People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-07

power that we will labor to correct these
evils by wise and reasonable legislation
in accordance with the terms of our plat
form.
The pledge is conditional. Now,
/ will tell you when you will get in
power. If you get in at all it will
be after Gabriel blows his horn.
a voice. We will get there if il
takes thirty years.
Mr.. Livingston. Hush, you yell
low skinned heather. (The gentle
man was respectable white man.)
A voice. You are nice gentle
man.
Mr.. Livingston. Hush, I tell you,
or I will go down there and make
you. If there are no policemen
there will make you myself. Will
you please explain this :? (Reads):
While our sympathies, as a party of
reform. are naturally on the side of every
proposition which will tend to make men
intelligent, virtuous, and temperate, we
nevertheless regard those questions-im-
portant as they are AS secondary.
[ appeal to you black and white
men of this country if virtue, tenn
perance and intelligence are to be
secondary to many questions now
upon us. | will read it again:
While our sympathies, as a party of
reform, are naturally on the side of every
proposition which tend to make men
intelligent, virtuous and temperste-im-
portant as they areas secondary to the
great issues now pressing for solution.
Listen. Intelligence, virtue and
temperance secondary to many ques-
tons. How in the name of God can
a white man how in the name of
God can a decent colored man put
his fist to such platform What
use have you got for money if you
have no virtue? What use have you
for temperance or intelligence if you
have no virtue? There is fanatacism
gone toEseed. There is socialism and
communism a thousand fold more
virulent than ever embraced from a
community before.
There is another thing in the plat
form / do not like. They are in
favor of woman's suffrage, and |
ask Mr.. Watson in his twenty-five
minutes to explain that to the people
of Georgia, why this, was put in the
platform. 1t is a claptrap to catch
votes? are you yourself in favor of
it?
Mr.. Watson. Read the plank, and
[ will answer you.
Mr.. Livingston. (Reads)-
''The forces of reform this day organ.
lied will never cease to move forward
until every wrong is righted, and equal
rights and equal privileges securely estab-
lished for all men and women of this
country"
"Equal rights and privileges"
There is a platform that would drag
the pure, the beautiful, and lovely
women of the country into the slums
and slush pools of politics. There Is
another thing in this platform that l
do not like, and l do not believe you
people are going to stand by. Neither
you colored men nor white men.
(Reads.)
1--WE demand free ballot and fair
count in all our elections, and pledge our
selves to secure it to every voter without
federal intervention, through the adop-
ton by the States of the upperverted
Australian secret ballot system"
Now, what is the secret ballot sys-
tenn? You colored men who have
to vote will have to read and write
before you can vote by that system.
A voice. Well, we can do it.
Mr.. Livingston. No; you cannot.
And the poor white man of this
country is to be crowded away from
the polls because he cannot read and
write. There is not one negro out of
dozen that can prepare his ballot.
There are tens of thousands of white
men in this country that cannot do
it.
There is another thing in this plat
platform that I do not like.
eve pledge our support to fair and
liberal pensions to ex-union soldiers and
sailors"
What would be fair and liberal
construction by Mr.. Weaver? What
would be a fair and liberal construc-
ton by Cyclone Davis? What would
you Peoples party call a fair and
liberal construction Of that plank in
the resolutions i? Why did you not
do like the Democrats in their plat
form, state distinctly what you are
and are not in favor of?
There is another in this thing not
sweet to you colored and poor white
men. And that is the eight hour law
in the government.
eve cordially sympathize with the
effort of organized workingnen to shor.
ten the hours OF labor, and demand
hour law on the government work, and
ask that penalty clause be added to
said law.
In other words, wherever the la
borers are organized like Knights of
Labor or in the government employ
they ought not work more than eight
hours. Why not be fair with the
colored man in the cotton patch or
the blacksmith shop? It is clearly
bill in favor of the Knights of Labor.