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THE FREE PRESS- An Independent Democratic Journal* ( . ii ~WILLINGHAM, Editor. The Free I‘rf.ss is an Independent Democrat ic .lounial, opposed to all Kings, Cliques and ombinations, of whatever sort, organized tode t.-at the will of the people in all public matters or interests in whatever shape presented. Cartersville, Clcorgis, August 22, 1878. FOR CONGRESS, SEVENTH DISTRICT, JIOjV. XV M. H. FELTON, OF BARTOW COUNTY. H HERE STOOD DR. FELTON DURING THE REIGN OF BELLOC NT It has been frequently asked by .lodge T.ester, his friends and the organs of the “organized” since the present canvass opened, how Dr. Felton stood reign of the “Rlaek Prince,” Rufus B. Bullock, while lie was Governor of Geor gia, (n answer to .such enquiry, we ap jH*nd herewith extracts from the general presentments <f the grand jury of Bar tow county, of 1871, at the fall term of our superior court of that year, of which l>r. Felton was foreman and Dr. 'l'. H. Baker clerk. The jury was such men as Rev. J. G. Rvals, Rev. J. T. Norris and other equally substantial and reliable citizens. The extracts are as follows: Before quitting this subject of taxation, we would take occasion to reiterate the several sol emu protests which have leen entered by former ‘<rand Juries or tins county against the reckless extravagance and the disregard of honesty which lias for several year* characterized the adminis tration of onr State finances. We deem it proper in this connection also that our immediate representatives, Messrs. Wofford and G-ay, in whom we have entire confidence, and to whom the oppressed and outraged tax payers of the county are looking for relief, he requested to enquire diligently and thoroughly into tin* financial condition of toe State, expos ing fearlessly all frauds and peculations, and if they should ascertain that the testimony which Mr. Angier, the State treasurer, recently gave before the Congressional committee be correct, n far as it relates to the unauthorized issue of •state Isolds—bonds issued without the knowl edge and signature of said treasurer —bonds for which the State has never received a bona Jide equivalent—then we recommend that they advo cate measures looking to the unconditional repu diation of all such State obligations, as we l*c lieve there exists no law in the moral and social code requiring the citizens of a State to pay debts contracted for the benefit of public thieves. We lw*g leave to express onr unutterable oppo sition to tiie policy of issuing State bonds, or the endorsement of bonds by the State for building railroads. These bonds are often disposed of before ihc work is completed, and it frequently happens that after the road is finished it is com paratively worthless, and would not, with all its equipments, reimburse the State. We believe that the manipulators of this policy have attain ed fraudulently and dishonestly untold treasures of public gold, and have entailed upon the State heavy burdens of taxation which will he accu mulative for generations to come. We recom mend that our representatives use all their in fluence to arrest this policy, and that they pro cure if possible the passage of a bill by which the State's interest in these roads may be turned over to the holders of these ixmds, and that said bonds lie cancelled. Asa remedy for existing evils, and as a safeguard against future extrava gance, we would recommend the passage ot a local law by our General Assembly limiting the amount of money to be raised for county pnr|>o s<-3 . u,.. *„, of |]o,ooo annually, except for spe cial objects aiitiioiizo.i statutes, provided such amount shall assessments here after to lie made to existing indebtedness. , ,'-V. >(. V'HI.’POfJ. Euihmiiiu. <or. m. baker, C lerk: it will be borne in mind that at that time Hon. .1. R. Parrott was judge of the Cherokee circuit, and an appointee of Bullock's, and that these presentments or recommendations to the Legislature were far in advance of any action on the bond question by the Democratic Legislature of 1871-72, as they were made in Septem ber, 1871. It will also be remembered that the Legislature took no action on the fraudulent bonds until its July and Au gust session of 1872 —only appointing a committee at the fall and winter session of 1871-2 to investigate the bond question and report thereon to the Legislature at the Jul}’ and August session of 1872. It will he seen from the foregoing extracts from the general presentments quoted, that Dr. Felton, with his grand jury, of which he was foreman, and of which he was the author, anticipated the Legisla ture as to w hat was its duty in regard to the illegal and fraudulent 1 Kinds of Gov. Bullock and his Legislature, and asked that they he legally and thoroughly in vestigated, and that the Legislature per form its duty to the people in the premi ses honestly and fearlessly. The course asked or recommended by that grand ju ry has Ik*pu carried out by the Democrat ic Legislature since that time, and by the constitutional convention of 1877. The Legislature, in carrying out the spirit of the above quoted general presentments from Bartow county, in 1872, repudiated many of those fraudulent bonds, as like wise did tiie Legislature of 1875-76. It was the earn ing out the terms of the presentment* of Dr. Felton that the lion. George liillver introduced the con stitutional amendment of 1876 prohibit ing forever the issuing of any bonds by the