The People's party paper. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, June 23, 1893, Image 1

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The People’s Party Paper VOLUME IL POLICE COURT JUSTICE. HIGGINS, OF AUGUSTA, SCORES THE POLICE COURT. Augusta’s Mayor Says a Mau Does Not Always Receive Justice in Police Courts. Mr. John Higgins, of Augusta Ga., a whole-souled, intelligent Irish man, against whom no one has any thing except that he was so cranky as to imbibe Pee-wee doctrine and voted* talked and believed in the Hon. Thomas E. Watson, has a grievance against the Police Court and City Council of the above named city. From the shoulder with a vim, freely and to all appearances deserv edly, does he score the officials and and Police Court Judge of this vote repeating city because of the exist, ence of these grievances—grievances founded on the fact that justice and fair play has not been meted out to him as it should be to every Ameri can citizen. Now, it seems that Mr. Higgins, sometimes in last December, had a difficulty of words with a woman in his store, out on Twiggs street, over a small bill which she owed him and was trying to evade by claiming she had paid when she had not. Find ing the dodge didn’t work, thi s woman, who is of a most dissolute and disreputable character, began to abuse him in anything but choice and “ear pleasing” terms. Mr. Higgins took her by the arm and led her ont of the store. She re entered the store, and before she could be ejected the second time, although his wife and a visiting neighbor assisted, the Amazon had clawed up his face pretty badly. A passing policeman took the woman in charge, but upon her agree ment to appear at the Recorder’s Court, he release/! Ter, whereupon, Higgins forever -nffiad his hopes ny telling the said policeman that he had failed to do his duty. The morning following, in enter ing the Becorder’s Court where the case came up for trial, Mr. Higgins was warned of his possible fate, by the judge of said court saying, as he indicated a negro woman: “Is that your wife ?” A tableau. Mr. Higgins was too much astonished at the remark that came from the judicial bench to make any reply, but his wife, who was present said, “No, sir. I am his wife.” The judge of the court then an nounced that he would make a cross case of it, and without further notice, put Higgins on trial, although he had had no opportunity to summons and have present the witnesses whose testimony would have shown that no case of breach of the law could be made against him. The woman's statement, although she was of a dissolute and disrepu table character, was taken in prefer ence to that of Mr. and Mrs. Hig gins. The policeman, evidently suf fering from the rebuke given, stated that Mr. Higgins was drunk and that the woman bore a good char acter. Both of the statements Mr. Higgins stands ready to prove false. He claims that the officer got his idea of the -womans standing and character in the neighborhood from her kinspeople. The judge ended the trial by gracefully lining Mr. Higgins the sum of twenty-dve dollars. Mr- Higgins thereupon said he was in sulted, and objected to the verdict. The judge ruled that this was con tempt to bis judicial dignity and gave him in addition six hours in confinement. This is the case as it stands, in verification of which Mr. Higgins has shown to your correspondent the sworn affidavits of several witnesses which he now has in his possession. This ceremony of police courtism— or farce, as Higgins calls it—as pic tured in this communication yet re mains without public disputation. After the action of the Recorder’s court, Mr. Higgins, believing that he had been unfairly treated, formulated a petition, setting forth the facts, backed by affidavits before a Notary Public, and presented it to the city fathers, asking them to impar tially investigate the case, and give him justice by placing to -Sjz>esdeil to None.” guilt where it belonged. The city council referred it to the police com mittee to investigate and report back. This police committee gave only credence to the Judge’s state ment, paid no attention to the affi davits of the and the petition was quickly and summarily dismissed. Mr. Higgins having failed to be heard here, soon afterwards had a circular printed and distiibuted in Augusta, which was headed as fol lows : “A Plea for Justice —The Vic tim of a Tyrannous Court Ap peals to the People.” In this circular he set forth how he had been treated, partially stated his grievances and appealed to the people for the justice he could not get from their representatives. It was a red hot circular, created some little gossip, and even the Chronicle woke up and very laboriously poked fun at it. From this circular we clip the following concluding para graph : “If the people of Augusta fail to do me justice, then I ask the people of Georgia to investigate this wrong. Have I deserved such treatment, simply because I took my stand to help the people to secure their rights? It was for this that I was fictitiously tried, intimidated, robbed by the law on the testimony of a noted perjurer, and without any