New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-20
GEORGIA POLITICS.
a oNE-sTpED CAMpAIGN.

Tribune Of ex-Attorney General A. +. Akerman,
of Georgia. Yesterday. els there any Republican
party IN your State p
That would be hard question TO answer" was
the reply. "At the last State Convention that was
held, in 1876, State Committee was appointed but
since that time at a meeting called for some pur-
pose, member of the committee offered resolu-
ton that it be dissolved and this was declared car
ried, The chairman Of the committee and the mi
nority assert that the organization is sti alive and
that it only be destroyed by the power that
ated 1.-THE State Convention. l have heard Of no
preparation for the campaign this Fall. No Repub-
hcan nominations for Congress have yet been made,
and don't know that any will be-"
Are there not independent candidates in some
of the districts Z"
''YeS in the With and IXth-the Northeastern and
Northwestern Districts of the State l have seen
some intimatiOn that these independent movements
were hopeful signs, and that they ought to be en-
couraged by Republicans / don't think that the
Democratic split IN the districts | have named have
any significance, except that there are two men who
desire to go to Congress- while there is fOrony
one. In my own district Judge Lester has been
nominated by the Democratic Convention, aud DR..
FELTON,, the present Representative is the stump
as an Independent candidate. They held joint dis.
cussiOn i'll the town in which reside, and heard
tonal questions, to public questions of any char
aoter Neither candidate said that if he was elected
be would vote any differently or any better than his
opponent. DR.. Folton denounced political conven-
tons the tools of rings, and said that his can
didacy the result of the spontaneous action of
the people, Judge Lester announced himself as the
representative of organized Democracy, and said
that it was organized Democracy alone that had
been able TO do anything for the benefit of the South
since the close of the war. Organized Democracy
he declared had opposed the Reconstruction meas
ures and had rescued the State from Radcalism,
and it alone could save the country.
''Then these two gentlemen attacked each other on
their Dr. FELTON, accused Judge Lester ofhay
ing accepted the office of Domestic Commissioner of
immigration under the Radical State Government
when the great attempt was made 80 get settlers
from Europe aud Judge Lester retOrted by saying
that DIR. FELTON, was seoessOnist in 1861, and yet
did not 90 into the war. DIR. FELTON, denounced
Judge Lester for soiling the judicial ermine by
leaving the bench TO enter the dirty pool OF poll
tics and the Judge replied that Dr. FELTON, was
minister of the gospel, and was degrading his holy
Office by entering the political field And 80 they
went on. listened about an hour and half, at
first amused and at last wearied by the monotoDy
of the thing do not expect to vote for either,
unless at some time in the campaign the roads
shall part and one OF the other shall take position
that will make his election preferable to that OF
his opponent"
do you expect the Democracy Of the South to
remain compaotp
"I see no signs of division in our State that
will affect the next Presidential election. If the
Democratic party should then succeed should
look for split very soon afterward. The Southern
Democrats are far more hungry for Office than their
Northern friends. They feel poorer, and have not
drifted 80 far away from the war as the people
here have. In tho North, with your busy indus
tries, you have left that period far behind,
but with us it is stll recent. Our people
are not really so poor, but they feel 80.
OF course, the great shrinkage in values
during the last five years has affected the value of
property ia the South as well as in the North; nj
Georgia we were nominally richer few years ago
than we now are. and we have good opportunities
for comparison in our sd valoTem system of taxa
ton have recently seen a demonstration, and l
was very much interested in it-that the proceeds
of bale of cotton viii buy more Of the common
necessaries of life than ever before. examined the
figures carefully and think they were correct There
ia no doubt that men who will stay at home and
work instead of engaging in speculation can do bet
ter than ever before"
"The sentiment in favor of initiation is strong in
Georgia, is it not
"Oh yes Debtors and spectators have an idea
that they will profit greatly by large issues of ire
deemable currency. They pot only desire that the
Government shall coin paper ntom0ney-that 10.
that IL shall issue notes without any promise in
tentiOn of reckoning them-but that the amount
ahal DO great enough to pay off at once the entire
bonded debt Of the Nation. People who are In debt
seem TO think that they be relieved in this way.
They believe that If the bOnd-hOlders had all this
paper money thrown on their bands at once,
ihev would invest large part of it in
tho South buying lands, building factories, etc.,
that the value of all property would advance, and
that with cheap money they could easily cancel all
their obligations The experience OF our people with
Confederate money seems completely TO have been
foreotten That was never made Highlander, but
there was a public opinion which was as strong as
any law and which made it unsafe to refuse 20 take
IT, Debtors and Spectators were in favor OF large
issues and there was time when ante-bellum obi
cations could have been paid OF for about ten cents
ON dollar. But very few svailed themselves OF
this opportunity. Most either used their money In
speculation hoping that IL would DO easier little
later to pay their debts. or postponed paying be-
oause il was 30 easy and could be done ut any time,
and theopportunity passed without being improved.
believe that human experience proves that infia-
tiou and cheap money never promote tho payment
of debts but OH the contrary cause them to be in
cnrred. Abundance of cheap money produces an
effect upon the debtor which prevents him
from taking advantage Of IL TO get relief.
After the close of the war the distress
among the debtor class in Georgia was so
great that the Legislature passed laws preventive
collection of debts, but the Supreme Court OF the
United States swept them away.
81 wish some one who has the time. taste and
ability would write a history Of the Confoderacy,
giving especial prominence to the currency and the
laws and proclamations passed and issued to AFFECT
4. ;,of ffxyac ola INTO nd