State and the payment of the bonds declared fraudulent by previous Legisla tures, and of which Gen. Toombs com plained that such amendment to the con stitution was imperfect, as it let in cer tain numbers of fraudulent bonds and opened the gates to the holders of such fraudulent Ixinds as were not by it de stroyed, and which was afterwards cor rected by the Legislature iu obedience to the idea of Gen. Toombs, the amendment for which was ratified by the people in June, 1877, just liefore the election of delegates to the convention of 1877. It was the carrying out of the principles enunciated by the general presentments as quoted aliove that rite convention of 1877 placed in our present constitution the bond prohibition clause or section. Here is where the true and tried old Roman, Dr. Felton, was long before his friends thought of bringing him forward for Congress from this district. It was by entertaining and declaring these hon est convictions he manifested a statesman ship and foresighteduess in regard to the true interests of the people that made his friends bring him forward as a candidate for Congress in the national darkness and corruptness of domestic polities in 1874, and again in the financial depression of 1876, when the bondholders had fastened their envenomed fangs upon Congress ional legislation, and, by poisoning and corrupting it, brought depression upon sill kinds of business, and ruin and bank ruptcy upon our once prosjierous country and active and remunerative industries. JUDICIAL PROPRTETY. Well, we have heard from Canton at last. It actually occurred that Judge Lester did sjieak to the Cherokee county people there on Wednesday of last w eek, it being the week of the superior court of that county of which lie is tiie presiding Judge. We understand Judge Pottle, of Warrenton, presided in place of Judge Lester, while Judge Lester patrolled the* county i>on the hustings, haranging the people for their votes to elect him to Con gress. Was the lik ever known in good old Georgia before? Judge H. V. John son wouldn’t say a few words for his old rieml Stephens, when that great ‘states man spoke at Wad ley, a few days ago, because be was a judicial officer. .lodge Martin Crawford refuses to indulge in a scramble for a congressional nomination because he occupies the judicial liench. Judge John [.Hall refused to allow the use of bis name for Congress in the fifth because be was a presiding judge. But Judge Lester is not only a eandi didate for Congress and is on tiie stump daily, but lie has actually invaded one of bis own judicial counties while bis own court is being held there by a brother Judge. I!e has patrolled that county while his own court was in session and the rights of the people thereof were being adjudicated at the tribunal of justice of which be is the presiding officer. As we have said, it is hoped that such a spec tacle will never again lie witnessed in Georgia. l T pon this subject we call the attention of our readers to an able article from the Columbus Times published on our fourth page. What will the writer in the Time* think when lie learns of the conduct of Judge Lester in Cherokee county last week? What does the editor of the Times himself think of such judi cial impropriety? Would be now vote for Lester were be a voter in this district? Let brother Martin answer these ques tions, and say if he approves of such im propriety. Why don’t Judge Lester resign bis judgship. If he is bound to lie elected anyhow as be and bis friends claim, why don’t*he resign? We understand that certain gentlemen who aided in securing his nomination have demanded bis resig nation. This may or may not be true. At any rate we may -safely say that Col. J. R. Brown is ready to don the judicial ermine at any time Judge Lester will doff the robes of justice. We say let Lester resign bis judgsliip or ret ire from the canvass. J udicial propriety demands that lie should do one or the other. THE NINTH DISTRICT. The campaign is hot in the .ninth. Speer, the independent candidate, is making it hot for tiie so-called organized. He lias a good leverage power upon them in the fact that Bell was unjustly over thrown to meet the exigencies of organi zation. Bell had a vote of forty against twenty-six in the Gainesville convention, an evidence that lie had the support of a large majority of the organized voters of that district. Even Carlton had a better shewing than Billups, because Billups '*. nnt rftstnglit Of 0,.i , |- ivlinl cmVeil n compromise in the convention. If there had been any justice in the or ganized convention at Gainesville, Bell would have been nominated in response to the majority of the organized. Bell was a splendid representative, and bis record as a Congressman cannot lie assail ed. As be was a faithful representative, why was be not nominated? But such is organization. The choice of the people is ignored to meeCthe insa tiable demands of organization in the conventions of which the voice of the peo ple is not heard, or not respected if heard. Hence, we say that Speer has the bulge on the organized, and ought to use his advantage effectually. The people ought to ignore the action of the Gainesville convention because it ignored them, For these reasons we hope for Speer’s triumph. We hope for it in the interest of the people. We hope for it because Speer is capable and deserves success over the thimble-riggers of the ninth dis trict. JUDGE LESTER'S WAR RECORD. We have