charge against me cast into jail and kept there like a felon until $25.00 was paid for my delivery. All I ask is justice, and I appeal to the honest men of Georgia to sustain me.” Mr. Higgins is still very indignant over the treatment he received, does not have any idea of letting the mat ter drop, continues to air it at inter vals, and speaks in no uncertain terms of the officials connected with his treatment. Mr. Higgins says that when he went to see the Mayor about his treatment a day or two after the i. J made T.is '-omplainV ver bally, that official gave him tht> fol lowing sentence of solace : “Unfortunately a man does not always get justice in court.” Mr. Higgins believes and states that his experience emulated not from facts, neither was justified by them, but was the natural results of the spleen they have against him be cause of Populistic views or Wat sonism. He does not believe that it would have been as it is if he had been a moss-back. Diogenes. The Armies of Europe. Washington Poet. According to the Paris correspon dent of the New York Herald, who has been gathering statistics on the subject, the various nations of Europe have more than tripled the size of their military establishments in the last twenty-four years, not all in the same proportion, but at that propor tion in the aggregate. The armies of Russia and Italy are four times as large in 1893 as they were in 1869; those of little Greece and Servia, six times greater. France, Germany and Austria have multiplied their armies by three, more or less. England has done least of the great powers in this direction, showing only an increase from 450,000 to 602,000. Yet while Europe in 1869 had only 6,958,000 soldiers on a war footing, her eigh teen powers, big and little, now have 22,248,000; and the burden of ex pense has augmented accordingly. The support of this vast armament devolves a cost upon the people and a drain upon the public resources of more than $800,000,000, and yet there are rulers in Europe who see, or imagine they see, or for reasons best known to themselves apprehend a necessity for still larger armies and still heavier taxation to subsist them. it must be confessed that under these circumstances the outlook for disarmament is not encouraging. If it requires 22,000,000 armed men to preserve the peace of the continent in this year of our Lord, the realiza tion of the dreams of those who are looking forward to the ultimate set tlement of all international misunder standings and jealousies by arbitra tion is reserved for a. period far be yond the ken of the present genera tion. In the mean time there are too many old scores to be wiped out, too many readjustments of the map of Europe to be made, too many ambi tious schemes of conquest in the Ori ent and elsewhere to be disposed of to warrant the belief that the peace is always to be preserved. Sooner or later some sanguinary crisis in affairs must come. It is not an un reasonable anticipation that it may be precipitated by the people them selves, wearied to desperation at last by a yoke that conscripts their man hood and paralyses their prosperity. ATLANTA, GA., FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 1593. THE SOCIALISTS WIN. THE FEATURE IN GERMANY’S REICHSTAG ELECTIONS. Many Startling Surprises Recorded in Berlin—Women Helped Anii-Sem ites and Socialist Democrats. Berlin, June 16. At 2 o’clock this morning returns from 70 dis tricts indicate that 36 have been car ried by parties opposed to the- army bill, 15 have been carried for the par ties favoring the bill, and 19 are in doubt between the Government and the opposition parties, with chances in a majority of them strongly in fa vor of the Government. The Gov ernment parties have lost three of their former seats, two to the Rich terists, or Social Democrats, as the second ballots shall decide, and one to a South German Democrat. The Government has won one seat from the opposition. The Social Demo crats have won two seats besides having secured many chances for new victories on the second ballot. A curious feature of their two ac complished victories in new fields is that they won at the expense of the Richter Radicals, also enemies of the army bill, and not, as was expected, at the expense of the National Lib erals, the friends of the b 11. Al though the Social Democratic gains are undoubtedly enormous, they will not prove bo large probably as the reports so far have indicated. The returns from the cities come in first, and it is in the cities that the Social Democrats always run best. » SOCIALIST MASS MEETINGS CLOSED. The police of this city closed up Socialist mass meetings at the Ger manian Hall, the Tnvoli, the Con cordia, the Elyseum and the Wedding Hall, owing to overcrowding. The crowds poured, cheering, into the streets, where they were quickly dis persed by the mounted Dur ing the day the distributed half a million handbills here. They spent 14,000 marks in the Fifth Di vision alone—the largest sum ever expended by a single party in a Berlin constituency. The Conservatives and Anti-Semites also worked hard. Th* 1 Socialist v-. te ’u wdl foot up 20.000 n-r.