Newspaper Page Text
Flve-Cent Cotton.
Three or four months the Consti
; tution, discussing the probable as well
. as the visible effects of the re-estab
ment and ratification of the single gold
standard by the refusal of congress to
substitute democratic legislation for
the Sherman act, inquired whether the
: farmers of the south would be com
i pelled by the constantly increasing
value of money, based on gold, to sell
their cotton crop at 5 cents a pound.
The inquiry appeared to worry some
of our goldbug contemporaries. They
protested against such suggestions.
: The Charleston News and Courier de
, dared that the idea of 5-cent cotton
was preposterous, and it made other
remarks characteristic of the profound
i ignorance that the average goldbug
1 brings to bear on the discussion of the
money question. But the farmers of
Georgia woke up yesterday morning to
discover that 5-cent cotton was in plain
view. They woke up to discover that
the crop on which they place their
main dependence has fallen in the last
jiour years nearly 6 cents a pound.
Meanwhile we have what the goldbugs
. call “sound money” add everything is
all serene for those who get their in
comes from bonds or from fixed sala
ries.
The above, which is clipped from
' the Constitution, belongs to that
class of literature which is de
nounced as calamity-howling. But
it is the literal truth for all that.
That a great paper, stating so
truthfully the real condition of the
people, clear-sighted and indepen
dent enough to point out its real
cause, should yet lend its support to
the party which produced it and is
pledged to its continuance, is one of
the things of the present campaign
which more than anything else
shows the power of the “men who
control.”
The Constitution supports the
democratic party with Mr. W. Y.
Atkinson at the head of its state
ticket, a man whom it declared unfit
for the position, who is understood
to be the enemy of Atlanta, and who
boastfully declared that ho would
run the worthy man who opposed
him for the nomination out of the
race and then wipe up the earth with
the Atlanta Constitution. People
did not believe that he could do
either, but today General Evans,
after having been beaten by trick
ery, is engaged in making speeches
for the man in whose interest it was
done, and the great Constitution in
abject humility, is crawling upon its
knees whipped into the implied con
fession that it traduced the “ring,”
and laboring for the elevation to the
highest office of a Yellowstone Kit
statesman.
In national matters it is the same.
While deploring the condition which
6 cents cotton means to the south,
and while pointing out that it is due
to the “re-establishment and ratifica
tion of the single gold standard,”
the Constitution supports the party
which stands pledged to the contin
uance of this policy so ruinous to the
south. The people’s party is the
only party which stands pledged to
the re establishment of the double
standard, as is freely admitted by
the Journal and other straight-out
goldbug papers. The democratic
party is committed to the single gold
standard and the effort to make the
people believe otherwise is but a
campaign trick to deceive the
voters.
The Daily Press has shown how
the republican state platform of Ne
braska and the democratic state plat"
form of Georgia are the same; how
the democratic state platform of
Maryland is a most'pronounced single
gold standard instrument; that the
••men who control” the democratic
party in Georgia favor the gold
standard and consented to an am
biguous.and befogging expression of
their views in the state platform only
for the purpose of misleading voters.
If the party in this state favored free
silver coinage an unequivocal de
mand for such action would have
been adopted. The district plat
forms favoring the free silver coinage
at the ratio of 16 to 1 were so passed
only for the purpose of deception as
appears at once when on that plat
form Major Black is nominated in
the 10th district, after having voted
for the unconditional repeal of the
purchasing clause of the Sherman
bill, the only law under which silver
could be coined at all.
That a papey like the* Journal,
which advocates the* single gold
standard should support the demo
cratic party can be easily under
stood. But that a paper like the
Constitution, which believes that the
present distress is largely, due to the
closing of the mints to silver, should
support the same party is a matter
of serious reflection. It demon
strates the power of the “men who
control” the democratic party, state
and national.
Five cent cotton and its attendant
conditions will remain with us and
grow in intensity so long as the dem
ocratic party remains in power and
“the men who control,” control the
state in the interest of the demo
cratic party.
The attitude of the Constitution
shows the power of that gatig. The
FEOPLE’S PARTY PAPER, ATLANTA, GA., SEPTEMBER 28, 1894.
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The widow and the orphan, taxed on all they wear and much that they eat, are taxed 45 per cent for the poor privilege of marking with a slab the grave of the husband and father
who was taxed to death under the Democratic Tariff Reform Bill which even Cleveland was ashamed to sign.
rule of the “men who control” is in
conpatible ■with free government. It
is inimical to the best interests of
the people.
They must be turned out.
Whipped In by the Job-lash.
