Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-08-08
ELIMINATION RACE
 TO BE RUN TODAY
Loser of Primary Will Withdraw
 from Race of Congress.

Fayetteville, Aug. 1.-The preferen. tial primary between Judge J. N. Till man and Senator P. A. Rodgers will be held here today and is one of the hottest political contests waged ia north Arkansas in many years. The loser in the primary is to withdraw from the race for Congress and give his support to the victor. Each candi- date has worked untiringly in the city and each expects to win.
 Judge Tillman's Letter
 Judge Tillman distributed among the voters, letter explaining the cause of the elimination primary His on the night of July 21, without any warning whatever, MT. P. A. Rodgers of Benton county, before large audience, after I had concluded my speech, loudly challenged me to leave to the Democrats of my home town the question of which one of us shall continue in the race for Con gross. The challenge itself is cruel reflection. Evidently he as- stunned that he could defeat me before my home people else he would not have issued the challenge, and know ing full we'll if he did defeat me it would mean my ruin.
 'l have never yet treated an oppo- nent in this way. It will not iajure MT. Rodgers to be defeated; it will 1 mean my utter ruin, and he fully realized this when he issued his chal- lenge. His proposition was promptly accepted. He has seen fit to invade my home town in this way. I ask you to defeat him as he should be defeated. This is stab in the vitals If l am defeated it means the end of my public career, and unspeakable humiliation. l have covered this dis trict thoroughly and have the race won have spent large sum of
 
 but little and has gone into but few counties.
 "I know of no man in this town likely to offer for a position of inn l portance that l would wrong and hu- initiate by voting against under similar conditions. He could certain ly have proposed method of elimi- , nation less charged with offense."
 Senator Rodgers answers Judge Tillman's letter with letter, part of which states:
 Senator Rodgers Letter. Judge Tillman and myself have l agreed to submit to the legal Demo- cratic voters of the city of Fayetville in q preferential election to be held l the Sth of August, the question as to which og us shall make the race for Congress. subject to the Democratic 1 primary election to be held next March wish to state what brought about this unusual procedure. A year ago or over and soon after he served his connection with our state univer- sity and nearly two years before there should be an election and be- fore Mir. Floyd had been elected to succeed himself, the judge declared his candidacy and began actively his campaign. Some months later 1 in dicated my purpose to make the race was necessarily absent during the session of that body. On my return home, it was indispensably necessary that l should look after my business affairs in some measure, so it was we'll into the summer before I enter ed actively into the race. When did so with nine months yet in which to make the campaign. 1 found that Judge ,s Tillmans vas industripusly cultiYating the opinion that I could i have no standing in the contest. On the Fist day of July we met ill joiat discussion at Harrison. The court. house was packed, Judge Mitchell