The People's party paper. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, December 09, 1892, Page 3, Image 3
AT THOMSON!
VOTERS OF THE TENTH DISTRICT
IN MASS MEETING.
Ab Aroused People Demand Justice
and Will Aid in Exposing the
Thimble-Riggers.
It was the second of December.
No notice had been given by the
daily press.
No flaunting railroad circulars giv
ing reduced rates had flooded the
country.
But the boys were there all the
flame. The identical boys that pro
tected Mr. Watson’s premises against
the mob were there.
But our goody-goody Governor
didn’t order out the militia.
The boys were there from the hills
and from the valleys, from the cotton
fields and from the corn fields, from
the new made furrows of the oat and
wheat patches, from the farm houses
and from the cabins.
But the great and learned Gover
nor didn’t order the militia out.
The boys were there from the fac
tories and from the blacksmith shops,
from every character of industry,
from every field of agriculture they
came. They were there by the hun
dreds, they were there by the thou
sands.
But Billy didn’t order out his so
jers.
Stand where you would and there
were thousands to the left of you,
thousands to the right of you, thou
sands to the front of you.
But nary a little dude soldier came!
From every county in the tenth
district the honest, brave men came
by hundreds.
From Hart, Wilkes, Screven,
Johnson and other counties outside
the district they came with enthusi
asm in their hearts and cheers on
their lips.
The sun rose upon their camp
fires on the outskirts of the town of
Thomson.
By 8 o’clock a. m. the streets of
the little town were swarming with
the crowds.
The Democratic members of the
community realized that the “pee
wees” Lad captured the ring, and
seriously doubted where they and
Mr. Black were at. But to their
credit, be it said, they behaved be
comingly, and didn’t call on Billy,
the Governor, for troops to save the
town from ashes!
* - In-the grove where Mr. Watson
was given the reception last summer
on his return from Washington, a
stand was erected for this occasion.
Then four thousand people greeted
him. To-day, six thousand people
were to assemble to repledge their
confidence and support.
Then, the hope of an opening cam
paign.
To-day, the determination to undo
a great wrong.
Haw recruits then, veterans to-day.
Four thousand then ! Six thou
sand to-day, and growing stronger
and stronger, as Democratic methods
and frauds become more apparent.
At 10 a. m. the firing of cannon
announced the arrival of the delega
tion from Richmond county. They
had marched from Augusta, a dis
tance, of thirty-seven miles. This
delegation marched to Mr. Watson’s
residence and was perse nally greeted
by him.
Mr. Watson fell in with this dele
gation and, surrounded by thousands
of true hearts, repaired to the place
of speaking.
The canon boomed ! But Billy’s
dudes didn’t boom ’em.
• While the thousands that were
scattered throughout the town were
gathering to the stand, Mr. Elling
ton announced to those present that
he would receive contributions to the
contest fund.
If you ever for one moment doubt
ed the patriotism of Mr. Watson’s
followers in the tenth district that
doubt would have vanished if you
had seen the dimes, quarters and
dollars as they rolled in. Men, wo
men and children gave, and gave
freely. •
A procession was formed, ten
abreast, Richmond county delegation
was given the front, the position of
honor. Mr. Watson took position
amidst them.
The column, headed by a brass
band, wended its way through the
principal streets of the town, with
banners flying. The town was too
small for the column. It wound its
way in and around and about, but
there were not streets enough to ac
commodate its length, and the head
of the column returned to the start
ing point ere the tail end had moved
away.
All along the route they were
cheered by the ladies. Handkerciefs
PEOPLE’S PARTY PAPER, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1892
waved and children shouted. The
air was laden with huzzahs!
Mr. Watson “hit the grit” with the
boys, and marched with the column.
He is one of ’em. No carriage for
him.
When the immense multitude set
tled itself amid the grove of pines it
covered near two acres of ground.
Hundreds were unable to get in hear
ing distance of the stand.
When Mr. Watson took the stand
he was greeted with a cheering that
was never equaled in Georgia. Its
echo filled the town. He was in fine
trim and more vigorous than when
he made his first campaign. His
hearers were in excellent voice and
full of enthusiasm.
Never has victor in martial or civil
life had a grander ovation.