-or thev.ote cf 1890. The -women rendered great assistance in the Socialist canvass. In Berlin not a single candidate pledged to support the army bill has gained even the barren honor of a ballot. The prospects of a Govern ment majority seem to be vanishing. Roughly speaking the Socialist vote shows a great increase everywher. LATER. Berlin, June 18. The election returns were virtually coraple at 3 o’clock this afternoon. The report from but one district was then lack ing. The revision of the returns may necessitate a few alterations, but they will be trivial. The candidates elected number 215; of these 101 will vote for the army bill and 114 against it. la the following list, by parties, the antisemite conservatives are in cluded with the conservatives, and the independents are treated as mem bers of the parlies who will affiliate in the reichstag. Lieber-clerical, 68 ; social Demo crats, 29; conservatives and agra rian, 44; nation liberals, 18; radical unionists, who favor the bill, 4; Poles, 12; free conservatives, 10; clericals favorable to the bill, 11 ; Alsatians, 7 ; South German Demo crats, 4 ; aati-semite, 3, two of them favoring the bill; Bavarian agra rians, 2 ; Guelphs, 1 ; Dahes, 1 ; Bavarian separatists, 1 ; Richterists, none. Among the candidates in the 181 new ballots there will be 10 Poles, 52 conservatives, 9 agrarians, 7 free con servatives, 72 national liberals, 30 clericals, 77 social Democrats, 11 radical unionists, 35 Richterists and 8 Guelphs. As was expected, the latest re turns have increased steadily the list of members upon which the govern ment can rely for support. While the victories of the socialists Demo crats have been regarded with alarm upon the army bill, they will be more than offset by the loss of Richter radicals. After four hours in con ference yesterday afternoon, the ministers who had met the chancel lor to discuss the results of the elec tion, declared that, in view of the recent returns, it would be super fluous and inexpedient to issue an appeal to the country before rhe second ballot. On Friday several ministers favored this mode of arous ing rhe voters to support the govern ment candidates, but yesterday only two of them were still in favor of the plan. The great majority of the ministers are confident that by means of the conservatives, free conserva tive.! end national clericals they can secure a large number of seats at the second ballots from the Rich terists and clericals. They depend up<zi the general alarm excited by the social Democratic victories, to drive the clerical and opposition clericals into the government camp in constituencies where the contests are between conservatives or national liberal candidates and socialists. If these expectations are realized, not only will the government open the reichstag with almost half the mem bers on its side, but will also be enabled at the final poll to keep the social Democrats down to a total of forty or forty-five seats. Immediately after the election the clerical leaders sent out a circular letter to the constituencies to admon ish Cathonc voters that under no circumstances should they vote for army bill candidates in the bi-elec tions. Since then the socialist scare has become so general that the lead ers have revoked their first letter and have sent out another calculated to solidify the Catholic vote against the social Democratic candidates, even in cases where such a course will lead to the election of a con servative or national liberal. The (rermtzma (organ of the clericals) and several other Catholic dailies are now urging the Catholics in con stituencies contested by social Demo crats to ignore the army bill issue and vote solidly conservatives, free conservatives or national lib els. Where socialist successes are in question, says the Germania, the Catholic voter must subordinate all other duties to the duty of doing his best to prevent this. Social Demo cratic triumphs must be prevented at any cost. Speculators on the bourse took a sanguine view of the government’s prospects in the second ballots. Im perial and Prussian stocks, which weakened on Friday, were strong yesterday in consequence of the re ports that the government would have a small majority at the opening of the reichstag. Semi-official infor mation that the chancellor would abandon bis latest proposals for taxes on bourse operations and spirituous liquors helped to strengthen the prices. The official returns from many constituencies have been re ceived and will be published to-mor row. They contain much interesting information as to the votes polled by conspicuous candidates. Count Her bert Bismarck, who was elected by the agrarians in the Jerichow dis yoeeLed 11,669 xo cast for Ferdinand Woellmer, radical, who wds the last member ior the dis trict. Gloeck, the social Democrat candidate, received 4,341 votes. Count Herbert’s majority over all, therefore, was 480. He polled the full strength o*' the conservative vote, which, for the first ballot in 1890, was 11,182. The radical vote in 1890 was 9,964, and the social vote 2,487. These figures illustrate clearly how the socialists sapped the strength of the