The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-30
NORWOOD REPLIES TO GORDON.
And Reviews His Reasons for Declining
Public Discussion.
SAVANNAH, ApTII 70, l0oo'
Capt. w. ". Gordon:

to stump the First Congressional District
| with me is received. You decline on the
ground that joint discussion sis impracti-
| cable and unnecessary !" Come, let us
reason together" about that.
| Impracticable Z! Have you not been for
weeks, yes, many months. and are you not
now, still hunting for votes : You have
ample time and leisure. Besides, by one
speech you can talk to a thousand men.
Is not that far more practicable than
| button-holing each Of thousand
voters, and repeating your speech thou
sand times There is full time to give no
| tice of our appointments and to fill each
| one. The people would have time to hear
us before selecting delegates. My plan
would shorten the canvass greatly, which
you commenced last year. have been
among my constituents, in part, and heard
you were going around last year. They re-
marked that it was unusual for you, and
that you said you were looking for 'black
seed cotton"
never heard votes called by that name
before. 1t is new definition to me. ex-
amined Webster's Unabridged, not because
| doubted at all the correctness of your
definition of UOteS, or your right to call
them "black seed cotton" or "short staple, :"
as to that matter, though | did think you
might feel more like calling votes short
staple after the nomination. No, ] just
peeped in the dictionary to see how old the
definition is, and that photographer who, l
thought, knew everything, didn't know
that simple definition. 1t may be the
definition is so new he died before it was
born. You are its parent, are you not2
Fl owever, do not see any objection. The
world moves. 1t does not matter to you
about the mare, of course. 1t is the thing
you are after. and it is just as sweet under
the name of "black seed cotton as by any
other name.
Still somehow feel like wish you had
not given birth to that definition, at least,
not until next tall. | have been in the habit
of getting up and speaking to this people
and asking them for their Uotes, and that
"blackseed cotton has stuck in my head
until am getting in the fix of the poor
fellow who went deranged on the lines:
Punch Punch Punch with care
Punch in the presence of the passengaire."
He couldn't get rid of it. In church he
was repeating it. 1t haunted him at
funerals If he went to theatre, a ball, a
concert, he kept time by patting his foot and
repeating:
Punch! Punch! Punch with care,
Punch in the presence of the passengaire."
And | have thought OF what fearful
catastrophe. If in shaking hands with your
dIOuIItl G16 dIpDt yOu sHOulu IOT-
get and ask them for their "blackseed cot
ton, or you were to urge them to be sure
to go the meeting to nominate delegates
and to cast their "blackseed cotton" for
you.
But frankly admit that you now 'pop
the question: and come down to business.
That is right. But all the voters would be
glad to have you ''pop the question" to
them, as they would like to reciprocate by
popping few questions to you.
Secondly, you say discussion is ''unneces-
sary." 1t may be. You have said so. l
do not think that way, however, and will
now tell you why.
Your candidacy assumes that you are a
better man to represent this district than |
am. You ask the Democrats of this dis
trict to swap me for you, and, of course,
you would not and do not offer them what
you believe to be an inferior article
for the one they have That would not be
honest, you know.
Well, you ought to bear in mind that you
make this offer to men who now and then
| swap horses, and you may underrate the
intelligence and Judgment of those people
when you refuse to go before them aud
give them fair opportunity to inspect all
| your "points." You have decided that you
| will not do it. You may be right. OF that
| the people will judge for themselves /
have never refused to stand before them,
and to discuss questions they are deeply in
| terested in | have moved among them,
| talked to them, made speeches to them,
| broken bread with them, asked for and
learned their wants. They have had me on
trial for very many years, and they have
never complained that | was found want
| ing when their rights were involved or
| they were aSSalled.
They have not forgotten my defense of
| them when that vile Republican majority
in tire United States Senate tried by law
! to force their children into social equality
with negro child on in our schools, and that
after my attack on that majority, the civil
| rights bill, that school clause was stricken
out, nor the argument l made on the I'M
| constitutionalty of the bill. They have
not forgotten my defense of them and the
whole South, when they were charged with
| intimidating and numbering negro voters
and stu1iing ballot boxes.
They have not forgotten that in 1886 the
money power, the millionaires, who want
| gold alone as legal tender, made their last
| combined attack on silver coinage, and that
| l. in opposition to the request of constitu-
| ents and personal friends i'll this city, who
are of your walmest supporters now, made
| a speech in favor of continuing the coinage
of not less than $2,000,000 of silver money
per month.
They have not forgotten that in the Car
| lisle-Thoebe contest worked and voted to
| give Mr.. Thoebe further time to get evil
| dence which he stated on the floor he could
| get within two weeks: not that | believed
| Mr.. Thoebe was elected, according to the
| evidence before the House, but because
| felt that full justice and Democratic har-
mony demanded that course
They have not forgotten other affirma.
tive votes | have given on questions looking
to the amelioration of the farmer and work
! ingman generally III the fearful and UNEQUAL
| contest between them and the Plutocracy
| of tins country, nor my vote to raise to
| higher dignity and greater usefulness the
| Agricultural Department. But enough OF
| that. With these f2cts before them, the
| voters of this district, SO far as l have heard
them talk, desire you to show cause why
you should take my place. They say you
have been for many years prominent rail-
road man, and they wish to hear you on
certain questions that you, no doubt, will
| have to vote upon.
They would like to know your full views
on silver and TO ask you few questions.
They would like TO judge what you would
or could do in their defense if slandered and
abused by Radicals They know your finan-
cering ability, but dissertation on finance
would not be thrillingly appropriate as a
reply, while a discourse on "blackseed cot
ton" would fail to excite enthusiasm enough
to endanger their suspeuders
They have heard from you and your
friends the arguments used to convince
them that you are the man for the place.
For instance, your service for two terms
] ID h.. aI.,tV. - -.