Under the mantel of apparent de
feat he rose the victor.
Under the misrepresentations of a
vindictive and servile press, he shone
pure and undefiled.
Emerging from a campaign that
has never had its equal in all that
was vile, corrupt and villainous, his
hands were clean, his Christian char
acter spotless and his integrity un
defiled.
W ell might he exclaim, “ I would
rather be the defeated candidate of
a clean campaign and have the love
and respect of my fellows than claim
a victory won by rum, rascality and
repeaters.”
It is impossible to outline his
speech. It was the best he ever
made.
Watson and the People’s party
are stronger to-day than ever.
The October election found us
unorganized, but we threw our skir
misli line against the old parties and
gave them a lively scrimmage.
The Democrats read our funeral
service then, and invited the few liv
ing survivors back into the fold.
The fold didn’t grow any.
In November, they found us quite
a lively corpse. In fact, they found
we had grown several thousand
stronger. We hit ’em again, and hit
’em harder.
Our funeral service is again read,
and we are begged to come into the
fold.
In January we’ll hit ’em again,
and hit ’em harder and harder, and
two years hence the corpse will bury
the undertakers.
No man who was present at Thom
son doubts it.
It is the liveliest corpse that ever
strutted this mundane sphere.
Several speeches w r ere made. En
thusiasm was unbounded.
The money necessary to contest
Mr. Black’s election was pledged,
and will be raised, regardless of
what the Democratic papers say.
The frauds in Richmond county
will be published to the world. No
man that contributed to them will be
spared when the evidence is obtained.
From every quarter of the district
the cry for exposure comes ringing
along, and the cry will be answered,
and don’t you forget it.
The protection of the purity of the
ballot-box in Georgia has been dele
gated to the People’s party. The
trust will be faithfully executed.
That’s what the meeting at Thom
son has demanded.
What Democrat is patriotic enough
to aid us ? The door is open.
Democratic liquor, Democratic
boodle, Democratic frauds, Demo
cratic repeaters in the late election,
are eye-openers to hundreds of up
right, honest men who have hereto
fore affiliated with the Democratic
party. They can’t stay in such com
pany when the facts are known with
out being contaminated. The door
is open.
We won’t ask Billy to call out the
militia.
People’s party men throughout the
State, take courage.
Attack the enemy at every point.
Rally your forces for the January
election. Make a fight on every
office, from coroner to sheriff, from
constable to magistrate.
That’s what we’ll do in the tenth
district, and we’ll win L a heap of
them, too.
You can do the same. Try it.
Every man and woman present at
Thomson went home happier than
they came.
Every man and woman that heard
Mr. Watson loves him the more.
Every man and woman will work
and pray the more for the success of
Watson and the People’s party.
Every man and woman will give
of their means and, if necessary, stint
their poverty to aid the vindication
of an honest ballot.
Every man and woman that heard
Mr. Watson will henceforth be a
hero in the cause of an honest elec
tion.
Every man and woman will be an
inveterate enemy to the party of
rum, rascality and repeaters.
Every man and woman will look
with pity upon Mr. Watson’s de
famers, and love him the more fer
vently.
Oh, it was a glorious meeting—a
regular rousement.
The cities and towns were not in
it much.
They’ll be m it largely within the
next two years.
The producers and consumers will
yet bring the haughty merchants and
dudish clerks to realize which side of
the biscuit has got butter on it.
Stand firm, boys ’ Youv’e got ’em
by the hip. Another tussel and
you’ll be on top, sure and certain.
You’ve got the bravest and brain
iest man in Georgia for a leader.
He has got the truest and bravest
followers that ever fought a political
battle.
Proud of our principles, proud of
our leader, proud es our campaign in
its results and methods, we buckle
our armor around us and are stronger
to-day than yesterday. More deter
mined to-day than yesterday that
the wrongs of the common people
shall be redressed at the ballot-box
that a free and untrammeled ballot
is the right of every American ; that
we are “in for the war,” and will
never lay down our arms until “equal
rights to all and special privileges to
none” is secured to every American
citizen.
Billy and his followers may rely
on the soldiers —we on the ballot.