received a letter from a pri vate soldier of the forty-first Georgia reg iment. He gives its an account of about tlie time the J>.idg< served as a Confeder ate soldier. It will be remembered that the forty-first regiment w.c made up in March, 18(12, when Gov. Brown wss about to make a draft for Georgia’s quot., for soldiers. The Judge was a captain in that regiment, which was first ordered to Big Shanty, the camp of instruction at that time for Georgia soldiers. The regiment was first ordered to Chattanoo ga, from thence to Corinth, Miss, at which some skirmishes were had with the ene my with the loss of one man. The regi ment then fell back to Tupelo, Miss., then to Bridgeport, Tenn., then to Perry ville, Ky., when the regiment had a gen eral engagement, in which Judge Lester lost ins arm in line of battle on the Bth of September. It will be seen that Judge Lester was in the war but little over six or seven months, except a short time be served in the State militia near Rome in 1863, a colonel of militia, in which the editor of Thk Free Press was a gallant soldier also, during which time be never saw a Yankee. Judge Lester lost an arm honestly in the war, but that is no reason why he should lie especially called a hero. Gen. Loring fought through the v'hole war with one arm and Gen. Hood with one leg. Judge Lester quit fighting when be lost his arm, although an officer. Didn’t “Old Aleck” just lasli the thimble-riggers of the eighth district into organizing upon himself? “Old Aleck,” as little as be is, physically', is too big a man for the thimble-riggers, “Old Aleck” is a whale done up in a few skin and bones. The only persons we are sorry for are the wild Irishman, Pat Walsh, and the white-handed Greg. Wright, of the Augusta Chronicle and Constitnttonal 1st —they take it so hard. Hurrah for “Old Aleck*.” The [.ester l>oys won’t bet! Well, yes, they will if von will give them two or three thousand. THE RONE COURIER AND HEADINGS. It is amusing to see the avidity with which this journal catches up with any thing Dr. Felton may have said four years ago, or that Judge Wright may say now of Judge Lester’s early life. G. N. I,ester, four years ago bad not signed Joe Brown’t receipt, or rather he /uerjslgned it and kept it hid until Gov. Brown exposed him. If George X. Lester had made that transaction plain the seventh district and Dr. Felton would have said as much of him as was said of Trammell. lie al lowed Traimnell’s record to be con demned, all the time rolling bis saintly eyes to Heaven, and never bad the moral courage to stand by bis side and say “I did it, too.” Xo, sir, be would have bid it to this good day—all the time abusing Bullock and the Republicans, all the time “saving the State,” all the time abusing Dr. Felton’s ugliness, all the time pa rading his war record, (that is a very lean record told by anybody but the Judge,) all the time holding up his hand, “Xo, man, woman or child ever beard me say a word for Henry G. Cole,” every time singing a camp-meeting tune on the stump or laughing over a dirty joke in private. Yes, this is the man who hid bis lobby work under the garb of holiness. “I am pure if I do lobby. T am hottest, if I took the State’s money under Bullock. Take me, Dr. Felton said I was pure four years ago.” THE FREE PRESS. The Free Press is just five weeks old this morning. It is the outcome of free and independent aetion. • It is the child of the free Democracy of the seventh dis trict. It is the creation of bold and inde pendent thought and action in politics. It is the result of honest opposition to the thimble-riggers who use the Democratic party to promote ring rule in the seventh district. It is the child of the people , born and nurtured by the honest toil of labor. It is backed by honest labor and nothing else. It depends upon the pet,pie for its existence. Well, The Free Press is just five weeks old this morning, with a hona Jide circulation of over one thousand. It is a fixed institution in Bartow county and of the seventh Congressional district. It is an organ of the honest, toiling jieople. It is the free and untrammeled spokes man of the free voters of this section of Georgia. It will live in the hearts of a struggling people in the support of Dr. Felton tor Congress, because lie is one of the struggling people and represents the people faithfully in Congress. Now, let the people of the seventh Congressional district stand by The Free Press. It is their friend and the friend of labor and reform in the highest sense, and there is no power or any amount of money sufficient to swerve it from a firm advocacy of popular interests, STAND FIRM, BOYS! It is no longer a question as to whether Dr. Felton will be elected or not. It is only a question wiiaf ,l,f * will nc. we want that as large as possi ble, so that the thimble-riggers of this district will be forever suppressed, and we shall bear no more of ring rule. The so-called organized of the seventh are in the hands of the men Who hung around the Bullock regime like buzzards around a dead carcass. They are organized for office under a pledge to put each other into office whenever they can. “You take this and I’ll take that” is their mot to. Their idea is to control the politics of the seventh in the interest of a mutual admiration society, We tell ihe honest and free voters of the seventh to stand firm in the right. Don’t listen to the “blow and bluster” of the Lester organs and yearling clubs. They