People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-23
TEXAS PLCNICS.
How. the PeOple'sParty Carries Every.
thing Before It.

broWHWooo cor. 0C. Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat.
By-the-bye there is much that is
unique in Texas politics this year.
And one of the most curious things
is the Third party picnic. Perhaps
twenty-five of these picnics have
been held. AS many more are an
nounced. The idea is new one to
this generation. 1t is very taking.
A couple of years ago the fertile
brain OF Congressman Dockery, of
Missouri, originated what were call
ed tariff reform picnics in his State.
But the Dockery picnic was not to
be compared with the Third party
picnic Of Texas. Judge Nugent, the
candidate of the party for govern
or, is an analyzer of popular move
ments. He says there has been
nothing in later days like these pic
MICS, when Andrew Jackson ran, and
again, when William Henry Harri-
son was a candidate, similar gather
ings took place. There has been no
renewal of this campaign feature
since those times until now.
The third party picnic is the old
fashioned camp meeting in politics.
1t never lasts less than three days.
Some of the picnics have been pro-
longed six days. 1t isn't necessary
to have railroad connections, excur-
sion trains and reduced rates to make
third party picnic. Several of the
most successful have been held miles
out Of hearing of the iron horse.
The conditions of success are timely
notice, good water and abundant
shade. The cause does the rest.
The Texas farmer puts his wife
and children into big wagon and
journeys twenty, fifty and hundred
miles to one of these picnios. With
plenty of fried chicken and corn
bread for the inner man and feed
for the inner horse, he sets out for a
good time and he has it.
These picnics are under the con-
troll of the Third party committees.
The grounds are polioed by volun-
teers. All the privileges-the mer-
Ty-go-rounds, the lemonade and pop
stands, the booths of various kinds
are retained by the committees. The
profits, which are often considerable,
go into the party treasury. Thus
the picnic serves a double purpose.
1t disseminates the enthusiasm, not
to say principles, of the party. 1t
raises the revenue with which the
party machinery is maintained.
Those who have never seen one of
these Texas political picnics will
find it difficult to believe the esti-
mates of numbers attending. There
have been several of the picnlcs
where the crowd and camp spread
over many acres, and where it
seemed as if there must be ten
thousand persons, as claimed by the
leaders. Rarely does the number
fall below two thousand. Social in
tercourse, visiting of relatives, games,
and more or less love-making are
attendant features. But three times
a day the crowd gathers where the
platform has been erected and COW
cred with green boughs. There the
songs are sung and the speeches are
spoken.
At every speech there is a song.
The volume of sound is tremendous.
There is something very familiar in
the strains. A quarter of mile
away one can hear the grand old
coronation" But coming nearer
you discover that the words have
been changed to-
All hail the power of laboring men.
Perhaps the next tune is "The
Campbells Are Coming" but the new
words are "The Farmers Are Com
ing" And so it goes. The Third
party has pressed into service hymnal
and song books, but its writers have
played havoc with the old words.
Occasionally the picnic is seized
with a singing fit, and for an hour
the orators give way. Some of the
songs are so arranged that they can
be strung out almost indefinitely
There is one which starts off like
this:
Well vote for J. B. Weaver
Early in the morning.
Wen vote for J. B. Weaver
Early in the morning.
Wen vote for J. B. Weaver
Early in the morning,
In the fall of ninety-two.
The chorus to this runs as follows
oh, Demmies, don't you hear the cry?
Oh, Republicans, you may heave a sigh
Oh, people, don't you pass us by,
In the fall of ninety-two.
The next stanza runs;
Wen vote for James G. Field
Early in the morning.
This is repeated three times, and
then comes the third stanza, with
only this variation
Well vote for 7. L. Nugent
Early in the morning.
In a similar way the third party
truly afirms its intention to vote fol
Marion Martin, the candidate fol
Lieutenant Governor, for Evan
Jones of Dublin" for "Clark OF