The log cabin Democrat., 1914-03-19
4 WILFUL FALSEHOOD.

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 instrumentation being conducted bv Senator Clarke he is having his paid agents to circulate the wilful false hood that if Judge Kirby is elected to the United States senate it will cost the state from $40,0 900 to $70, 900 to fill the vacancy of the supreme bench.
 Circulated just as the campaign IS closing, when it will be too late in many sections for the truth to over take the lie this is even more con- temptible than the mendacious asser- ton made by the senator that Jeff Davis would have been his friend.
 If Judge Kirby is nominated for
 United States senator, it will not cost the people of the state one penny to elect his successor on the supreme bench. And Senator Clarke must know that this is true. Judge Kirby's successor as associate justice will be elected at the regular September, 1914. election and instead of costing the state anything, the state will re- ceive just S37.5O fro mthe Democratic nominee whose name will appear on the election ballots.
 Neither will it cost the people or l the Democratic party a penny to nom- mate Judge Kirby's successor on the supreme bench. Assuming that Judge Kirby will defeat Senator Clarke, his successor will be nominated in one of two ways. If more than one candi- date appears for the place, the State Democratic Central Committee will give these candidates their choice of holding special primary election or of submitting their nomination to the state Democratic convention, which meets at Pine Bluff in June. If they prefer the primary method, then they l will have to bear the expense of the primary, just as Judge Hays and Col. Brundidge did last June. But in either event it cannot possibly cost either the party or the state dollar to nominate or to elect successor to Judge Kirby.
 Some of the people who are circu- lating this report are those who es- poused the cause of Joe T. Robinson when he was holding one office, was elected to another and was running | for a third office Just little more than one year ago, MT. Robinson was drawing salary as member of con- gress; he was elected and was almost ready to take his seat as governor, and he was striving with all his might to secure and did secure the office of United States senator, to fill the va cancy caused by the death of Senator Davis
 It so happened that Senator Rob- inson's unprecedented political antics were performed in a year when no general election was to be held and he therefore put the state-or rather the various counties of the state-tO an expense of from $500 to $1,000 per county to hold special election. But 1914 is the regular election year and Judge Kirby's successor can be chosen at the same time all other state and county officials are elected, without penny of additional expense. Judge Kirby in retaining his pres ent office is but following the prece- dent of Senator Clarke himself, who when he was attorney general made the race for governor. Senator Davis, Judge Wood, Governor Hays and many others have made the races for other positions while in office. So | far as we know, there is no instance in Arkansas politics of any other course being pursued. But it remains for Senator Clarke and his followers to introduce a new feature by giving circulation to an absurdly false state~ ment in this connection.