The following were
adopted:
Knowing, as we do, that the basest
fraud imaginable was perpetrated by the
so-called Democracy of Richmond coun
ty, in order to subvert the will of the
people, at our late national election, and
that said frauds consisted in open bribery,
repeating votes, intimidation by the job
lash method, etc., all of which we are
willing, able and ready to prove ; and
knowing, as we do, that a pure, unde
filed ballot-box is the main bulwark of
American liberty ; be it therefore
Resolved, That we, as citizens of the
Tenth congressional district of Georgia,
do hereby express our utmost indigna
tion at the methods, coupled at the same
time with expressions of horror that such
methods should be used, and seemingly
prevail, in our once free and happy
Southland. And be it further
Resolved, That we bitterly denounce,
in unmeasured terms, any man or set of
men who willingly took part in the per
petration of that fraud. Be it also
Resolved, That we, as a gathering of
true American patriots, stand pledged
here to day to always defend the Ameri
can ballot-box from the onslaughts of
those who would corrupt it for any pur
pose, and that we will ever strive to re
store it to its primitive purity, as when
instituted by our grand old sires.
THE CONTEST FUND.
Thomson, Ga., Dec. 6, 1892.
To the People’s party men of Georgia :
Having been made chairman of a
committee to raise funds to aid Mr.
Watson in defraying the expenses of
the election contest in the tenth dis
trict, I desire to suggest to our
friends in every county in the State
to go systematically to work by ap
pointing county and district commit
tees to collect money for above
named purpose. Our people are all
poor, but each one of us doing a lit
tle can raise the required amount
and none of us will be hurt. Mr.
Watson should not be allowed to
bear all the burden of this fight.
And I am glad to be able to say that
our brothers in this fight will not al
allow him to bear it all. We had a
grand People’s party mass meeting
in Thomson December 2, when be
tween 5,000 and 6,000 of “our boys”
got together from all over the tenth
district. They told Mr. Watson that
they would stand by him and with
him in this fight until justice was
more than a name in this country.
They went down into their pockets
and contributed nearly S6OO to the
contest fund, and all promised that
they would go home and do what
they could toward raising enough to
pay the expenses in the election con
test in this district. And I believe
they will do so.
In the recent State election the
Democrats gave us credit for 70,-
000 votes. J ust think of it! Even
at their figure (which is if we had
our rights, 20,000 below the mark),
70,000 volunteer soldiers fighting for
principle. No tories. No Hessians.
No hirelings. No bribe-takers in
that grand army of People s party
men—almost every man of them a
hero.
And “Our women, God bless
them; they are the bravest men
we’ve got.”
When I think of that host of pat
riots I feel confident that we are
invincible, and that it is simply a
question of time as to our success.
Now, don’t let any man in Georgia
or all the country who started with
us in this fight grow faint-hearted or
weary, or discouraged. Place your
feet the more firmly by keeping your
face to the front, with a set and de
termined purpose, born of your ab
solute consciousness of the right
ousness of the cause for which we
are struggling ; that for nothing less
than victory w’ill you ground your
arms. Remembering always, “that
the battle is not to the strong alone,
but to the vigilant, the active and
the brave.” Yours fraternally,
C. H. Ellington,
Chairman Contest Committee:
“Not a Revolt; It is a Revolu
tion” —Tom Watson’s book—has
been reduced in price to 50 cents.
For sale at this office.
Opens the Safety Valve.
As the campaign of 1892 has passed
into history, let ns review some of
the methods adopted by the old par
tisan papers and leaders in this long
to be remembered contest, at least in
the Tenth Congressional District of
1 Georgia. First, the two old parties
appear to have agreed to disagree
upon oue or two minor questions, the
force bill, for instance, in order to
stir up sectionalism and array the
people as much as possible one
against the other; and so they piped
force bill and racial difficulties
. throughout the South—but nobody
- danced. They also piped tariff re
form, but the people had been edu
cated until they knew the difference
between the two old parties upon
this question was only one of degree
and not principle, and there was no
enthusiasm upon this question; so
the two old parties, as between them
selves, hoisted the flag of truce and
' joined forces to defeat the People’s
Reform party. There was no more
discussion of Democratic or Republi
can platforms by either old party;
they caused no ripples upon the great
political sea; no enthusiasm; no
speech-making ; no debates; no form
er campaign like this one between
these two old parties. The explana
; tion is found in the furious tirade, by
t both old parties, against the People’s
party. Heaven forgive such unholy,
unjust, outrageous methods and tac
tics to defeat the honest demands of
■ the people for just and equal laws.
