The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-04

special doctrines should be the selected victim
for its political guiIlotinef If however the axis to
descend. let us uncover the hand that wields it..
III the bolt is TO fall, lat me know in advance the
character OF my offending.
II, in war or in peace, l have failed in my
duty TO this people or to my country II. from
April, 81 to April, '65. | fingered In the rear
while your brave sons went TO the front; If
sought places of safety or covered under cover
while they rode fearlessly the fields OF blood; IT,
after the war, for one day or one hour, de-
serted the south while She agoniZed on the cross
OF reconstruction; If, in the Senate, or as gov
ernor. have perverted these high trusts TO per-
sonal ends; if, anywhere, and for one moment
of time one thrub of my heart has been untrue
to this people, then let the indictment
be made and the witnesses summoned
IN open court; and II in aught have
offended will publicly acknowledge the JUS
tice of the stroke. But do not, pray you, for
your own sakes, at the bidding of any man or
set of meo, seek to justify my execution on the
untenable and false ground that am not the
friend of the farmers alliancs. That will not
do, my countryrnen. The proof is too over
whelming aud crushing that such charge is
unqnalitiedlyfalse.
EFFORTS LONG AGO TO INDUCE THE FARMERS TO
ORGANIZE
Let us go to the records; away back early in
the seventies. As a life member of the Agroul-
tural Society of Georgia, in its annual cOnven-
tion and in presence, perhaps. of some VINO now
hear me- urged more compact brot herhood
than our State Agricultural Society, and
warned the members that we could never
achieve success at Washington for any great
reform until such organization was effected by
the farmers of the whole country.
Had the men who now seek my defeat ever
been heard of as advocates of such organize
ton? If yes, who, when and wheref Give us
their names.
Again, on the Goth day of March, 1874, in the
United States Senate, in speaking of the neces-
sity of organization of those interested in agr-
culture, used these words:
| "Why should 1t not combine? Has not every
other interest combined? Is not the money
power OF the country combined. and did it not
dictate the financial policy
| which has brought such disaster to the pro
Queer, and does it not now, even at this very
| hour while | speak, by its delegations from
| Boston, New York. and elsewhere, block
nuenc doors the OF votes this Of hs bod TO
| Labor combines and receives at the hands of
| government an eght-hour law; the fisheries
combined and received the governments
bounty; manufacturers combine and receive a
| high protective tariff. The on-mongers COM
bined, and, unlike the farmers pigs, which
must be fed from his own crib, they have their
iron pigs fattened at the government crib;
railroads combine and by government bount es
and government grants they scale the noun
tains and link with bonds of steel our eastern
and western oceans. But, sir, this great inter
est, agriculture, which lies at the foundation of
all other interests; this interest, without which
\ no other interest can survive has
to-day less infuen in shaping the Legislation
of the country than the fishers OF salty goldfish
|
| / repeat that this were changed; it is time that
| agriculture was heard"
These words were spoken by me nearly
| seventeen years ago and are in the records Of
congress
Had the men who now seek my defeat been
| heard Of then as advocates of organizations
Had any man in public life or out of 1t 80
| spoken prior to tnat time If 80, who is he and
| what were his uterances?
At last the alliance was organized, and noman
In Georgia or out of it, more sincerely than l. re-
| 1oiced at It's organization. | hailed it as the
realization of a long-cherished hope; and there
| is no man among its tens of thousands of
| brethren who more deep deplored the ten
dency to pervert its lofty aims or endanger its
ultimate triumphs by needless divisions as to
specific plans or for the personal ends of aspir-
| ing men.
| HIS uNEQUALED RECORD AS TO ALLIANCE pRIN-
| CIPLEs.
Next, as to principles. How stands my record
| there? Let us take up the Georgia alliance
platform, To the first six resolutions there Will
| be general If not universal assent.
| The seventh plank in the Georgia alliance
platform is the great plank. 1t is the one cen.
| trail idea for the defense of which the alliance
| hosts have gathered. 1t is the central Sun
around which reyolve all the lesser lights in the
constellation of alliance principles.
Now, in order to ascertain definitely my posi-
tion on this resolution, let us consider it clause
| by clause, and let us see how Stood not since
| the alliance adopted it-not since became a
candidate for the Senate-but when l was
| motives could possibly have influenced me- and
| let every other man who seeks your votes as
special friend Of the alliance be subjected tc
| the same test. Let us come down to bed rock
Let us have no lodging, no more pretense, no
| equivocation, no new zeal for alliance princi
pies, born since the alliance grew strong in
| Georgia. Let's pin every man down to platform
| OF principles, not of mere plans, and see how
| he stands and how he has stood in all these
years.
| ABOLITION OF NATIONAL BANKS.
The first clause of your platform demands
the abolition of the national bank system. y
| What is my long and unbroken record on that
clausef In the Senate on the Goth day of March
| 1874, endeavored to prove, by arguments, by
| facts by common sense, and by history, that
when in any large agricultural community
like ours. an inconsiderable number of its oti-
| zens possess the power to divert from the ordi-
| nary purposes of trade suffciency Of the
| circulating medium to depress or initiate the
prices of commodities at will or when the price
paid for the circulating medium is 80 ex-
| cessive as to be altogether disproportioned to
the profits made by the producer, then the evil
denceis infallible of wrong-a false system OF
finance and / verify believe if this
| system Of finance, with it's rigidity of volume,
| with its non-elasticity is to con-
| tinue, then the day is not remote when concen-
trated money wi dictate the profits on every
| industry and enterprise of this country; will
hold in its hand the material interests, IL not
the private rights and personal liberties of the
citizen, will dictate the Legislation that is to be
| small degree become the arbter Of this expert
| ment OF representative government
In another place, speaking of this national
| bank system, said:
| 81 wish l had time to analyze all the objec-
| tions which think lie against the present sys-
tenn. think it would be- easy to prove that
e it does induce at seasons undue flow
of money TO New York and to the great centerS;
| that these Accommodations do encourage specu-
| lations, and speculations create panics. think
| it would be easy to show that its very rigidity
of volume. its non-elasticity, its nsuff1cency.
make IL the subject of control by heavg capital
| lists and thereby place at the mercy OF Wall
street the profits on the legitimate industries of
| the country"
| have been thus denouncing this system
| both in and out of Office for nearly twenty
| years. l pause in the argument just long
| enough to inquire of these new converts to this
| doctrine who are now seeking my defeat, what
| reply they have to make to that portion of my
| records
| TREASURY NOTES IN PLACE OF NATIONAL BANR
NOTES.
But let us pass to the next clause in this sew
enth resolution, which is the substitution of
legal treasury notes in lieu of national bank
| notes.
| How stands my record on chat score? Speak
ing of the absurdity of the policy Of contraction
| to gold basis l said in 1874:
| IF every gold and silver mine upon the con-
tinent were obiiterated by .Jehovah's fiat, or
| sunk by an earthquake, it would not make one
| farthings difference In the productive value or
the prosperity of this country. provided, IN lieu
thereof, we had a currency universally recog-
| nized BY government aud
individuals alike; currency founded upon the