Richterists vote. In Metz, Dr. Haas, Alsatian and clerical, was elected by 9,655 to 3,436 cast far Liebermann von Sonnenberg, the anti-semite, and 3,428 for M ilhelm Liebnecht, leader of the social Dem ocrats. In Ragit, Count von Kanitz, the high protection conservative, re ceived 5,350 votes to 1,787 cast for his opponent, Dr. Brassick, of the radical union. Rector Ahlwardt, the notorious Jew baiter, now serving a sentence for libel in the Ploetzenze prison, swept everything before him in the Arnswaldt district, his old constitu ency. In Luenberg, the new ballot will be between Herr Withoeft, free conservative, and Freiherr von IV an genheim, a Guelph, who last repre sented the constituency. An erro neous report was received to the effect that the new ballot would be between Withoeft and I ischer, social Democrat. The vote was Withoeft, 8,213 ; Wangenheim, 6,125; Fischer, 4,132. predicting a majority for the BILL. London, June 18. The Berlin correspondent of the Daily Kev:s says: There cannot be the slightest doubt that the army bill will be passed with a good majority. The Standard's Berlin Corres pondent expresses the same opinion somewhat less emphatically. The Sugar Bounty. Washington, June 17.—Commis sioner Miller has prepared a* state ment which shows that the total sugar bounty for the fiscal year end ing June 30 will be $9,403,989.87. The amount actually paid is as fol lows : On cane sugar, $8,697,994.73 ; on beet sugar, $531,363.81 ; on sor ghum sugar, $19,817 ; on maple sugar, $60,119.32. Total, $9,309,- Amount involved-in claim* approved, but drafts not yet issued, 855,438.05. Total amount paid and to be paid, $9,364,732.92. Amount iifvolved in claims received and not acted upon, $39,256.96. Total, $9,- 403,989.87. Persons owing allegiance to other governments and none to the United States own 22,000,000 acres of land in this country —an area ten times the size of the State of Massachu setts and as large as all New Eng land. What do you say about America for Americans ?— Kentucky Journal. THE COAST SHAKE. AN EARTHQUAKE SHAKES THE SEABOARD CITIES. A Sharp Shock at Charleston, But No Damage Done—Augusta, Savannah and Brunswick Tremble. Charleston, S. C., June 20.—A slight earthquake shock moving from the northwest to the southeast was felt here at ll:05| precisely to-night. First there was a tremor, then a faint roar and then came the wave. The people got out of bed and ran into the streets as they did in former earthquake times. A game of poker at the fashionable Charleston Club was broken up, and an opera troupe took the street in great alarm. No damage to person or property. Some people are staying up all night. On the night of August 31, 1886, Charleston was visited by the famous earthquake, which ruined many buildings and caused many deaths under falling walls. That shock came about 9 o’clock at night, or rather the first one did. During the night many other severe shocks came, and, in fact, they continued for months. Slight shocks are felt here every few months, and it takes a hard one to cause alarm and start the natives running from their homes. To-night’s was more severe than the average shock in the last three or four years. The accepted theory is that they are caused by the slipping of vast parts of the strata lying beneath this section. QUITE SEVERE AT SAVANNAH. Savannah, Ga., June earthquake shock was felt quite se verely here tonight. It lasted from ten to fifteen seconds. Buildings all over the city were shaken quite se verely during th t-t time, but no damage was done so fa-* as has been learned. Telephone messages have been received from all parts of the city stating the shock was quite distinctly felt. A message from Ty bee light stated that the people down there were all awakened by the earthquake ana were badly scared, but no damage was done. AT BRUNSWICK. Brunswick, Ga., Juno 20.—At 1-1 o’clock tonight an earthquake passed under Brunswick. At the Brunswick Club, Bruns wick’s swell resort, the members dropped their pool and papers and hurried down stairs. At 10 o’clock tonight reports com ing from all directions of the city, report the shock to be perceptible in every section. A LITTLE SCARE AT AUGUSTA. Augusta, Ga., June 20.—Augusta was shaken tonight by an earthquake at 11:04 o’clock. It lasted several seconds. It was quite severe and generally felt. People rushed out of their houses and lined the streets. They were a little frightened, but not seriously. N j damage was dene. PEACEFUL REMEDIES. Defyers of Law Rewarded—Respecters of Law Despised. Lex Loci, in San Francisco Star. A few years ago, when the ques tion of Chinese immigration became simply a question of self-preservation j to the white inhabitants of this coun , try, and there was danger of the I wholesale massacre of the Chinese population of the Pacific Coast as the only available means for freeing our selves from the curse, it was urged that relief might be obtained by law ful and peacable methods. An ap , peal was made to the country. We did not ask for the deportation of , the Chinamen already here, but only | that no more be permitted to come. Congress passed an act of ex