constitute no criterion for popular sentiment. They are merely political bummers, many of whom can be bought for a very few dollars to the interests of any party. Many of them are Democrats just for what they can make out of it. Suppose we divulge what we know on this line! Suppose we could produce a few letters in order to show how the po litical principles of some men are con trolled ! A few hundreds dollars are very convincing arguments in minds of certain honest (?) newspaper men. Judge “Lester reads that part of Judge Wright’s letter that refers to himself and leaves the impression on the minds of those who hear it that he reads all of it. Can a reghteoiis Judge descend to such deception? Judge Lester said at Dallas that Dr. Felton did not vote for the sil ver bill. Dr. Felton showed him (from the Congressional Record) that his vote was there recorded. Judge Lester made the same charges at Cedartown three days later, and left the impression that he be lieved It. Can an honest man do such low-handed work? Ten years ago Pierce Young was nom inated for Congress, and George X. Les ter was a delegate to the convention that nominated him. Lester gave his mor al if not active support to 11, G. Cole, an an independent Radical for Congress. The consequence was, Pierce Young got 185 votes in Cobb and Cole over eleven hundred! How is that for Lester as an organized ? Can Pierce Young vote for a man who turned the cold shoulder to him ten years ago! If he does, Gen. Young is a man of infinite forbearance. Hurrah for Speer in the ninth. The organized kicked Hiram Parks Bell, the choice of the people, out of the Gaines ville convention. If Speer can’t come in on that disregard of the people’s wishes, then the voters of the ninth are slaves to ring rule. If Parks Bell can submit to such indignity and support ring rule by sustaining the action of the Gainesville convention, we dont know that he really ought to represent a free and independ ent Democracy any longer — # A little paper published at DeSoto, a suburban village of Rome, called the Rome Daily, or the Daily Bulletin, is rampant against Dr. Felton. Its op position amounts to but little Tieeuuso its circulation is limited. Shall we have to tell “what’s the matter with Hannah” in regard to that little sheet ? - OLD ALECK” AND Tltl^^gTH. lion. A. 11. Stephens nmtisly nominated for < the F.ighth district last week ar PRmpson. The old man literally defied tldmlffe riggers and the thimhle-riggers re sponded to the lash of He made them “come to time.” jjfehev dared not to oppose him. They eoiffd not beat him for the reason rliar the people were for Stephens, whether nominated or not, and Stephens intended to ‘stand” for Congress whether nominal or not. Therefore, Mr. Stephens is flHost inde pendent candidate in Georgi lt , lie asks the ]K>liricians no odds, and the politi eians had to nominate him in order to save themselves from disgraT ,>£u] defeat. “Old Aleck” just whipped\rofn out by making them nominate liim anyhow. Felton is going to be elected pretty much on the same line. The hlnggold con vention was called expressly to beat Fel ton and the people are determined they shall not. Stephens and I-T^ u are the best representatives Georgia lyi* bad in Congress for yeass. THE EFFORT TO GET THE'COLORED VOTE. The Ringgold convention had four col ored delegates from Bartow. They went after night, hut they went m that pur pose. Their way was paid DJf a very rich man in Cartersville. lie hat nearly all the money in town. He cater* the bets and is general financial manager of the Lester crowd. The colored delegates told all about how they we™ Introduced on the floor at Ringgold, and how good they felt in that organized But, too much whisky told the tale, and the the white delegates repudiate them now. Judge Lester at Kingston could not have a poor colored woman in his sight, when be spoke there some years ago.— He derided their thick lips, ami black fa ces, they got away from him, too. Now, he wants their vote, They are very nice —they can ride on the cars as delegates —if they go after night. They can eat at Lester’s barbecues and welcome, and they can vote for Lester welcome, too. Don’t you see the effort? Remem ber Kingston. Judge Lester says he took the fee of SI,OOO as a lawyer. Where was his pa triotism when he deliberately took a bribe to work on the Legislature against the people of Georgia! If be can do things as a lawyer that are disreputable as an honest citizen; what are we to think of the law? What are we to suppose be would not feel justified in doing in the Congress of the Flitted Srates ,, when lie could take money to injure his native State? A word to the wise is sufficient. - We publish this week the reply of Col. B. E. Green to the article of Col. L. X. Trammell published in the < barters ville Express two weeks ago, Wo publish the article of C’ol. Green lieeause there is no assault upon Col. ’Trammell except upon his political record, which is public prop erty. We huvti <>n tu #v *rriblieation next week the rejoinder* of .FTW*. Tram mell. The want of space prevents its ap pearance this week. The Constitution is a great paper. It is a spread eagle sheet. But nobody be lieves any' of its reports in regard to the Congressional campaign in the Seventh district. It lias lost all character for ve racity in tl|is section of Georgia. When ever a fellow tells a big political yarn it is at once colled a “ Constitution lie.” A “Constitution