The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-01
TOTAL VOTE CAST
 IN MISSISSIPPI
 PRIMARY 1O7,272
Harrison Received Total of 56,920 Votes in Race for U. s. Senate-Varda-
 man Got 43,625 Votes

Jackson. Miss, August 31-(Special) The democratic state. executive commit tee assembled at Jackson this week and csrvassed the returns from the primary of August %, the date on which Missis- sippi retired Senator James K. vardaman to the shades of private life and placed Pat Harrison on guard.
 The total vote cast in this senatorial primary was 107.272, of which Mir. liar rison received 56, ,92O, Mr. Vardaman 4s, ,625. ex-Governor Noel 6727. Mr Harrison's s majority over vardaman was 1928. his majority over both Vardaman and Noel was 666S. Mir Harrison was therefore de- clared the nominee and that is the same
 here will be no oppo- at se in 1911, the total vote
 ass al primary was ls2, 400,
 ass received 79,3S9, Alex
 tNfey 2l,5H. Vardaman' S
 uth was 26,S7S. so that he
 50 per cent of the ei4 10, and when the total zee e& -- ~yodt 25,000 less than be- fore.
 1t is interesting to note the reasons the friends of the defeated candidate give for his repudiation In the first place. they say the rain on the day of election kept a great many Vardaman men from the pol.s-as if the same rain would not keep a Harrison or Noel man from the polls.
 Another puerile reason given for Var daman's defeat is that his friends were bulldozed and intimidated, and remained away from the polls to keep from being insufted. That sounds very funny when In the same breath they claimed three- fourth of the voters of the state wene for Vardaman, thus admitting that a large minority intimidated heavy ma- jority.
 The secret of Vardamans defeat is that thousands of his former supporters re- mained away from the polls because they did not want to vote against him and were ashamed to vote for him under the circumstances
 ABSOLUTELY DEAD
 His friends now admit that Vardaman is dead as Hector, and they do not be- lieve he will ever be able to come back. even should he run for governor next year, as is now believed he will do It was supposed at the time Vardaman told his campaign managers on the even of his return to Washington the night of the primary that his defeat was only "tem- PcAd3yt tlldl nS lucHdl itC was SOlnR to offer for the John Sharp Williams succession in 1921, but the question is how is he to live so long without pulling on 6 public teat? The governorship comes next year, and the chances are that he will be right after it. and that, failing in that race, he will then go after the Williams succession.
 The defeat of Nardaman is not the only cause of rejoicing in Mississippi; the prospect for the defeat of Governos Bfbo for Congress in NLr Harrison's dis trict being as bright as his political en- emies could want. He is now engaged in the second primary with Judge Paul Johnson of Hattiesburg, with Johnson 1900 votes in the lead on the first pri- mary. They have until September 10 to rdake this second appeal for votes and both are 'on the job in dead earnest They are having no joint, debates, Judge Johnson having refused the governor 5 challenge for the reason, as he stated that Bilbo declined joint debates at the beginning of the first primary, and that he does not now propose tc be associate with corpse. However, Governor Bilbo was in Jackson last Sunday aft ernoon and night and declared that he would overcome Johnsons lead, and would defeat him by at least 3000 votes. How he is to accomplish any such un- usual feat remains to be seen, but i'll the meantime the campaign waxes ex- oeediHgly warm, both candidates being experts at mud-slinging, and everybody believes most everything they are saying about each otne~. Great interest at ltaches to this congressional fight. Gov ernor Bilbro sprung from Vardama IT, ism, and the great majority of those who opposed Vardamant are hoping that Bilbo will also be showed under so deep that resurrection will come only with the blowing of Gabrieps horn. The sentl- EieLt of many people hereabouts was forcibly if not eloquenty expressed by a Jackson wag. who said when he first heard Bilbo had failed of the nomination, Now that the creeks up let's drown the whole litter However Bilbo be- longs to the feline tribe, and is accredi- ted with nine lives.
 A MASONIC REUNION