People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-16
THE JOINT DEBATE.
CONTINUED FROM THIRD PAGE.


rules to enable him to offer resolu-
ton that the committee on banking
and currency be instructed to report
at an early day providing for a bill
to withdraw national banking cur
rency and to issue instead treasury
notes known as greenbacks, and Mr..
Black denounced the Republicans
for voting it down. In other words,
he said that the Democrats tried to
give you what he is now denouncing
w for offering you, and he denounc-
cd the Republicans then for not let
ing the Democrats do the very same
thing. Now did not the Democrats
want a chance? (Laughter.) We
want to give you that now, and the
Democrats and Republicans both
alike say that we shall not do it.
[Great applause.
Up at Charlottesville he chal-
lenged me to show where the
Democrats were responsible for the
national banks. I accepted that
challenge. He may consider it con-
tinuously accepted, and if l do not
have a chance to show it here to-day
because Of my time expiring, posi-
bly, before | can do it, | propose to
show it In the other debates. 1t is
sufficient for me to show to-day that
the national banks were chartered by
the Republican, mainly in 1862 and
1868, and that the Democrats voted
against the measure, just IS they"op-
posed the issuing of greenbacks
when the Republicans first issued
them. Now, say that for twenty
years the Democrats have made no
determined effort to repeal the
national bank law; they have not
denounced it In their platform as
Jefferson used to denounce it, or as
Jackson used to denOunce it. Ii
they are against it why do not they
denounce it? Why not put the de-
nunciation of the national banks in
their platform? WheR9 do you ex-
pect the raIlying cry of the party
except in the platform When we
do not find denunciation of an evil
like that in the platform, it is fair to
presume that the party is not willing
to go before the people upon it.
But that is not all. AS late as
1876 the Democratic party passed a
bill adding to the privileges of the
national banks; adding to the
amount of capital stock circulation
of the national banks, that the banks
might thereby increase their power,
privileges and profits. The Demo
Gratis Overwhelmingly, and among
them, two of the leading Democrats
from Georgia, voted for that meas
ure; these two were L. D. Gambler
and Charles T. Crisp. Does that
look like favoritism? That looks
like curing the disease by piling on
the contagion. Naughter,) Then
at different times bills have been
passed by Democrats in the House,
adding ten per cent to the national
banks-measures friendly to that
monopoly. And one Of the reasons
/ am fought SO bitterly from the city
of Augusta is because the bankers
of Augusta tried to get me to sup
port that measure and I told them
that I would not do 1t.
Avoice. Tom, don't hurt them
any more; they are dead now.
cloud laughter.)
Mr.. Watson. Now, fellow citi-
zens, they talk about me being
traitor and deserving condemnation
because I followed my principles in
stead of my party when l had to
make a choice between the princi-
pies and the party. Now, right
there ] want some little time to talk.
Mr.. Black says that he will do me
the justice to say that I was elected
on the Ocala platform, but that these
principles are distinctively different
from the Omaha principles. Now,
what does that show? Simply that
he does not read the things he talks
about. (Laughter.) The Ocala
convention was not held for two
months after my election; we call
them the Ocala principles simply be-
cause they come to be a favorite
name; but to come down to the
literal fact, [ was elected on the St.
Louis platform. daughter and ap-
plause.) Now, who made that plat
form? G. w. Northen, w. L. Peek
and that pure and undefled Demo
crat Leonidas +. Livingston.
A voice. Oh, Lord! Lord! Lord
and loud laughter.
Mr.. Watson. And there never
was a man so vituperatively assailed
six months ago as Lon Livingston,
and he never was supported by you
Democrats until he betrayed these
people.
A voice. He would like to dis
cuss with you.
Mr.. Watson. You bet l will meet
every one of them. Not only that,
l am going to meet them on their
own heaths. Now, your candidate
can DO his own talking much better
than you can, and you had better
quit mailing fool of yourself.
Now Ito Mr.. Black, the most OBJ