lie” is the way' it is called in this section. We mention this fact to put the conductors of that paper on guard | as to its assertions. The Constitution has not carried Bar tow for LesterTyet. ft has its sappers and miners at work somewhere around the edge of the county. We tell our citizens to keep a sharp lookout. The explosion will take place some where—where, no one can tell. When the Constitution ex plodes it explodes sure enough. It is bound to cany Bartow for Lester before the campaign is out —on paper. We have a rejoinder from Col. L. X. Trammell to Col. IL.FL Green's reply to him for publication. As our space was already' pre-engaged for this week before receiving it, we are unable to give it pub lication in the present issue. If will ap pear next week. — The Free Press is full of political matter—so much so we are unable to give little news. The cause of justice and the interests of the people demand all our space in the present campaign. Our friends will excuse this for us. If Dabney, with a spotless political re cord as a Democrat, could not beat Fel ton, how can Lester defeat him now since it is known lie was a retained lawyer in liehalf of a great cheat upon the State in the State road lease? * The most reliable news from all parts of this Congressional district gives assur ance that Dr. Felton’s majority over Judge Lester will lie greater than that over Col, Dabney', two years ago. - It is stated that. Hon. S. A. Corker, of Burke county, at one time a member of Congress, will lie an Independent can didate in the first district for the same po sition. — There are some editors in this district who are opposing Felton, all because there was no money' bandy' to buy them in his favor. We speak whereof wc know. We are still crowded with the favors of correspondents and cannot give them alia bearing. We shall give, them a place as soon as possible, We print this week an edition of 2,468 papers, and wc fear wc shall not be able to meet the demand for The Free Press, the people’s paper. Lester patrols Cherokee county while Judge Pottle holds his Court therein, the like of which never was known in Georgia, 1 ♦ t There is not a paper in this Congres sional district with a hop a tide circulation of two thousand. Who will make the test ? SHAME, WHERE IS THY EH Sir ? A aorros]>ondont in Sunday's CMmstitu-i ttyi from Acworth, sig%incjpimsiaf “Ob seYvcSf attempts, to take our* aceount of the \r%orth msgrace. Of course his “stuff” will onlyoe 'lulled at by those who know anythtng al>out the affair. But Op* finest point lie makes is: “Those whom lie (we) chooses to call the ■pawling: dull are .our best and most lu tel igent citizens.” Did we fora minute believe those yeljiers were the best and most intelligent, citizens of Acworth, her hanged if we wouldn’t sign a petition to the North Georgia Conference to send a school-teacher and a missionary there at once, or else try to get them to migrate to the Fiji Islands. Happily though they were discountenanced and their conduct was condemned by the "best and most intelligent citizens” of Acworth. Lester is still relating his stale jokes over the district, lie spent last week in Cherokee county and made his stole speech at every precinct while his court was in session, and yet Cherokee will go for Folton by a thousand majority. Thk Free* Press is just tivc weeks old this morning and has a bona tide circula tion of over one thousand. We don’t imii nt orders for extra copies, which amount to over thirteen hundred this week. The yellow fever is still raging fatally in New Orleans and at points along the Mis sissippi as far upas Memphis. Don’t you hear the footsteps of the mountaineers for Felton? Don’t you hear the sound thereof? BILL. AP.P, JR. To Bill Arp, Senior, in Care of the Edi tor of The Free Press. Dear Cousin Bill. —When T writ to you last I reminded yon of what St. Paul says about evil communications. But when T praised your good mannered way of dodging an answer to my conundrums, as being so much better than Mr. I,lis ter’s bulldozing way of dodging the hard pints of Dr. Felton’s arguments, by jump ing behind a passion and erying out, “liar,” “hypocrite,” I didn’t antici pate that 1 would so soon have occasion to say, “bye! bye! cousin Bill, bad com pany has spileil your good manners.” I see that the Constitution noospaper lias published another letter from you, and they call it, “Bill’s Philosophy reaching out.” It starts out by insulting all the voters in the seventh congressional dis trict who don’t intend to vote for Mr. Luster, and cousin Bill, that’s more’ll two thirds of the whole voting population, “regardless of age, or sex or color.” It tells them that they are actooated by mere envy of the “rich and shifty ” Mr. Luster, and that they are only mad be cause they, too, couldn’t use Bullock to draw money out of the Georgia State Treasury, like the monkey used the cat to draw his chestnuts out to cool. Do you think that’s good manners, cousin Bill ? No, indeed, it isn’t, and it isn’t true. The voters of the seventh eon gSPSSlOllill awtrlrt nte not, actoonto.l any such base motives as this “reaching out philosophy” attributes to them. They are not going to vote for Dr. Felton because they envy the “ rich” Mr. Lus ter’s “ shifty ” way of drawing SIO,OOO out of the State treasury for bringing one dutch gal into Georgia;’ but because they want a man to represent them in Con gress who has the brains to defend their rights and interests