Recently we copied from the El
berton Star the proceedings of a col
ored mass meeting which adopted res
olutions protesting against debauch
ing voters with whisky, and pledging
themselves to oppose any party
which resorted to such methods.
The resolutions were signed by the
secretary, a colored school teacher of
that county.
In the next issue of the Star ap- j
peared a notice, signed officially by j
the school commissioner of Elbert
county, in which that resolution was
denounced as “the biggest fool and
nonsensical article,” and the job-lash
cracked in “ a few plain words of
English ” given in these words:
So help me God, as long as I am
county school commissioner, the “nig
ger” politicians of Georgia will not
teach our schools.
It did the -work, as the following
card in this week’s Star will show:
Mb. Editor—l am in receipt of a very
satisfactory letter from 11. J. Spann,
colored teacher, who disclaims any con
nection with the resolution referred to
in previous articles from me.
I take pleasure in saying that I have
always regarded him as one of the best
colored teachers in our county and
have often remarked the same,
He says be only acted as secretary by
request, and I take this opportunity -to
withdraw any remarks that may have
come from me reflecting on him.
Very Respectfully,
J. N. Wall, C. S. C.
Only one of the methods of “the
men who control.” Manhood and
virtue are crushed out in the reck
less determination to hold to the
offices.
Who can endorse such methods or
support the party which practices
them?
The Daily Press will be mailed
to any address in the United States
four months for two dollars.
The Same Old Story.
The Thomasville Advertiser, in its
report of Mr. Watson’s speech in that
city last Wednesday, says:
Tom’s talk was the same old calamity
howl. To his uncovered eyes he sees
no bright star of hope. His populistic
glasses blind him to the march of
prosperity w(iich is sweeping over Geor
gia, and he sends up his little wail of
woe. His harrangue is the same old,
old story, with nothing new in it. It
is the most veritable rot. with less sense
than one of the talks by Whiskers
Pope.
Could his speech be anything but
the same old story ? How long will
the democratic press keep up its
senseless abuse of the men who try
to rouse the people to shake off the
yoke of the party whose rule is daily
sinking our country into deeper
depths of financial distress and its
attendant suffering and want? In
spite of the same old song of the
democratic editors that times were
getting belter, and that the dear old
party would bring relief to a plun
dered people, it is proven to be but
the siren's song which is luring the
people on to destruction. Instead of
the promised improvement what have
we? After nearly two years of demo
cratic rule we find ourselves heavily
taxed on sugar, with an increase in
the price of all the necessaries of
life, with dearer bagging and ties in
which to wrap cotton, which is
steadily declining.
It is the same old story of demo
cratic antagonism to the interests of
tho people, which is bringing ruin to
our people and will continue so as
long as that party remains in power;
and it is the same old game with the
democratic leaders and editors, to
villify and abuse the party and the
men through whom alone redemp
tion from the existing unjust and op-
pressive conditions can bo wrought
out.
If the Advertiser can point to a
single fact which would justify a
change in the same old story, why
dont its partisan editor do so?
If his partisan glasses enable him
to see “the march of prosperity which
is swooping over Georgia,” why don’t
he point it out, instead of indulging
in viliification ?
Is it in the increased price of sugar,
of cotton bagging, of ties? Is it in
the decreased price of cotton and
other farm products? Is it in the
loss of twenty-six millions of wealth
as shown by our tax books ?
He can’t do it. That march of
prosperity is invisible to any one not
holding an office or aspiring for one.
The producing masses of our people
are on the down grade of financial
prosperity.
It will continue to be the same old
story of continuing and increasing
depression until the democratic party
is hurled from power.
Stick to the Text.
Following the usual method em
ployed by the democratic press, of
distorting the aims and purposes of
the people’s party, and by appeals to
prejudice and ignorance arousing
opposition to it, the Savannah Press
recently contained the assertion that
one of the demands the people’s
party was for “no man to own more
land than he could cultivate for his
own private use.”
This was so grossly false that
charity led us to suppose that the
talented editor of our Savannah
namesake bad never read the popu
■ list platform, and that, simply accept
ing as true the idle vaporing of some
person not better informed than
himself, he had misstated the facts
without being aware of it.
But the Savannah Press disclaims
the excuse wo set up for it. Its
effort to place the people’s party in a
bad light before its readers and
prejudice them against it was not
due to a false conception it had of
the real purposes of our party. It
was not due to excessive zeal begot
ten of ignorance ! By its own words
it confesses to misrepresentation, for
the proof it presents of the correct
ness and justifiableness of its accu
sation is so preposterously far-fetched
and absurd that it would be a reflec
tion on its editor's intelligence to
suppose that he really believed it.
