Bilbo v. Big Four

The State of Mississippi last week, on the word of its stocky little, pecan-growing Governor Theodore Gilmore Bilbo, was confronted with a major catastrophe. Its treasury was practically empty. It had overdrawn its bank balance by $7,000,000. It was on the brink of defaulting on its public debt.* Bankruptcy threatened to close its schools, turn its prisoners out of jail, free its insane. Its air reeked with hidden scandal. Between Governor Bilbo and the Legislature existed a spectacular deadlock to dim the chances of quick political relief. Born in Juniper Grove 53 years ago, a fluent lawyer-politician idolized by Mississippi's swamp folk, Governor Bilbo served his State as Lieutenant Governor (1912-16) and Governor (1916-20). He was elected again in 1928. With a son at West Point, he likes to compare himself to Napoleon. But what he fears most is a Waterloo at the hands of the Mississippi Legislature. When State finances went from bad to worse last winter and voters began to clamor for legislative relief, Governor Bilbo propounded this political proposition: he would issue the necessary call for a special session, provided a majority of the legislators would first sign sworn pledges not to impeach him or any of his executive officers. His offer was loudly scorned by the law-makers who asserted that they would never surrender their constitutional rights to such a "dishonorable proposal."

So bad had become conditions in Mississippi last week that the four leaders of the Legislature--House Speaker Tom Bailer, Ways & Means Chairman Joe George, Appropriations Chairman Lawrence Kennedy, Judiciary Chairman Walter Sillers--issued an extra-legal call for an unofficial session at Jackson on April 27. The "Big Four" thought that if they could get the Legislature into the Capitol, Governor Bilbo would be forced to legalize its sitting by issuing a predated call. The wily Governor, however, countered by pointing out that April 27 was Confederate Memorial Day and that the Capitol would be closed for a holiday. The "Big Four" postponed the meeting one day. Declared Governor Bilbo:

"I'll have nothing to do with such a fool session. . . . Only a fool would travel to Jackson at his own expense. . . . If the legislators want to save the State's credit and take care of suffering school teachers and the insane, then let them sign the [non-impeachment] pledge and I'll announce the call within 30 minutes."

The Governor asked legislators to calculate the cost of their trip to Jackson and send him a check for the amount to complete the Juniper Grove Baptist Church. Said he: "In this way you'll help the Lord instead of the Big Four to play politics."

*Before the Civil War Mississippi first got into financial disrepute by repudiating a $7,000,000 bond indebtedness which, with interest, has now grown to $32,000,000.

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