and an integrity that “philosophers reaching out” for public plunder by “shifty” ways dare not ap proach with their schemes. But if bad company lias spiled your good manners, what must be said oii the score of good morals ? You say: ‘iWhy sur, that money has all been spent long ago. It’s been eat up and Avore out— Luster ain’t got a dollar of it.” Now, ’pon honor, cousin bill, do you really think that’s a good reason for setting aside a good man like Dr. Felton, of whose great abilities and spotless virtue and genuine democracy every Georgian has good reason to be proud, in order to send Mr. Lustes to ('ongress ? W 1 int for V Is it because all those thousands of dol lars that he got out of the State treasury for bringing one dutch gal to Georgia have all been spent and eat up and wore out ? Or is it, as the story about Jerry Murphey suggests, that he may “poot one hand into the threasury” and draw out more thousands of dollars to he spent and eat up and wore out in the same way? Cousin hill, more’n two-thirds of the voters will say in November, that’s neither good morals nor good democracy. Agin, as a reason why Mr. Luster should hold on to his judgeship while running for Congress, you say: “An oilis is an ottis and money’s money, don’t it ?” Do you mean by this that a judge’s offis is no better than the town scav enger’s, and that there is no reason why the judge’s ermine should be kept any cleaner than the scavenger’s overalls? Cousin hill, see where had company Avill bring a man to. And you say: “Money’s money, don’t it?” Do you mean that it don’t matter how a man gets money, so he gets? That money made by divvies Avith Bullock and his legislator, which you call “dem ocratic,” is just as good as money made by the hardworking tax-payers, by the sweat of their faces? No, no, cousin bill; that, too, is neither good morals, nor genuine democracy. It’s too much like “reaching out” for the fruits of oth er men’s hard labor. In these hard times the tax-payers don’t Avant the mon ey they have to pay out of their scanty earnings into the “threasury” spent aiid cat up and Avoro out in the Avay that let ter suggests. I axed you a conundrum, cousin bill. “What’s the difference between the Ring gold convention and the Trammel 1-State gold-bonds-Ring?” and you don’t an- SAver, but ax another conundrum, “whit’s the difference betAveen holdin’ an offis under Bullock’s democratic legis lator and holdin’ one a un der a radical congress and drawin’ pay out of a radical treasury?” Well, your ideas of democracy and of othe* things have got awfully mixed. If you thimk there Avas any democracy in Bullock or his legislator, it ain’t the kind of democ racy that the voters of this district are AA'illing to take in theirs. It’s too much like Boss TAveed’s democracy. And moreover our congressman, the good and great Felton, God bless him! understands his position too \yull to feel that he “hold of Ms under a radical congress.” He holds his offis under the honest dem ocratic voters of the 7th congressional district of Georgia, who elected him and are going to elect him again Avith the largely increased majority due to a good and faithful servant, He’knoAvs that the treasury at Washington is not a radical treasury any more than Bullock’s legis lator was democratic. It don’t belong to the radicals. It belongs to the tax payers, who pay their money into it, and part of it to his oavh constituents. They don’t want it dkvfed out ami spent .and eat up and wore out, as that so-called democratic legislator did with the money in the Georgia state treasury in 1809-70? fThlt’s what the matter with Mr. Luster, and that’s why the honest voters of this district, white and black, democrats and republicans, are going to send Dr. Felton back to Washington ; because they know that he will neither spend, nor eat up nor wear out, the money they have to pay into the “threasury,” nor let anybody else do it as long as he can prevent it. If it was ever true. thatjcjthe voice of the people is the voice of God, ” it was when the people, tired of having their money spent and ear up and wore out by so-called democrats, called Dr. Felton, as Moses was called, to lead them out from under the bondage of the State-gold-bonds-Rings, whose “philoso phy reaches out” in this one*idea that “an nfits.is an ottls, and money’s money,” no matter how one comes by it. Yours, truly, Bill Arc, Jr. CAMPAIGN NOTES. Some Late Accounts from the Seventh Con* gressional District. We do nor propose to do as the Atlanta Constitution does nor the small fry who ape that unreliable journal. We expect to give truthful reports and nothing else. Such reports as will tally with the final Votes. A journal’s honor is worth pro tecting for the sake of the future. We hope til will rememlier this, liecause if they should give a fair report of themselves, at some future time, the public will not he disposed to give them the propercredit, they will suppose they are talking for the Ring: Chattanooga, Aug. 10. 1 pop men ever}' day from Walker, Catoosa and Dado. Lester gained no votes by liis speeches. After the speaking at Graysville the people were asked to stand up to see how many voters there were for Lester. About one-fourth stood up. Eagle Cliff, Lookout, August 18. 