Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-08-11
THE PEOPLES PARTY.
District and County Meetings
in Mississippi.
MASS MEETING IN LAuDERpALE.

organization of the Peoples party, me-
in Meridian on the LIST. inst. The
meeting had been called at the Court
house, but at an early hour, it beins
decided that the court room could not
hold all who wished to attend, the
place Of meeting was changed to the
huge Sam Jones Tabernacle in the
north of town.
Here the meeting was called to order
by Mr. Pink Harvey, and Mr. Green LED
in prayer. Mr.. Joshua McLemore
placed in nomination for Chairman
Hon. John A. Bailey, who was elected
by reclamation, and Hon. w. H. Stin
son, one of the Representatives from
Lauderdale, was. elected secretary.
Hon. John A. Bailey was one Of Laud.
erdale's delegates in the Constitution.
al Convention, is at present a member
of the State Alliance Executive Com
mittee, and one of the best farmers OF
his county.
Before the Chicago Convention Mr.
Bailey wrote and published letter, de-
Tending the Democratic party and
pleading with Alliancemen and far
mers not to desert it, but to stand by
it and give it one more chance to re-
deem it's promises to the people. On
taking the chair, he feelingly
referred to his devotion to the old
party, and said he fain would continue
to trust it, and that he took the step
he was about to take with sorrow and
deep reluctance. but since the party
had gone ahead and renominated Cleve-
land, the ally of plutocracy, and a
Democratic House had repudiated its
pledges to the people and defeated two
silver bills, he here and now publicly
severed his affiliations with that party
and united with the party of the peo-
pie.
His remarks were loudly cheered.
After the organization had been COM
pleted and resolutions adopted, Capt.
l.. v,
vited to address the meeting and show
cause, if he could, why those present
should not look elsewhere than to the
Democratic party for desired relief.
Capt. Hardy responded and spoke
over an hour. Though an able man
and an orator, he spoke as a lawyer
conscious of having bad case, and his
effort was that of the special pleader.
He dtl the best he could with the stock
arguments of his party, that the Dem
ocrats are not responsible for any ma
tional legislation of the last 80 years,
appealed to the sectional prejudices of
his hearers, waived the Force bill scare
crow and tried to make it appear that
the Democrats didn't defeat free silver
in the House because they are opposed
to it.
Hon. w. P. Ratliff, the Peoples party
candidate for Congress in that dis
trict, was called upon when Capt
Hardy closed, and his speech laid the
Lauderdale champion of Democracy
completely hOrs de combat. He spoke
for an hour and completely ventilated
Hardy's speech and the Democracy's
record too, and seasoned the whole
thing with lot of side-splitting anec-
dotes that struck home.
B. T. Hobbs followed Mr.. Ratliff, and
among other things, exposed the ex-
ceeding thinness of the Force bill ar.
gument.
1t was big day for the new party.
The following are the resolutions
adopted:
Resolved, We, the people of Lauder
dale county, in mass meeting assem-
bled, recognize the fact that the finan
cial question is the important issue in
the coming campaign, that it is a
square out fight between organized
capital on one side and productive La
Dor on, the other; it is contest be
tween avarice, greed and cunning OF
one side and men, women and children
for bread on the other. 1t is persis
tent attempt of the organized swindlers
of the East to continue 10 levy tribute
on the toiling producers of the South
and West; and,
Whereas, The Democratic party by
arrogantly refusing to consider every
demand Of organized labor and by
means of delegations mainly elected by
town rings and corporation nominated
Grover Cleveland for President agains
the known wishes of four fifths of tn,
producers of the South and West, anC
then attempting through an unscrupu
lous subsidized partisan press
by threats, SANDER, misrepresen
tation and every device known
to corrupt politicians ito force VI
to remain in the party has for
feited all claim to our confidence ant
support; and,
Whereas, The national Democratic
party assisted in foisting the presen
national banking system upon the PEG
pie, and have for many years assisted
in maintaining this system upon tn,
people, thus transferring the contro
of the currency from the government
where it belongs, to individuals VIII,
have manipulated it for their own ben
eft, and national banking being con
demned by such Democrats as Jeffer
son, jackson, Calhoun and Benton
and prior to the war for many year
the Democratic platform condemned
national banks; and,
Whereas, A bill providing for tn
free coinage of silver passed RepubI
can Senate, and was defeated in tn
House having 148 Democratic majority
thus putting the Democrats squared,
on record as favoring gold bugs an,
contractionists; and,
Whereas, The Democrats bitterly con
demnedsthe Republican billion dolla
Congress, while the expenditures of tn
present Democratic Congress has OK
ceeded even the billion dollar Congress
and,
Whereas, In consideration of tn
above facts together with man