Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-07-21

Atlanta, Ga, on the 2sth day of July,
a great literary celebration. That
day is to be made the feature OF a
" Chatauqua" or education C owen
ton. which will then be in session.
The leading men in Georgia, fore
most among them the famous Henry
w. Grady, of the Atlanta Constitu-
tion. combined to select for that day
the best speakers in the country. 1t
was decided that as the tariff is, be-
vond a question, the most important
question before the people, that sub
ject should be dealt with by mas
ter. The names of Messrs. Mills,
Watterson and Carlisle were sugges-
ted, but Mr.. Carlisle was chosen,
without a moments conference, as
being the most representative tariff
thinker in the country. A letter of
invitation was accordingly written
couched in the most fattering terms,
and forwarded to Washington to
Senator Colquitt, of Georgia. Mr..
Carlisle accepted the invitation.
But there is another and almost
disgraceful chapter to this Georgia
celebration which is almost incredi-
BILE, and which all parties concerned
have sedulously sought to suppress.
Mr.. Henry Grady, though Georgia
Democrat, has been around this
country enough to entertain liberal
views. At the meeting of the Attain
ia committee, when Mr.. Carlisle was
invited Mr. Grady suggested that
there were two sides to the tariff
question Mr.. Carlisle ably and
worthily represented one side. But
Georgia is a state of young indus
tries, many of which could only
reach healthy vitality by the foster
ing care of judicious protection. Mr..
Grady took the reasonable ground
that there might be many people in
Georgia who would be glad to hear
the other side of the question. Be-
sides, this Chatauqua was purely an
educational gathering, altogether
free from politics, and that as mere
matter of information it would be
only fair to hear protectionist. He,
therefore, suggested the propriety OF
inviting Mr.. Mckinley, the foremost
representative of tariff reform. More
over, everybody would be glad of the
opportunity to meet Mr.. Mckinley,
as he had at almost single bound
sprung recently into the front ranks
of American worthless.
1t is, perhaps, needless to say that
every man on the committee was an
old line Democrat, and that every
body had been fully alive to the mag
nificent opportunity of turning July
26 in Democracys great day. Hence
Mr.. Grady's proposition to bring
such an eloquent Republican debater
as Mr.. Mckinley to break up the
Democratic lovefeast, was simply
preposterous, they said. Mr.. Grady
paid no attention to them. He wrote
to Senator Colquitt and explained
the situation. Georgia representa-
tive in the Senate of the United
States, Mr.. Grady may have thought,
is q man of sufficient breadth of
mind to be above picayune politics.
He was bitterly mistaken. Senator
Colquitt fatty refused to invite Mr..
Mckinley. Quite an interesting cor
respondence ensued. Senator Col
quitt held dogmatically that no Re
publican had any business at a white
mans meeting in Georgia, and Mr..
Grady retorted that if Senator Col
quit would not invite Mr.. Mckinley
he would invite him on his response
bility The Senator remained angri-
ly obdurate. No Republican should
talk Republican politics in Georgia.
Mr.. Stewart ably backed up his SEN
atorial chief, expressing the same
sentiments save that his language
was of the vigor that might be ex-
pected uuder the circumstances.
None of the other members of the
Georgia delegation dared to inter-
fere Several of them rather ac-
knowledged the propriety, at first, of
having the tariff discussed from both
points Of view, but when Senator
Colquitt issued his order that Mr..
Mckinley must not be invited, not
one of them dared to oppose him.
Colquitt is the Democrat boss of
Georgia, and is bad enemy in a
political fight. Senator Brown, Mr..
Colquitt's colleague, is protection
Democrat, and heartily desired Mr..
McKinley's presence at Atlanta, but
knowing that under the disgraceful
circumstances Mr.. Mckinley would
surely refuse to go, and knowing the
situation in Georgia well enough to