1 met a man from Dade to-day, by no means on enthusiast, who, when asked about the politi cal situation, said “Felton would get in the neigh borhood of three hundred votes in that county.” LaEayettf., August lii. I saw several men who heard Lester speak in the Cove. They say he had no argument, only his war record. Felton will gain largely on his former vote. Atlanta, August 15. There lias just returned an Atlanta man who says the rare is over now—that Felton’s vote will he larger than Iwdore. He is also a strong friend of Lestev. Rome, August 13. 1 thought you would like to know how thing.>, are moving on in Rome. Felton’s stock is largely on the increase. The Lester men are badly hacked. There was a bet made and the money put up that Lester would come down. orange P. 0., Cherokee Cos. I was coming from Gainesville, met twenty four hands on the road. They took a vote and there were 22 for Felton and 2 for Lester. I af terwards took a wrong road and struck another squad of sixteen—ls for Felton, 1 for Lester. I also stopped at a country store—the storekeeper says Felton has also gained a great many votes around hint. Buchanan, Aug 9. 1 know of no man who voted for Felton before w ho is not for him now, and a great many others say they will vote for him who did not before, lie lias certainly gained largely. August IG. I saw a man from Dade to-day. lie said Dade will be close. I think it will be very close in Walker this time. Summerville, August 16. Tell Dr. Folton to iv iu un here. He will certainly hold his ow n in this county. 1 hear of several changes even in Summerville. Marietta, Auguse 16. A Lester man who was at Canton saysthat in a crownl of 1,000 men there were not over 180 Lester men. C. D. Phillips made a speech of no efleet. Tunneli. Hill, August 16. The vote was taken at Ringgold on the Grand Jury, eleven for Felton and ten for Lester. Felton will gain fifty votes in the lower corner of Ca toosa county. Let us hear from you. The Les ter men claim Cobb and Cherokee both. Cedar Grove, Walker County, Aug. IC. Lester spoke here on the loth. I never heard of one vote fie made. Some of our country crackers could beat it. lie said there was but one Democrat running and that Avas himself. Some say if Felton can’t beat Lester’s talk they shall not vote at all. His was a poor thing. Kbd Clay, August 18. Tell Dr. Felton to make us a speech up here. He has a great many friends here. Kennk,saw, August IT. Dr. Felton has lost no friends here. The Ac worth disgrace strengthened him and is killing Lester. Every pit the enemy digs for Felton is tilled at once’ Avith the enemy’s tricksters, j never saw people so firm and solid in my life. Rome, August 14th. After all the fuss and racket, Feton is ahead in this city. The Lesterites have given it up. Yorkville, Paulding Cos, Aug, 12. Felton’s prospects are bright here and else- Avhere. Brownville, Paulding Cos., August 9. It is my honest conviction Felton will carry this county by a large majority. Ckdartown, Aug 17. From best information I am satisfied that Fel ton’s majority will be considerably increased in Polk and Haralson counties. You can see these private letters if you like. The honest farmers haA’e no reason to bloAv for effect. If you Avill go out among them you Avill hear for your selves. FELTON IN CATOOSA. Ringgold, Ga., August 20. To the Free Press: I have been thinking for some time, I would Avrite you a feAV items from this place if no one else more experienced w ould uot. Mr. Editor l never did vote for Dr. Felton, hut as times change, so must men change. As you knoAv, Col. Dabney got 240 ma jority in this county, blit I assure you there has been quite a change since then. I hope you Avill not lie surprised when I tell you that Dr. Felton Avill get 100 more votes in Catoosa county than he ever got. I mean to say that he Avill get 100 more votes if the election Avas to come off’ noAV, than he ever got, and as all the changes are in his favor, you may rest easy for the result in November. Judge Lester made a little talk here on the 12th ult., to about 250 persons, nearly one-half of them for Dr. Felton. His arguments Avere so thin that his most sanguine sup- porters Avere ashamed of them. I have only one question to ask you, I Avant to know where consistency comes in? Judge Lester is getting $2,500 a year as a salary and says if he is elected he proposes \o introduce a bill cutting down the pav of Congressmen to SI,BOO a year. Does lie want us to believe that he Avould rather serve his country for SI,BOO a year away from home anti with his family and have a $2,500 salary. Please let me knotv if consistency has played. As you know the Superior Court was in session here last AA'eek. The grand ju ry took a vote—2l jurymen—Lester 11, Felton, 10. We tried to get this vote published nearer home, but could not do so. Tell Dr. Felton he will he av ell repre sented in the upper counties. As this is the first thing I ever wrote for a newspa per I aa ill he very short. One Against the Lawyers. THE THINNEST DODGE OF ALL, To the Fret Press: Some Whitfield politicians who can start a false report, ami swear to it, are telling in Whitfield and Murray that Dr. Felton hi tide red the Mexican iiensiou lill by amending it to include all vete rans under fifty years of age. I pronounce it a bold faced He. Read Dr. Felton’s speech. Certain parties are running another story, that he tried to pension General Shields. He did. Gen. Shields was a gallant Mexican soldier, and the Demo crats of the House voted solidly to pen sion him. lie is old and infirm and has but a little time to live. Why should he not have a pension as well as those who fought later