Here is what the Press has to say
about it:
The Savannah Press has read the
populist platform and that is the rea
son it makes the assertion that the land
plank breathes the spirit of confisca
tion. It declares that "the land, in
cluding all the natural sources of
wealth, is the heritage of all the peo
ple, and should not be monopolized for
speculative purposes, and an alien
ownership of land should be prohibited.
All lands now held by railroads and
other corporations in excess of their
actual needs, and all lauds now owned
by aliens should be reclaimed by the
government and held for actual settlers
only.”
The danger lies in the words “and I
other corporations."’ The trouble is I
that many lumber companies and other I
industries have bought up large tracts I
of bind and were bolding them against I
the t me when the supply of timber I
might be exhausted. Under the sweep
ing conditions of the populist’s land
plank such holdings might be con
strued as being “in excess of their
actual needs” and in a certain degree
"for speculative purposes.” If this
party proposes to sit in judgment upon
the amount of land a m m owns it
might likewise assume to cut down the
products of a farmer or tho wages of
labor. This kind of government regu
lation is apt to get people into inter
minable trouble.
• Singling out the lumber companies
is a cunning plan of the Savannah
Press to divert the attention of the
lumbermen from the fact that the
democrats have placed lumber upon
the free list, forcing them to sell
their product in a free trade market
while they must pay protection
prices for all their supplies. There
is no danger in the words “and other
corporations,” to the lumber com.
panies, for the section states ex
pressly “for speculative purposes,”
and lands held for legitimate indus
trial purposes do not come under
that head.
It is a miserable makeshift of an
attempt to justify the false state
made in the first instance that a
“man can own only what he can cul
tivate for his own private use,” and
if the dear Savannah Press were not
more concerned about retaining the
democratic party in power than it
seems to be about conforming its
; statements to truth knd Reason, it
I would not have made M.
Change Cars, But Saute Old Crew.
Georgians, when you arose in your
wrath in 1872 and ran Bullock out
of the state you thought you had de
livered the state from the gang
which had been plundering it.
The democratic orators told you
so. They say it now. Lawson said
it at Elberton the other day. The
democratic newspapers tell you no.
The Journal published a synopsis of
Lawson’s speech.
“The men who control,” who own
both the orators and newspapers tell
you so.
Is it so? Not by a large majority.
The same old methods and some
of the same old gang are at the pub
lic teat today.
The same old crowd have their
heads in the government trough.
Do “the men who control” tell
you anything about this? No!
When you rescued the grand old
state from republican rule and placed
the rudder and compass in the hands
of democracy you little dreamed
that the old ship of state would fall
into the hands of pirates and free
booters.
In 1872 a democratic legislature
investigated everything Bullock had
done.
Among other things which that
legislature did was to appoint a com
mittee to investigate tho “adminis
tration and management” of the
Western and Atlantic Railroad by
Governor Bullock.
The chairman of that committee
was Milton A. Candler, of the county
of DeKalb. Colonel Candler is an
honest man, and therefore Livingston
defeated him, and in the report of
that committee he used the follow
ing language:
“The people of Georgia have the im
pression that new-comers—northern
men, republican adventurers, carpet
baggers—have profited chiefly by the
mismanagement of the State road. The
investigation docs not show it. Geor
gians have had a portion, a liberal por
tion-white and black, laborers and
traders, merchants, printers and law
yers, the latter especially. No preda
tory squadron of cavalry ever swept
through an enemy’s country with more
rapacity and ruthlessness than has
characterized the raid of the lawyers
upon the inexhaustible dear old Slate
road treasury.”
See p. 36 of the report.
Among those who are named as
having engaged in this raid on the
public treasury are the following
named lawyers and firms:
John L. Hopkins, individually,
$5,540.25. His firm Hopkins &
Brown, is stated as having received
from the same source $6,666.
On page 52 of the report made
by W, L. Clarke of the committee
to investigate Bullocks administra
tion of state affairs, the report says
that:
John L. Hopkins received $1,750
for fees direct from the state treasury
on Bullock’s order.
Hopkins & Dougherty received
$5,000 from Bullock.
Hopkins & Brown 81,200.
Clifford Anderson is down for a
fee of 81,250 paid him by Bullock.
L. N. Trammell is said to have re
ceived the snug little sum of $40,000
I from Mr. Bullock.
I John Milledge is on the list for a
SSOO fee.
Who are these men ?