The weeklies and great dailies evaded
any discussion of the great economic
questions that rest so unevenly on
the masses of our country, enriching
a few, impoverishing the many; and
despite the efforts of our reform
press and speakers to discuss the de
mands of the people and the injustice
of certain laws, and conduct a cam
paign of education, the old press, by
sheer numbers, forced the most re
morseless campaign of abuse, slander
and misrepresentation that ever dis
graced our country. They appealed
to the lower and baser passions and
sentiments of their readers by calling
our leaders traitors, rascals and an
archists, and the rank and file rag
tags, bob-tails and mugwumps,'and
o ther opprobious names, in order to
reate a sentiment against the great
c eform movement of the people.
r Threats and force measures of every
b hade of depravity, and any device
that might weaken the people’s move
ment or reflect upon the characters
of their leaders, was considered quite
an addition to the campaign fund
and entitled the originator of such
questionable means to the position of
a. hero in Democratic ranks. But
enough of this.
Now a few thoughts on the Con
gressional election in Georgia. Ought
there not to have been a free ballot
and honest count ? Ought the large
•cities and towns to have debauched
the ballot box, as done in Au
gusta and other pk : Ls, by force,
bribery, threats, voting non-residents
—yea, dead men’s names are found
upon the tally-sheets. Shame upon
Democracy, its methods and devices.
The people are justly indignant. Let
the investigation and contest in the
Tenth district go on. Hurrah for
Tom Watson and the People’s party.
Lift high the banner of reform. Truth
must and will prevail. Vox..
Amity, Ga.
lu the Saddle.
Before the borean blast of the
closing days of November it was
hoped by the old parties that the
People’s party would be numbered
among the things that were, and
forever buried beneath the winter of
oblivion.
Even the old unreliable Augusta
Chronicle” hoped to bury Tom Wat
son and the party beneath a“snow
storm of Black ballots,” and while
King Alcohol and his devotees were
rejoicing over what they thought
were the ashes of the pee-wees, it
has taken a new lease of life, and is
here to stay.
Once in a life-time has Augusta
eclipsed Atlanta in over-doing a
thing—voting one to every three and
a half of her population, and now
the boasted “banner county of
Democracy”—
“In tears and blushes should sigh heirself
away,
And hide herself beneath the flowers of
May.”
It looks like the Democratic slate
for ’94 is already made out. Black
to the bat, Wright on deck, and (per
, haps) Collins to follow, is a con
jecture.
At the Democratic Saturnalian
jubilee in Augusta it seems that the
“peerless statesman” played second
i fiddle and was confronted with the
anomalous spectacle of not succeed
ing himself in the national halls of
American solans. But as he is full
> of that charity that suffers long and
is kind, and that, while it is human
to err, it is also divine to forgive.,
The man that enters the political
arena in modern times, in order to
• succeed, miist descend to the level of
such methods as is generally used in
campaigns—that of money, whisky
and intimidation.
The People’s party has opened the
way for a free and honest ballot, and
may it never use methods that are
wrong in order to succeed. Let us
as a party do no rash acts, say no
unkind words, use no dishonest
means, seek peace and pursue it, and
continue in the course our leaders
have outlined; that though they
have been maligned and misrepre
sented in the last campaign, in the
future a sober and intelligent public
will render a decision in accordance
to the facts. Then, and not until
then, will Georgia be restored to her
boasted civilization, when wisdom
justice and moderation was indeed
her motto; then will she occupy a
prominent place in the galaxy of
States and be justly called the Em
pire State of the South.
We cannot believe the nations are
degenerating; nor yet could we with
kaleidoscopic vision point the nation
as over-righteous or free from po
litical corruption; yet, we believe
that He who shapes the destinies of
men and nations will guide the old
ship of State to a harbor of safety.
