closed was d denoument
Senator Percy and his small coterie
of PERSONAL friendss4and partisans
were evidently wholly unprepared
for, and for a fewsr6inutes surprise
and bitter chagrin was written on
every face.
They recovered their composure,
however, during the dinner recess,
but Senator Percy had discovered
what he was up against and hadn't
fully recovered his temper, and this
doubtless accounted for his bitter
and vituperative speech attacking
Vardaman and Bilbo. which has
been reported in the daily press.
and which made some of his
audience guy him repeatedly.
Mr.. Alexander made about the
same speech that he did at Brook
haven, except that he did not attack
Vardaman by name. Byrd and
Witherspoon pummeled each other
at lively rate. their arguments
all hinging on contentious about the
tariff question and income tax and
Mr.. Byrd's neglect Of his official
duties at Washington while in the
Senatorial combine at jackson to
defeat Vardaman. Between these
two. their audience seemed pretty
equally divided. Hon. Earl Brew
er delivered his eloquent oration
on Patriotism which was received
with marked appreciation and ap-
plauded to the echo.
The Contingent Fund Bu9ahOo.
In another place the Herald pub