The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-15
THINKS VARDAMAN 1. FACES DEFEAT IN TUESDAY PRIMARY Hattiesburg Editor Dis cusses Fight Being Made for Senate in Mississippi LOYAL ISSUE IS MOST PROMINENT Vardaman Lacks His Old-Time
 Vigor in Speaking Campaign.
 Presidents Letter Fea-
 ture of Campaign

That Congressman Pat Harrison of Mississippi will defeat United States Senator James K. Vardaman in the Mississippi election Tuesday is the prs diction of Howard s. Williams, edito and manager of the Hattiesburg (Miss) American, who passed through the cisy last night, en route home from busi ness trip to Anniston and Gadsden Mir. Williams formerly was a reporter on the staff of The Age-Herald.
 In discussing the political situation in Mississippi. MT. Williams, among other things, said:
 "The political pot is at the boiling point in Mississippi this week, with candidates for all offices very active. The state is to elect one United States senator and congressman from all districts next Tuesday, Chief inter- est, of course1 centers in the sena- torial race, vardaman being opposed by Congressman Harrison and Ex-Gov. F. F. Noel.
 "As soon as Congress took its recent recess both Harrison and Var daman came home to take the stump. vardaman flatly declined the challenge of Harrison to joint debates.
 ISSUE CLEARLY DRAWN
 ''The' issue between Harrison and Vardaman is clearly drawn, whether Mississippi will indorse the utterances and votes of vardaman prior to ard since the United States got into the world war vardaman is now tearing his hair and indulging in villification of Harrison. Congressman Harrison is making patriotic appeals to the peo- pie. using no phrases in his speeches that the most ardent supporters of Vardaman can twist or turn into being personally abusive of his opponent. He is taking Vardaman's record and dis cussing it calmly and this character of attack is having effect. Vardaman is losing strength every day and will have difficulty in receiving a vote of any consequence in any city in the state of more than 10000 population. He is strongest in the country districts, but even in those sections reports say he is being daily deserted by former followers.
 T received telegram today from a prominent man in close touch with the situation and he stated that the iCllNi ItCtHtIy WTlblcI Dy ETcSluenL Wilson to a former vardaman sup porter saying that vardaman was an opponent of the administration, cinches the election of Harrison. As matter of fact Noel will poll only small vote. comparatively speaking. "A feature of interest in the Missis- sippi campaign is that soldiers can cast their ballots, regardless of their where abouts. Thousands of men in khaki !, sv,L L>-n ;x, at,,s. in this country already have mailed their votes and reliable reports from those who have taken polls state that more than 80 per cent voted for Har- rison. The soldier vote is going to cut a pretty big figure in the election At the last session of the legislature a law permitting absent soldiers to vote by mail was passed and they have been voting for the past two months
 RACE FOR CONGRESS
 Gov. Theodore G. Bilbo is a candi- date to succeed Congressman Harrison. and 1t Is conceded that, although five are in that race, the contest will mar row down to one between the governor and Judge Paul B. Johnson of Hat tiesburg. There is no 'disloyap issue in that race.
 'I firmly believe that Mississippi will do the right thing and show the world that her people do not indorse the un- patriotic attitude assumed by varda- man in the Senate. Pat Harrison is a brilliant man, a born leader, and has stood by the administration and the country in every instance. He is close to the administration and has a record that even Vardaman has not deigned to attack Vardaman is on the defen- sive and while speaking shows a de- cided lack of the old time pep that formerly was so characteristic of him."