The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1914-10-09

You say, "You express the opinion
that Lam afraid to oppose Bilbo be-
cause Bilbo might run against me for
the senate. | don't believe you think
that. II | have ever done anything in
public or private life which justifies
that estimate of me car not recall
it."
Now. let's look that statement
straight In the face and see whether or
not. l would be justified in believing
a thing of that sort. When you were
a candidate for United States senator
in 1907 and ] was a candidate for gov
ernor you know that / was your friend
and voted for you for senator and after
the senatorial race was over and you
were defeated and Noel and ! were in
the second primary you promised me
sacredly that you would take no hand
against me-, and yet within forty-eight
hours Of the election eighty-five hun
bred circular letters were issued from
your campaign headquarters signed by
your campaign manager appealing to
your friends to vote against me be-
cause you feared | would oppose you
later and stating that / would be q
formidable candidate and that you
wanted to run for the senate and did
not want to go up against me, or words
to that effect, and appealing to your
friends in this circular to show it to
strictly Vardaman men and vote for
Noel, and kept this a profound secret
from me until after the election. But
there is no use of Gliding you about
this. You have been sufficiently pun
ished for it. / simply call it to your
attention to refresh your memory.
Again you say in your letter, But |
no doubt that If you, Blbo or
any other aspiring politician in Missis-
s1ppl should conclude thai you could
defeat me for the United States SEN
ate and be elected to the place your
self that you would run against me-"
you make this declaration after
] have repeatedly announced that am
not a candidate for the United States
senate, nor do ] expect to be? Aren't
you guilty OF a little ~boasting because
you know ] do not intend to be a can
didate?
To your humiliating confession that
Bilbo is your personal friend | have
nothing to repl "; de gustibus o dis
The good people of the
state had INDUCED the hope, however,
after ne had sold you out as you
claimed in the secret caucus, that after
he had been condemned by the sworn
testimony of reputable witnesses as a
s~rafter, that after he had openly boast
ed of his triumph V e you in the mat
ter OF the appellate court bill and you
yourself had proclaimed him to your
a thief, that your personal
friendship was somewhat cooled, but
ii seems from your letter that your
Christian forbearance has been un-
derestimated or the fears for your pol
itical scalp outweigh your just resent
ment. AS to my asking our help to
rid the state of the disgrace of Bilbo-
ism, you can rest perfectly easy. |
never expected you to do anything for
the public good which you though
would jeopardize your individual in
terest. AS for my attempting to speak
for you in regard to Bilbo ! hope you
will pardon my i~ndiscretion. I should
have known better, but thought that
on this subject | was only rejecting
the sentiment of the honest people of
the state among whom | had hereto
fore classed you. | am not a candi-
date for any office, but as a Missis-
sippian, proud of her glorious past and
grateful for the high honors which she
has conferred upon me, | shall do my
humble best to bring the plunderers Of
the public treasury to justice and pre-
vent grafters from disgracing the state
and sitting in her high places, while
you, II you so desire. can remain dis
creetly silent. Doubtless in your al
discretion is the better part of valor.
have been making a great fight for
honest, clean government in the state