The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1921-07-27
BILBO IN JACKSON
BAPTIST HOSPITAL
"Out Of Sorts,' Says Ex-Gov-
ernor-'N Not Afraid to Meet
Any Man or Woman

Jackson, Miss, July 25.-Former
Gov. Bilbo arrived in jackson Sat
urday from his home at Poplarville,
stopped long enough to greet num-
ber of his friends, and then went on
out to the Baptist Hospital where he
placed himself under charge of DR..
Willis VALLEY, former superintendent
of the State Charity Hospital, for
treatment. Mr.. Bilbo states that he
has been "out Of sorts" for some
time.
But Mr.. Bilbo has never yet been
too sick to talk little politics, and
being asked If it was true, as charg-
ed that he failed to meet Miss Belle
kearney at Utica a few days ago ''be-
cause he was afraid of her, he re-
plied:-
"The man has never been born
that I was or am afraid to meet on
the hustings or the political stump
and ! do not see why ! should be
afraid to meet woman. In the
event she remains in this senatorial
race the chances are we will meet
If we do not, it will not be because
I am afraid of her or any other can
didate. have been sick for some
time and do not know what is the
matter with me, except that / have
fever every day. That is the reason
I have declined two or three invita-
tions to speak from the same plat
form as Miss Kearney during the past
week, and that is the reason / am
going TO spend few days here in
Jackson see if my friend DR..
Valley can locate the cause Of my
trouble--and get rid of it,"
Mr.. Bilbo is still of the opinion
that he can defeat. former Senator
Vardaman for the United States
Senate provided no other candidate
is in the way. He would like a fat
footed race between himself and Var
daman, and did not want any third
party in his way-not even woman,
though he talks as if he does not be-
lieve she stands ghost OF show.
1t is believed here that Bilbo will
run the race to a finish in the event
no other candidate SHES his caster
into the arena, but it is expected that
If the Bilbo- Russell oppo-
sition brings out fourth candidate
Stephens, Reilly, Humphreys, or
any other man that Governor Bilbo
will get out of the race, knowing
that would weaken his rather than
Vardaman's chances. He says a great
army Of men would turn and vote for |
him rather than for Vardaman; a |
great many heretofore Vardaman
supporters do not indorse his war
record-+--a record that has once caus-
ed his defeat at the hands of Pat
Harrison, and the great majority of
the exlseryice men will not vote for
Yarda4ah hecause Of BIS course dur
Ing ana since the war. With but
two ulee IN the race the chances are
that ElsDo would get these and other
unff4Ehaly votes and split about ey-
en- On the rank and nle.
Many of the anti" faction here
and elsewhere over the state have
declared openly all along that with
just Bilbo and Yardaman in the race
for the Senate they would vote for
Bilbo. That is the sentiment here in
Jackson. They do not hesitate to
give Bilbo credit for having made |
the state progressive governor
one who accomplished much more
for Mississippi, and they remember
that during and since the war he has
been 100 per cent American and
that he stood shoulder to shoulder
with President Wilson and the DEM
ocratic party at all times.
But with Miss Kearney in the
race Mr.. Bilbo would lose great
number of the votes perhaps that
would be against Vardaman. He e.
vidently believes that with another
man in the senatorial race he would
lose a great many more of the anti
Vardaman votes than he would with
just a woman in the race. There are
a great many men in Mississippi who
are naturally opposed to woman in
office, and who, though they despise
both Bilbo and Vardaman politically,
and have never voted for either of
them, would take .one horn or the
other of the dilemma rather than cast
a single vote for a woman. Howev-
er, at Utica last Thursday, great
many men of both factions crowded
around the speakers stand at the
conclusion of Miss Kearney's address
to assure her of their votes. So did
the women and Miss Kearney states
that they do that everywhere she
goes, though she tells them she has
not as yet entered upon her cam
paign for the Senate, She did tell
them, though, that she was candi-
date, and that Mississippi was going
to be the FIRST state in the Union to
send a woman to the United States
Senate. whereupon the crowd ap-
pIauded.
Are Rafteyino | In the