battles? Dr. Felton is accused ot lobbying Southern claims by a writer in the Rome Courier. Now show the receipt —the de mand for a fee —or any showing of a fee. We demand the proof.. You can’t hide Judge Lester’s big fee under such a false charge. Dr. Felton did all he could in even honest way to aid the men who applied forYelief before the claims commission. He did his full duty as the friend and representative of these men. He served both friend and foe. Now produce your lobbying proof ! Gov. Brown’s receipt will clinch your argument, if you can show it. That settled Lester. With the steel trap hanging to your man’s foot, you may cry “lobby,” to your heart’s content. We take no such in ours. We are glad our candidate did not nose around Bullock. Your man did. We arc glad lie let the immigration swindle alone. Lester can’t escape that. We are glad our man didn’t talk so strong for the State road lease as to give Gov. Brown satisfactory reasons to lielieve In* would sell out for SI,OOO. That is what is the matter with Lester. Hide the steel trap before you holler “Lobby.” Independent. THE SEVENTEENTH DISTRICT. A Few Notes from our Irrepressible Young Correspondent. To the Free Press: There is a certain individual in this district Who is trying to make capital for Lester by telling the colored people that the Lester men were the friends and de fenders of the four colored men who were charged with burning the store-houses at Stilesboro, while the Felton men were their persecutors, and were trying to hang them. I will give you the name of this individual if lie don’t hold his peace. Messrs. W. R. Colbert’s and Peal Dodd’s railroad hands took a vote last week while working the road. They were fifty-six in number and only three for Lester. Is it a fact that there has lieen sßoosent to this district to buy Lester votes with ? The good citizens of Stilesboro and vi cinity would like to know what motive the gentlemen had in bonning Jack Nol iie out of jail who has been tried for arson and is now awaiting his trial for bur glary . (’an It V>e for a potitkml V Your paper has become a favorite among the people of this district. They say they w ish there were two Thursday’s in every week, so they might see Tax Free Press oftener. The Lester boys won’t back their judg ment with money in the old 17th. We are informed that Mr. Seaborn Wright, of Rome, will make a speech at Stilesboro next Saturday, the 24th, in Dr. Felton’s behalf. We hope that there will be a good turn-out to hear Mr. Wright as the citizens of this place will not allow a yearling club to he there to paw and bellow. (’. 11. C. ISHE AN INDEPENDENT? What a Columbus Organized Paper has to Say about the Seventh. The Columbus Enquirer-Sun , of recent date, has the following to say in regard to the Congressional race in the seventh district: We have the opinion of Hon. A. 11. Stephens that Dr. IV. 11. Felton has as much brains as any man in ('ongress. We Avant such men to stay there. We have the authority of Senator B. H. Hill that the chairman of the executive com mittee of the seventh district told him that a Democratic coeven vent ion Avould Ih; held for the express purpose of beating Dr. Felton. Jf a man’s course deserved approval it was certainly Felton’s. The first ttme he ran for Congress he forced down a man who was charged openly with having the money of the enemy in his pocket. It is now alleged that sev eral of the papers opposing him were se cretly bought, by Ex-Gov. J. E. Brown in the time of the tstate road lease, one receiving $5,000. No one attempts to impugn Judge Lester’s honor, yet, he Avas paid heavily for office-holding under Gov. Bullock’s regime, and Gov. Brown re- ! tained him, and his brother was Bullock’s | private secretary. Judge Lester holds a | commission as judge of the superior court of Georgia, and does not resign it, though j engaged daily upon the stump and high way soliciting another place. He aa as a gallant soldier, and lost an arm in the war. Has his course since been any bra ver than Felton’s? Has it been as much? Has he fought in the Democratic ranks as Felton lias against fraud, monopoly and bribery —against those who endeav ored to throttle Ids State? Does it make Dr. Felton an Independent because he refused to have anything to do Avith a convention, .the caller to which stated to Senator Hill* it was convened for no oth er purpose than to )>eat Felton? Would any man aaTiosc Democracy had lecu tested in four active years of Congress ional service been foremost among the boldest and best debaters, universally acknowledged by his compeers to he among the very ablest of Georgians, have tamely submitted to such injustice? Judge Lester Avill not resign hisjudgship until he is elected to Congress. That is a question of delicacy and taste avc will not discuss. If he fails to reach Wash ington he will have the judgship. The salary and place help in the campaign. Dr. Felion Avill not resign his honors and his cause of Democracy at the dicta tion of the politicians who Avant a man of his brains and sterling sense out of the Avay. We are Avith the people in this race, and hope to see Dr. Felton elected, for he has been tried found honest and true. We hardly believe he can be term ed an Independent because he asserted his independence of a*body formed accord ling to the expression of its executive head, for the express object of attempt ing to shame a faithful, eloquent advo cate of the people and true Democracy.