clusion, and the people rejoiced ; for no one doubted that the majesty of the law would be maintained and the oncoming horde of coolie bondsmen and murderous “hatchet-men” headed : off. That is, no one of the law-abiding i white population doubted that the restrictive measure would prove ef fective. With them, obedience to the mandates of the constituted au thorities by these alien trespassers was considered a matter of course. They should be glad to remain on any terms. But not so thought the Chinamen. They despised our coun try and did not hesitate to defy its laws. Immigration was scarcely checked. Bribery, perjury and fraud of every kind were employed to de- I feat the intent of the law. Our un protected borders, both to the North and the South, afforded admission to thousands; and, when once in the : country, there was no possible way . to detect the intruders, for they all NUMBER 40 look alike, and a Chinaman will swear to anything. So, what is known as the Geary act was demanded, not for the purpose of deporting Chinamen already here, but to make effective the much abused original exclusion act. Chi namen were given a full year in which to establish their lawful right to remain, and on doing se they were to be supplied with passports which would secure them against future annoyance or fear of deportation; and had they even now submitted to the laws of the land which regarded their presence as undesirable, their continued stay would have been dis puted by no one. But they placed their “tongs” above the national Congress, and obeyed their edicts forbidding regis tration; at the command of their leaders they defied the law, even though they knew that in doing so they incurred the penalty of depor tation, and sixty-five millions of free white American citizens were laughed at and spit upon by one hundred thousand coolie slaves at the instiga tion of their two or three score of lawless heathen masters. Now,- -what an opportunity was this to make manifest the majesty of the law ! What a chance to teach these despisers of our institutions that their contempt for us as a peo ple was not Well grounded ! They had openly asserted that with plenty of money they could “fix things all right.” One of them illustrated the whole thing, from his standpoint, with two twenty-dollar gold pieces. With a gold piece held before one eye, he said, “Officer see a little.” Then covering the other eye with the second gold piece, he said, “Officer see nothing.” The decision of the Supreme court, however, affirming the constitu tionality of the Geary act, seemed for a time to shake their faith in the potency of gold. For once it had failed them, and every Mongolian face seen on our streets showed that they were stunned by the blow. But another assessment was levied and promptly paid, and Chinatown smiled again. It was evident that they still hoped io purchase immu nity from the operation of the Geary act, but I thought these law-defyers, when they had to do with the Presi dent of the United States and his chosen subordinates, would find that they were not dealing with the San Francisco police force. I confi dently believed that a man, the greater part of whose life had been passed in assisting in some capacity to apply the mandates of the law, would now, in his exalted position, with his oath of office so newly pledged, hasten to teach this defiant alien population that they were cer tainly not more exempt from the operation of our laws than were our own people. Did he do it? No! Why did he not do it? Well, that would be hard to tell. It certainly was his duty, and it should have been a pleasant duty, inasmuch as it would have freed his country from a blighting curse and his race and re ligion from a threatened danger too apparent to be disguised. And what of the relief which for ten long years we have hoped and striven to attain through peaceful methods? Is history to record that at the last, when apparently within our grasp, it was snatched from us by the hand of the man who, by vir ture of his office and his oath, should have done all in his power to assist in its attainment? “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.” It will be a mad act, on the part of those most interested, to convince the American people that there can be no law enacted to stop the in vasion of this country by China. The fact that the Chinaman is a moral and social leper will count for nothing so long as he is needided to “hold down” the price of American labor. 31. D. Irwin Will address the alliances at the fol lowing places at times mentioned. Monroe county, Moss Store, July 1 Pike “ “ 3 Gwinnett “ “ 4 Campbell “ “ 6 Troup “ Mountville, “ 7 Lowdnes “ “ 13 Laurens “ “ 15 Polk “ “ 20 Floyd “ “ 21 Haralson “ “22 Paulding “ “28 Earthquake in Greece. Athens, June 17.—A repetition of earthquakes is reported from various parts of Greece. Serious damage was done at Thebes, where houses are in ruins and the inhabitants are camping out in tents. Dixon Fought a Drw. New York, June 17.—The boxing contest between George Dixon and Jerry Barnett at the Academy of Music to-night, resulting in a draw after a hot contest.