What now seems to be chaos and
disorder is but the passing cloud
heralding the coming of a new po
litical era. J. P. L.
Thomson, Ga., Nov. 29, 1892.
Prosperity and the Tariff*
National Watchman.
Since the old ghost of the tariff is
to be again brought out for inspection
by the incoming Democratic admin
istration a few plain facts drawn
from past history, concerning the
prosperity of the people under a sys
tem of high or low tariff, may be
instructive. The Republican party
claims that prosperity can only be
possible through a high protective
tariff, while the Democrats contend
with equal zeal that good times will
always wait upon free trade or a
revenue tariff.
This has been the situation po
litically for nearly a century, and yet
the people are willing to be periodi
cally deceived even at this late date.
The promise of relief comes from
both parties and is based upon di
rectly opposing conditions. A large
proportion of those who hold to
these views are good citizens and
should be credited with honest in
tentions. It therefore becomes a
matter of careful investigation to
determine as to the reasons for such
radical differences. Without at
tempting to discusss the merits or
demerits of free trade or protection,
a final decision upon which has never
been reached, it is perfectly safe and
susceptible of proof to state that
good times as well as bad times have
come to the people under both sys
tems. Such being the case, it must
be admitted that some other facts
aside from the tariff enter into the
economic questions of government
which brings prosperity or adversity
to the people. What is known as
the compromise tariff of 1833 pro
vides :
That, on the 31st of December, 1833,
all ad valorem duties of more than 20
per cent shall be reduced one tenth; on
the 31st of December, 1835, there shall
be another reduction of one-tenth on
duties of the same class ; another equal
reduction, on the same class and the
same principle, the 31st of December,
1837; another do., do., December 31,
1839 ; on the 31st of December, 1811,
one-half of the residue of such excess, to
be taken off; and from and after the
31st of June, 1842, the remaining half of
such excess to be taken off, leaving a
maximum of 20 per cent.
From this time until 1837 the
country prospered. The govern
ment was not only out of debt, but
actually distributed 828,101,646.01
among the different States. The
currency had increased from $61,-
000,000 in 1830 to $149,000,000 in
1837. Then came the demand for
coin from England, together with
the specie circular from President
Van Buren, which required all pay
ment for land to be in specie. As a
result the banks failed, the money
tied, and the people suffered.
Again, in 1846, wnat is known as
the Walker tariff was passed, which
remained substantially unchanged
until 1857, when it was reduced to
an average of 20 per cent on duitable
imports. The circulation at the
close of the panic of 1843 is given at
about $60,000,000, in 1847 at $164,-
000,000, and in 1857 at $215,000,000.
Beginning with 1850 a steady export
of gold had taken place. Congress
demonetized all foreign com Febru
ary 21, 1857, and drove it from the
country. A run was soon after
made upon a few banks, which dis
closed the fact that a specie basis
was a fraud, and a general panic en
sued. Contraction of the currency
at once began, so that by 1858 only
about $140,000,000 was estimated as
in circulation.
The above is a record of two se
rious panics, during which property
values were almost eliminated, and
this, too, under the operation of the
lowest tariff of modern years. The
Morrill tariff was passed in 1861, and
has continued in force, with a few
modifications, until the present time.
In 1873, under the influence of a
high protective tariff, came the most
destructive panic of the century.
Here again is found the universal
cause for such conditions. Green
backs had been called in and de
stroyed, and the aggregate volume
of currency had been reduced from
$1,863,400,217 in 1866 to $652,896,-
762 in 1873. Silver was demone
tized practically that year, and gen
eral financial destruction prevailed.
Since that time the currency has
been steadily contracted, and the
panic has been continued. The
lesson to be drawn from these state
ments of fact are : that in spite of
the benefits which may result from
either free trade or protection, hard
times and distress will follow when
the volume of currency is reduced
below the wants of business. The
financial condition of the country at
the periods above referred to is posi
tive proof that all this tariff tinker
ing and tariff talk is entirely useless,
and can do the people no good so
long as the currency of the country
is insufficient.
For the January Election.
It will be borne in mind that our
county election will be run by the
same old mrchinery of the late
national election; consequently it
will be highly necessary to give it
c ose attention, as was done in some
sections in the last election, which
changed results in one month’s time.