John L. Hopkins is one of the
men recently appointed by Governor
Northen at a fee of 83,000 to codify
the laws of Georgia. - ,
Who is Clifford Anderson ?
He is a man who is now in the
employ of the state at a fee of
$3,000.
He is the man who received a fee
of $5,000 in the railroad tax case.
He is the legal adviser and con
science keeper for W. Y. Atkinson
alias Thousand Dollar Bill.
The man who engaged in that
“ruthless raid on the treasury” in
Bullock’s day, would naturally ad.
vise Thousand Dollar Bill to take
that fee. Ex-attorney for Bullock
and attorney for “the men who con
trol.”
Who is L. N. Trammell ?
Mr. Trammell is tho gentleman
who was nominated by the demo
crats of tho seventh congressional
district, and had to get out of the
race when Dr. Felton threw this
840,000 raid into that campaign.
Mr. Trammell is now a member of
the state railroad commission at a
ring salary of $2,500, while his son
has a snug little job under Cleve
land.
Who is John Milledge?
An exceedinlg courteous, nice,
genteel, clever gentleman, who is
engaged as state libarian at a nice
salary of SI,BOO, with an assistant at
SBOO and a negro porter to help.
He is the man "who on the 17th of
August, 1893, purchased a tppe*
writer with 8100 dollars of your
money.
Just who uses this machine does
not appear, but is more than proba
ble the young lady who has an
office in the State Library and docs
shorthand and typewriting for the
lawyers.
Who go to tho state library to
consult the lawbooks for their own
benefit.
In this case tho state not only fur
nishes the lawyers with free books
but furnishes a house to keep them
in, three men to keep the dust off
the free books, and a free machine
to make copies.
You fellows who voted to turn out
that crowd in 1872, were probably
mistaken as to what you wanted.
At least “the men who control”
think so.
Don’t Bo Bought.
Ths claim is made by the demo
cratic press that the Negro journals
are advising colored voters to sup
port the democratic ticket. It is
false. The only Negro journal in
the state which favors the demo
cratic party is the Freeman, run by
“Mr. Ross, of New York,” for the
democratic campaign committee.
We have quoted freely from the
Negro state press to show where the
independent editors stand. They all
favor the populists. Below we give
a clipping from the People’s Advo
cate, of Atlanta, which is on the
same line:
We are now, as we have always been,
trying to advise our people as to the
best course to take in the coming po
litical contest. It is our conscientious
belief that the colored men of Georgia
should support the populist party. We
have studied the principles of both
parties, and compared them carefully,
and do declare that there isnothingfor
the Negroes in the democratic party
but abuse, suppression and humilia
tion. The Negroes of Georgia are
called upon to be men, men who can
not be bought and sold in the next
election like so many cattle. The time
has come when we must cast our vote
for those principles which we consien
tiously believe to be working for the
best good of all the people of this com
monwealth.
Our offer to send the Peo
pie’s Party Paper for four
months for 25 cents will be
withdrawn on October 15th.
Fair Flections.
A great hue and cry is being raised
for fair elections all over the state just
now. The old republican rally of a
“free ballot and a fair count” is being 1
worked for all it is worth. Every
honest man desires a perfectly fail
election, nothing’ less will satisfy the
people of this state. But why is it
when the law fixes the method for
holding elections, that at this late day
charletans, mountebanks, mugwumps
and weak-kneed take up
this republican rallying cry and join
with the populists in their screeches
for fair play ? These blatant charle
tans who pose as the very essence of
purity were as dumb as oysters in the
days when republicanism ran riot in
this section, and then as now, sat with
folded hands and thanked God that
they were not like other men.
That every man has the right to de
posit his ballot freely and without re
serve, and to have that ballot counted
after it is deposited, none will deny.
Nothing less will be done in this
country.
But if there is such grave doubt rest
ing on the minds of the public that
this is notso, the very pertinent inquiry
arises—from whence comes this dis
trust? Where, from whom and why?
No man, except he be a foolora knave,
will assert, since the advent of popu
lism. or before as to that matter, that
previous elections in this county have
been unfair, or that voters have been
intimidated. If so; show up the fraud,
name the man, the time and place.
Business is business—show up, or
shut up.
We will give our good brother
one instance : At the congressional
election in November, 1892, Rich
mond county polled 12,955 votes,
when less than 9,000 voters were
registered and the county contained
but 11,028 men of voting age.
