The Springdale news., 1914-01-09
,IIIDGE KIRBY DEVELOPS 4
 SUDDEN CASE OF "COLD FEET"
NOW DECLINES INVITATION TO MEET SENATOR CLARKE IN JOINT DISCUSSION.

Little Rock, Jan. 3.-Senator James P Clarke today made pub lie letters passing between him and Judge Wm F. Kirby, his opponent in the senatorship race, in which Judge Kirby flatly refuses to meet Senator Clarke on the stump. This, following as it does Judge kirbyss recent challenge to Senator clarke to mfethim= in joint campaign, is pointed out by Clarke followers with considerable gusto as "baekdown" of the most pronounc- ed kind.
 In political circles at Little Rock Judge Kirbys sudden reversal of attitude created mild stonishment. The impression had prevailed in some quarters that Judge Kirby could ss sarcely wait=to meet his opponent for discussion of the is ues of the campaign.
 One of the reasons assigned by Kirby for his refusal 10 meet Clarke is that the letter is personally discourteous and uncivil', and that iointzeampaien vii Senator Clarke would be to Judge Kirby mos unDl asant and di agreeable. $ .nator Glarke's adherents open admit that the lat. {. expectation ef Mr. kirbys would probably prove true
 Clarke Agrees {. kifby's Proposal.
 The correspond nee passing be tween senae9r Clarke and Judge Kirby follows senator Clarke VITO
 Re alzfng the fact that you an- nouneed on the eireuiass giving no iee Of the times and 5laeas at Whis6 you intended 10 address the voters Of Washington aa1 Benton counties tha-f aZyoHr oppoH=nt=fer. fiHe Sana5orship, wa Invited 10 be pres ent 10 particiTa.e iu joim dis GUS sion oI the issues raised in this campaign 1 take easion to zax to v0u naW laat the condition of public business is such tHa I may devote som time to the service inlicated. therefore take this oe- 5as.9H to ask you to indicate when ii Will slit your pleasure 10 hold conference p.rsoHa7 Ix=oe through 41ur authorized pc entat@e. for the purpose of fixing the da'es and places wh re such a joint discuss ion may Lake .
 T quite aefee 4i.H yoW p8blisf- ed a. emeuts ttat this is tha mozt satisfactory method in which tie real con aoyersies of this eoatet may b. dearly 7ezin l and listinet- ly p1e=eHted 10 the voters
 -As q cm mi 10 he a matter of som present importance. tfazt you Will make d. eariy refiY 10 ais letter as Youf convent n t Wil res- init Ner1 fest eztfuI1. James P Clarke /"
 Kirby r a,s tin 5lea>antne Ss'
 To Senator Claske. .ettel aodze Kirby replied q follows
 'Your lettee of the 2nd inst suggesting a desire 10 open ne@o- tiations looking to d joint senator ial campaign has besn handed n by your manager,
 Having attacked your record and made some charges, including the one that you kept Chas. l.. Watkins, manager of your street car system in Argenfa, upon the government payroll and paid him $1.e56 from the government treasury while he was on the job as such manager i'll Arkansas. 1 thought il fair to haze a joint discussion, and accordingly asked you to join me in Benton county. You declined this saying your presence in Washington was re- quired although you have been i'll the state for a month past
 Since then you have admitted, i'll your statement in the Arkansas Ga zette, of Nov 30th, 1913, page IS, that the charges made against YOU in my announcement circulars are true, and there are no issues now between Us requiring a join campaign.
 "In addition, you are personal ' discourteous and uneivil to me hay ing refused to speak when last spoke to you, and under these cir cumstances, joint discussion could not but be most unpleasant and dis agreeable and conducive neither to party harmony nor the public inter- est.
 'I. therefore, do not now in tend to engage in any such discuss ion at all during the campaign and