The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-14
This Is Main Issue in Missis- sippi Coast Congressional
 District Contest
OPPONENT OF BILBO
 IS MAKING CHARGES
Present Governor, No Candidate for Harrison's Place, Compelled to Defend Position on This
 Question
By E. E. FRANTz

lowly COW Lick is destined to play almost as important role in Mississippi politics as did th humble negro four or five years ago. when James K. Vardaman was elected to the United States Senate by large majority over two of the ahiest men in the state, and that WIS the sg.-ond time "CuGey" Lad oGiclaaed in the capacity oG political beast of hur- den for Yardapan.
 As is known, of all men, Vardaman rode into the governors office or the back of the negro. and also used him [. a considerable extent to eot-to Washing ton four years later. The burden of laa song was thut the fourteenth and tif4 teenth amendments to the constitution should be amended and repealed, ana llIat the negro should be educated on what money he paid into the State t,eas ulY. All sensible men knew that "big talk was just 10 get vetas from the fs :. norant voter. bnt unfortunately, they were in Inc saddle in Mississippi, and Nareaman Noil hands down. AS mat ter or course fae fourteenth and !if- teenth amendments stand as 5efore Var d4inans election. and the wh.te feI.- who believe in an e,lat.ated cjtizealv as the safety O. the stsfe ana nation. are more violently opposed to him than ever
 The tick comes into the limeIghI through Judge Paul Johnson of natiies- burg, candidate for Congress in the Sixth district, and one of Governor Bilbo' chief opponents for tbat nouina uon Two years ago the legislature very wisely gave the state q tick law, and under the oper. alton and enforcement of which the tieNs were eradieEted and every COW and stszr in the state was made worth from S15 l9 $2o more than before the ticks were go. ten rid of The campaign for tick eraai- cation was fast and furious Federal and state agents got busy and wiped out the ticks in one year, 70 that the quar- antine was lifted and Mississippi cattle allowed on the markets of the world
 It so happened that in the Sixth con- gressional district there was a great aeal of opposition to the tick law, and hun dreds of concrete rats in that sectlon or the state were cvnamited and other wise destroyed. The hoodluns Y ere pros ecuted and punished With heavy finss. and bitter feeling was engendered in several of the counties in that nart sf tAe state where cattle had always peen allowed free range
 Governor Bilbo promptly s;sned the statewide tick eradication pill, and there- by incurred the everlasting ylmity of a great mang cattle raisers. iIdae Tohn- son has aligned himself with this oppo- sition and is making opposition to -ne cattle dipping law the thief LlanKk iu his plat.orm, charging that Governor Bilho lad promised in his canvass for governor le would seto any iuch bil! presented to him, and that instead hs had aided and apetted in the passage of the law.
 The governor must be finding tbat these charges are having some effeet Ia $ he is spending all his time in the dlstris, and making almost a house -house canvass. F, has not been in his office at the capitol two weeks all put to. gether since about April l. Once every week or two he rnns up to Jackson. re- mains few hours and returns to the battle-ground in the Sixth district
 So serious has the matter new become that the 3Si.bo campaign committee las put in s.o cgr issuing thousands of cir culars wi.A which tne district Is being flooded, denying the cattle tick charges being made by Judge Johnson ill very vigorous terms. The committee n-ciases Judge Johnson 'knew the charges to De untrue when he made them" hnd tha. there is not g word O. truth in any uf these stateinc~.ts, and no osa knows I better than the man who made them.
 
 tions, made in the hope that some or Governor Bllbos friends or some one op. posed to the tick eradication law may De led to vote against him"
 Following this denunciation of Judge Johnson, the Bilbo committee explains the mary good points of tho law, tl-clar- ing it has been worth S12,es0. .900 to ;ls.e0o, z cco to the farmers of the state to have the quarantine raised, every COW in the state being worth on the nnai ket S12 to $ld more than when covered with ticks; that S2I0 head of thoroughbred bulls have been bronsh: into the state since ticks were driven oNt, and that the day ct the cheap, unprofitable COW is gone Ior- ever; that 2 creaIneres have been estah- lished sinco the tick eradication cam paign started, and that the sales last year amounted to more than s2.n9,0oo. 1t is thus seen that the modest little tick is gong to cut an important figure in the coreressional primary in the sea 7 coast district, where the race Is the field against Governor Bilbo. a man who has never been defeated at the polls.
 MISSISSIPPI CANDIDATES
 There is Tie interest in the congress sional race in Mississippi except in che