Now if the Observer’s cry for a
fair election is not like the cry of the
rogue who loudly bawls “stop thief”
to deceive his pursuers, it will not
weaken its demand for a fair elec
tion by a pretense that there is no
grounds for it. It will also reserve
its vigorous denunciations for the
men who are guilty aud the party in
whose interest it is done instead of
pouring out tho vials of its wrath on
those who make the demand.
Take Notice.
Our offer to send the People’s
Party Paper four months for
twenty-five cents will be withdrawn
October 15.
Honest Democrats vs. The Bosses.
Why should there not boa di
vision of election managers? It
would insure honest elections, and
there could be no room for contests.
The Post is in favor of a division,
but Steve Clay and the other bosses,
“the men who control,” are not.
Down with the bosses.—Acworth
Post.
The Daily Press four months for
two dollars.
Must Have a Division.
In the report of Mr. Steve Clay’i
speech at Cordele last week in the
Sentinel the following passage occurs:
The speaker was interrupted by pop
ulist Scott who asked him if he favored
fair elections.
"Yes, sir. Ido. Don't you ? We will
give you a manager at every precinct
and beat you 75,000 majority.”
We are not so much concerned
about the pretentious claims the
chairman of the democratic execu
tive committee makes as we are about
the promise which precedes it. How
much his boastful figures on tho
stump differ from those which he and
his co-workers discuss with doubt
and misgiving at their confidential
inner conclaves is best known to
himself. To whichever side the
majority may fall, hate ver the
size of that majority shall be, all good
men will acquiesce in it and submit
to it cheerfully if it be the result of a
fair and free expression of the will of
the people, of a free ballot and an
honest count.
Is the promise of Chairman Clay
that there shall be a division of elec
tion managers only platform bun
combe like the closing part of the
same sentence? Did he really mean
what he said when he promised that
“we (the democrats, of whom Mr.,
Clay is tho executive head) will give
you a manager at every precinct?”
It may well be doubted when bis
contemptuous refusal of Mr. Wat
son’s proposition is remembered, and
the action of several county execu
tive committees who, taking their
cue from the central committee, like
wise refused a division of managers.
That to the question publicly put
to him “Do you favor fair elections?”
he should answer “We will give you
a manager at every piecinct” may
seem somewhat strange. One of the
objections which he gave for not
signing the agreement for a division
of managers was that the committee
had no authority to appoint mana
gers. Has Mr. Clay suddenly dis
covered that, his committee does pos
sess the power, if not to appoint, at
least to signify its desire for such
action which virtually amounts to
the appointment of a joint repre
sentation on the boards of election
managers? Has he seen the hand,
writing on the wall in the brave
action of Mr, Hanis of Bibb; and
does he realize. that the great body >
of honest democrats desire to sea 1
fair play?
Let there be a division of mana
gers at every precinct. Let every
populist in every precinct controlled j
by populists see to it that one of the j
managers is a democrat who has the
confidence of his party, and let them
accord to every democrat, white and
black, the free and untrammeled
right to vote the ticket of his choice.
Let every democrat in the precincts
controlled by the democrats be will
ing to the same fair and just treat
ment of the populists, and this elec
tion in Georgia, no matter which
party shall receive the majority of
votes, will cement our people hi new
and stronger bonds of fraternity
which will heal all division and make
us a unit for the great and all-im
portant national struggle which must
come in ’96. A fair division of elec
tion managers is all the populists ask,
and granted these, if the majority
against them should be 75,000 or
100,000, there will not be a murmer
or a complaint.
“What will it profit a man if he
gain tho whole world and lose his
own soul ?” What will it profit our
state if the democratic party should
carry the election and have to resort
to fraud to do it? Each party is
honestly striving to benefit our state
and people. Will fraud do that?
Will bitter feelings of unjust treat
ment and outraged justice in the hearts
of half of our people do it? Will a
government whose title rests on fraud
command that respect and support
of the people so essential to make it
a success? Will the great enter,
prises contemplated for next year be
crowned with glory of unparalleled
success with a divided and mutually
distrustful people?
We must have a fair election. The
good men of the state, irrespective
of party, demand it. The interest
of the state will suffer if we have it
not.
Let each party have a representa
tive on the board of election man
managers at every preoint in tho
state next week.
In Keeping With Their Methods.
It is said that the negroes names
that are put in the jury box in Ma
con county are written on colored
paper so the judge can leave them
in the box when he draws a jury. It
is a good way to fool the negro.—•
Dahlonega Signal.
When in Macon
Get your meals at Chapman's En
glish Kitchen. The only ladies’ and |
gent's restaurant in the city. Every-)
thing first class. Regular meal* 35,
cental -No whisk v sold —1
5