The machinery has become badly
worn and very uncertain —so much
so that on the first Saturday in
January, immediately after the
county election, we will endeavor to
supply it with new material, which
will give us something to base our
hopes on two years hence for a free
ballot and a fair count.
There is no cause for dispondenoy
on the part of the People's party,
notwithstanding stuffing the ballot
box,* defrauding, etc. We can remedy
that evil on the first Saturday in
January at our district election, and
let every People’s party man bq
awake to our future interest.
The donations and eloquent
speeches made by Mr. Watson and
others at Thomson on the second
instant was a full demonstration of
the determination of the People’s
party to succeed.
The first step to take is to capture
the district offices in January; then
patronize in every branch of indus
try as well as trade the People’s
party element.
A man with one eye can sea that
a man’s land is a burden to him
without labor, his stock will soon eat
their heads off, and his stock of
goods become stale without our pat
ronage. So long as the People’s
party possess the muscle and brain
they can measure arms with those of
their political enemies.
Then, my friends, let’s make
preparation for a long march on short
rations, for our cause is just, and
we must decide between two evils, of
which we will take the less—a quick
pain or slow fever which has been
praying on us for a long time. It
takes brave men to stand the storm,
but we have them.
But few of the old veterans op
pose reform. Yet there are some
who love the red liquor and soft
promises. They look and long for
the crumb that will never fall while
the wicked reign.
Reformers love equal rights to all
and special privileges to none—of
which the interpretation is equal
taxation, justice and equity in every
case, irrespective of future condition
of race or color—not social equality
as some bourbon Democrats accuse
us; not their calculation—naught is
a naught and 5 is a figger, all for me
and none for the nigger.
Wrens, Ga. *■ Jefferson.
“To Starve Him Out.”
Editor Chronicle:
Under the above heading, an edi
torial appeare d in the Chronicle of
the 15th inst. I feel like rising, if
you will permit me, to a point of
person al privilege to vindicate my
self as a father, a citizen, a People’s
party man and a member of St.
Luke’s church. The charges in that
editorial are too broad and too op
probious to be overlooked, and I do
not think I would do myself justice
to keep silent when my honor is tra
duced in so palpable a manner. The
onslaught upon the memb era of this
church who belong to the People’s
party is unqualified. It says, “There
is division in St. Luke’s church. It
all comes from the bitterness engen
dered by the third party.” This
brings every People’s party man
equally under every charge that fol
lows. We are charged, all alike,
with boycotting our preacher. As
for myself, I have paid every cent I
obligated to pay, and others, who are
People’s party men, have done the
same. I will confess that I was in
dignant at the way our preacher
made acute angles just before the
national election. He was such an
extreme prohibitionist in July and
spurned it so early as November 8,
following.
Prohi-populists, as you call them,
are not so in gloriously ignorant of
Methodist laws as you charge them,
either; but there is one thing we are
ignorant about, that is, how a sancti
fied Christian Democratic pastor
could allow himself to become a cat’s
paw in the hands of greedy politi
cians and designing men to belittle
and disgrace the members of his
flock, unless it is for the sake of
filthy lucre.
Mr. Timmon’s year is nearly out
and we have been as liberal to him
as the means of poor people would
allow. We feel that his course in
the last few weeks, in his story of
starvation, will likely fill his pockets
and make the meshes of his purse
glitter more with the treasure that
perishes, but we feel that the poor
day-laborers, among whom he works,
after having divided their meager
earnings with their preacher, and
who suffer for actual needs in their
homes, must suffer the shame also
heaped upon them by one who ought
to have been their friend. *
The people of St. Luke’s church
are poor, but willing, and as they
aie poor they must suffer every
abuse that those in better circum
stances may please to heap upon
them. As the living of our preach
er’s parish is meager, so must his
living be meager. We can’t promise
a fortune to a preacher, but if a
preacher is a Christian he will en
dure with us and try to help us up,
and not turn his heel upon us be
cause his salary does not satisfy his
covetous appetite.
I close this letter praying God
that the Democratic pastor will re
pent of the egregious mistake he has
made and ask the forgiveness of all
good brethren offended.
T. Allen Shipp.
3