Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-08
GOVERNOR SMITH
Has Something so Say About Dr.
Felton-SOme POlIticeI Anforma-
IIOn-Strong Talk.
atlanta Constitution.

/ d
criminal in the dock definitely charged with
base and disgraceful action. He has been
notified that even his unsupported denial
would be accepted as proof that the charge
| was false and that he was guiltless. But he
has not even the nerve to plead not guilty
not because he knows that he is guilty, for
he would violate his conscience without the
slightest hesitation-but because he knows
that his guilt can be proved.
Why, then, should l, as an honorable
man, handy words with trembling cTimt-
| nal, who cannot even raise his eyes to the
| jury and enter plea Of "not guilty" he
dare not do this, because when he does the
crime of falseheod will be added to the
crime Of treachery. Until he does deny the
truth of the charge that l laid upon him,
will answer him no more than would any
criminal in any court room. But will take
this opportunity to say that no criminal ever
vet escaped from the dock by charging that
! his accuser was as guilty as himself. The
| truth Is, FELTON, shows the same irreleVance
OF defense exhibited by Guiteau, and has
| not the decency to plead insanity as an
excuse for his infamy. l shall not notice
him until he denies my charge concerning
| the Markham House conference.
HE CANNOT DENY.
"Has he never denied this %
"No, sir; and he cannot deny it. Farrow,
who is a bold and truthful man, scknOwl-
| edges in substance all that l charge in my
letter, that there was q perfect coalition be-
| tween FELTON, and the stalwsrt wing OF the
Republican party, and that this coalition
was established at the Markham House
| conference, and that Dr.. FELTON,, instead Of
being an Independent as he claims, is
| slave, because he is a slave to bargain
which is sinister in its character and that
involves treachery to his own people, the
slandeIiDg of his own State, and the be-
trayal of the people who have hOnored him.
Until he denies what | have charged, he Is
beneath the notice Of any honest man."
"There is one thing" said Gov. Smith, as
he turned away, "that would like to call
the attention of the public to. From the
date of that Markham House conference DIR.
FELTON, has not used one argument that can
be addressed to the intelligence and respec-
liability of the State. His continued whine
has been in favor of allowing insOVents to
vote without paying tax, and protest
against the punishment Of crime by the
courts. With a shamelessness beyond pre-
cedent in the political history OF this or any
other State, he rests his whole case upon an
appeal to dead beats and criminals. 1t is
clearly the duty of every citizen to pay his
poll tax. Public schools are In part sustain
ed by this poll tax, and If it is not paid free
education must to that extent cease in GeOr
gia. 1t is only fair and just that no man
who fails to pay his tax for the education OF
poor children should be debarred the privi
lege OF voting.
DIR. FELTON's MAIN PLANK.
"The main plank in DR.. Felton's platform
| is that the dead beat or Vagrant, who is too
worthless or avariciOus to pay this particu
lar tax for the education OF poor children,
must be allowed to vote anyhow, and the
| refusal of just and proper law to allow
| him to vote until he has discharged this sa
| orAd OBLIGATION he calls obstruction Of
the free ballot. This is why l say that he
| appeals to the Migrants of the country fOT
| his support. What honest and respectable
| man is there in the State of Georgia that
wants to join party, the sole provision OF
| which is to protect him from tie payment Of
a dollar per annum for the education of the
poor children, white and black OF his native
States
''As to his appeal to the criminals, that is
| the wickedest and most dangerous thing
| that the annals Of our State will show. He
| deliberately assaults the judiciary of our
State, assaults every Try man who sits in
the jury box, denounces the whole system
OF justice in the interest of few criminals.
! By this course he deliberately forfei:s all
hope OF commanding the support of ans
respectable man, white or black, and bases
his claims to office upon the votes of
| criminals
SHALLOW CLAIM.
ITO show how shallow this cla'sl is, l will
state that three fOurths Of the IONS now
In the penitentiary Of the Stale are there
because of crimes committed On colOred
people. The system of justice as devised
| by our constitution and administered by our
judges and juries is intended for the protec-
ton OF blacks as well as the whites, and in
| deed, because of their weakness, It is more
essential as protection for the blacks than
the whites. Why, even the very case OF the
colored girl that he alludes to was a crime
committed against a poor, defenseless ne
gro, and the family Of that and every repu-
table negro in the State IS as deeply inter
ested in the fair and just enforcement of the
law as the white people, and it is only those
who sympathize with crime that DR.. FELTON,
can count upon"
These are very hard words"
"But they are deserved. DR.. Felton's
course since the Markham House confer
ence could have but one effect, and that is
to demoralizs public sentiment, to discredit
law and order, to unjustIy blacken the name
OF the State and to encourage criminals. 1t
is worse than If he were to become high,
way robber himself.
AN EXPLANATION.
ellis conduct is explicable only on the
ground that he has been promised Federal
appointment If he will work the base uses
Of MS late purchasers. He has no hope Of
being elected. He was beaten under the
most favorable circumstances to himself be-
fore, and he realizes perfectly well that an
appeal to the deadbeats and criminals Of
Georgia can never result in success. But the
more vicious he becomes the more utterly
he ISLANDERS his own people, the more utterly
he debauches our public sentiment the more
actively he incites the iBceEdiary feelings of
our dangerous classes, the more definitely
he discredits our public Justice the more
| rfafu bn xyfll no fn of rd frOT
those who hate US. Like wounded viper,
blinded by malice and rage, he is throwing
his venom in all directions. He does not
gain upon the public confidence by the fact
that he has worn the cloak of Gods reli
gion and has used it to obtain audiences for
his SANDERS"
"By the way" said the Governor, as he
started off again, ''just consider the fool
ishness of the assault on the lease system.
The frieuds of that system are willing to
abandon it whenever DR.. FELTON,, or any one
of his frieuds, will propose better one,
and as to the cases he has brought forward,
what are they Why Ratteree was not
held under the lease at all. He was one of
a squad of convicts voted by the Legislature
to a railroad. If there had never been a
lease act Ratteree would have been where
he was, and the Ratteree case would have
come up all the same. As for the case of
Alkaline Maddox, of which he speaks, Judge
| Hlllyer would nave sentenced l6r II JQere
had been no lease. The lease has nothing
Ia the world to do with the cases he has
cited, and be simply cited them as an ap-
! peal to the ignorant and disreputable class
! who sympathize with crime because they
are criminal themselves in intent.
A ISLANDER.
I repeat It, that never in the history of
this State, or any other State, has there
been a man who thus slandered and out
ragged the judiciary, the juries, and the sYs-
tenn of justice, and who deliberately put him
self before the country upon platform
that shocked every intelligent and reputable
citizen and appealed only to the deadbeats
and to the criminals; as for the man who
has done this, whenever he denies the
charge that have put upon him-that he
| betrayed his party and sold his peo-
/ pie, and contracted to SANDER his
| State and debauch its sentiment, l will
accept his plea OF not guilty and form
| ally proceed to make out my case, and
| you VIII oblige me by putting what l have
| said in print l claim that privilege, as you
have permitted him to abuse me I'm your
columns. The Doctor says he feels humih-
ated. That is a good indication. Humility
| always attends genuine repentance. l do
not consider the case of the Doctor as en-
| tirely hopeless; still l look on him as the
'Urish Heep' Of Georgia politics, full OF
| humbleness. But he may, nevertheless, be
/ in a salvable condition"
"Havs you anything further to say, Gov
ernor?"