Evening star., 1947-08-22
Selection of Bi|bo>s Successor
Unlikely Before Nov. 4 Election
Congressional Delegations to Be Sent
To Attend Funeral Services Tomorrow

Mississippi's replacement for
Senator Theodore G. Bilbo, who
died yesterday at SO, probably
will not be chosen before the No
vember 4 elections.
Since Congress is not in session,
Gov. Field L. Wright is not required
to make an interim appointment,
and has indicated he will leave the
choice to the voters, thus presaging
as lively a contest as any conducted
by the late advocate of white SUI
premacy.
Senator Bilbo died in New Or
leans hospital of the illness that
prevented a showdown fight for his
Senate seat last January. His fit
ness for the post he had occupied
since 1884 was contested by COM
mittees investigating his dealings
with war contractors and his intimi-
dation of Negro voters in Mississippi.
The illness began last summer
with a cancer of the mouth requlr-
ing series of operations. Later it
was complicated by Inflammation OF
the nerves, partial paralysis and a
blood clot on the lungs.
Funeral Tomorrow.
Funeral services for the man who
headed the Senate District Commit
tee for nearly three years will be
held at 2 pm tomorrow in the Ju-
niper Grove Baptist Church, which
he was largely responsible for build
ing near his native Poplarville. Miss.
The Rev. D. w. Nix of Baton
Rouge, a former pastor of the
church. will oficiate and burial will
be in the church cemetery, near the
graves of his parents.
Although Senator Bilbo never
took the oath for his third term.
leading to some controversy as to his
official status, the flags on Capitol
Hill flew at half staff today.
The question whether an official
congressional delegation would be
sent to the funeral as is customary
was settled by cable query to Sen
ator Vandenberg, Republican, of
Michigan, President pro tempore.
who is in Brazil Mr.. Vandenberg
said a delegation should be formed.
w. T. Reed, deputy Senate SER
geant at arms, had not received re-
plies from Democratic Senators
Eastland of Mississippi, Hill of Ala
bama and Overton of Louisiana, who
were asked to attend the funeral.
Three Republicans were to be asked
today to attend.
Senator Bilbo,S body lay in state
in his SIS 900 "dream house" near
Poplarville today, and will be moved
to the church at II m tomorrow.
President Truman said at his press
conference yesterday he was sorry
to learn of Senator Bilbo's death and
that he would send condolences to
the family. The President said he
sat behind the Southerner 10 years
in the Senate and knew him WELL
The question of whether family
survivors would receive years SAL
ary, or $12,50o as is customary, will
be a matter for the Congress to de-
eide when it next convenes.
Petition Nominates Successor.
Because this is a general election
year in Mississippi, Mr.. Bilbo's
successor will be chosen without
preliminary voting. Any Mississip-
plan can qualify by simply having
his name placed on the ballot backed
by a petition bearing names OF so
voters in each county.
The election will be decided on a
plurality rather than a majority
basis, with the high man winning.
Negroes may vote without subScrlb-
ing to the principles Of any party
as required in the primaries, but
educational and other qualifications,
including payment OF a poll tax,
probably will limit the eligible num-
ber of Negro voters to 5000.
Senator Bilbo's stormy political
career began and ended under the
heat of investigation. In 1909 he
was catapulted into the center ring
while beating bribery charge IN
the Mississippi Senate.
Thirty eight years later he took
leave of the United States Senate a
sick man, twice investigated for mis-
using his Office for personal gain in
dealings with war contractors and
for preventing Negroes from voting
in Mississippi.
Between tirese extremities. his was
a lively career of political strife and
intrigue. An indomitable fighter, he
pushed himself from the compara-
tive obscurity of Governor to the
Senate. WHERE he was progressively
assailed by his critics as dema-
yogue and minority race-hater.
A 5-foot-4 talking machine with
an amazing flow of biting sarcasm
a
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