The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1914-03-06
BILBO'S HOT REPLY,

Jackson, Miss, March 4.-The fol-
lowing is the text of Lieut.. Gov. Bill
bo's address to the Senate today:
Gentlemen of the S%enate-I trust
that you will pardon me in asking your
patient indulgence while I speak briefly
on a question Of personal privilege.
.'You have all seen and read ar after
noon paper published in onr city which
announces a declaration of open war
by the governor of u state, and, as
this declaration of hostilities, as ex-
pressed in the governor letter to Hon.
W. C. Pittman, a member Of the lower
house of the Legislature, contains a
very vicious attack upon me and my
friends, I feel that I am duty bound to
briefly respond to this call to arms
Surely the gods have at last de-
cided to destroy his excellency, Gov.
Brewer. for he is certainly very mad,
II accept his challenge to war, and
wish to assure him that / will be the
last man in Mississippi to ask any con-
cession or quarter from him, and here
and now deny that anybody was ever
authorized by me to make any proposal
of any nature whatever to Earl Brewer
in any way related to the infamous
prosecution to which he has prostituted
his Office and sought to prostitute the
courts Of Warren County.
There are a great many things that
l do not know, and-one of those things
is that 1 never knew when I was
whipped. / have been fighting the
peoples cause since 1907, and I propose
to fight On: I may get killed, but |
will never surrender. Yes, ! will &C.
cept the governors challenge, and fight
the governor all the way from Yellow
Rabbit to Vinegar Bend but l wish to
reassure him and you that, unlike the
governor and his sympathizers, / was
sincere when l declared on the first
day Of the session that we would have
no politics in this Legislature. If you
remember, | said in my opening address
to the Senate on the sixth day of Janu
ary that we are not assembled here to
try the merits Of any proposition at
this time alien to the business Of this
body, but that we are here to heal the
wounds Of this realm IN good conscience
and a profound sense Of duty to the
state and people, and l am sure that
each one OF US is ready with voice and
vote to rebuke any effort that would
lead us away from that purpose
further requested my friends to firmly
resolve with me that we would give
our time, our talents and our industries
to these duties which the people Of
Mississippi have commissioned us to
perform, 30 that when We returned to
our homes we might 60 with heads
erect and eyes undimmed to challenge
alike the approval Of our friends and
the criticism Of our foes.
$50 / trust that you understand my
position. ! will fight the governor and
discuss any issue in which the people
of Mississippi are concerned on the
husting. and let it be settled at the
ballot box, but I will not be Z party to
the governor 8 evident scheme to throw
this Legislature in q boiling, bowling,
seething political turmoil.
THE governor has gone out Of his
way to find an excuse to start the po-
litical pot to boil ii this Legislature.
! presume that this was brought about
by the fact that he VA gloating over
the sad fate Of poor Charlie Smith and
the further fact that he was Ill day
yesterday baking ID the presence and
leaning On the arm Of biz great ideal.
w. ]. Burns, and his cohorts.
!. my answer On III hastings 70 Gov.
Brewer viii " full and complete, every