People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-02
NUMBER 40

ASp1y VI GI1C u1bu WHO WduUS 81 pdUly
to fight. I want to show you what
sort of war uniform they dress
Gen Black in. Laughter and APP
plause. Reads.
SPARTA, GA, August 25th.
Mr.. j. M. Harrison, Chairman:
Dear Sir-Yours of the 25th was not
received until moment ago. / wrote
you on the 18th instant, proposing a
joint meeting and discussion here to-
day, and you delayed your reply, which
have received only few moments
ago. You are mistaken in the state
ment that Mr.. Black declined six of the
joint discussions to which Mr.. Watson
Invited him. Mr.. Watson having indi-
Gated that his duties would call him
out of the District after the 10Th inst,
and that he only wished to devO tie the
time up to that date to joint discus
sion, the arrangements proposed by
Mr.. Black did not go beyond that date,
he signifying his willingness to ar
range other joint debates as might be
mutually agreed on. You delay your
reply to mine of the 18th instant until
it has just reached me, and after we
| havesarranged another programme for
the day, and then propose an unequal
| testify so that we cannot accept it.
r. B. BAXTER, Chairman.
TO show the desperate straits in
which this correspondence placed the
would-be masters of the people, I
must throw in an incident paren-
thetically. At the hotel, after the
meetings were over, I got in CONVEX
sation with Gone e. S. Jervey.
He proclaimed that Mr.. Watson had
declined to meet Mr.. Black-this to
me by the way of information. Ire
specially informed him that I had
correspondence in my pocket that
enlightened me more than he posi-
bly, could-at the same time showing
him the above letters. He stepped
into the Office and almost immedi-
ately returned with a gentleman
whom [ afterwards learned was Mr..
Baxter. Mr.. Baxter, in an insulting
tone, demanded to see the letters
which I had in my pocket. I replied
that while there was nothing Of a
secret character in the letters-for
they would be pubEished-yet de-
clined to yield to what was put in the
form of a command. By this slime
Mr. Ham and Mr.. James joined the
group, and Mr.. Baxter again made
the demand, saying that one Of the
letters he thought was his personal
property. I replied that it made no
difference whose property it was, it
was correspondence Of public char
acter, read at a public meeting, placed
in my possession, and nothing but
brute force would get it. It was then
suggested, in the form of command,
that let Mr.. Baxter read the letters.
That declined, telling them that If
they thought they had man they
could bulldoze, they were mistaken;
that I had carried gun on my shout
der in defense of Southern rights
when some of them were lolling in
the innocent inertia of pulling baby
hood, and If they wanted the letters,
to take them if they could. Mr.. Ham
disclaimed any idea of bulldozing,
and asked why, as matter of court
esy, / refused to show what was to
be published. [ replied that in that
light | did not mind showing them
to him and Mr.. James, if they would
give me their words of honor to re-
turn them-for they were gentle
manly all throughput I would not
let Baxter or Jervey see anything.
I will say, in justice to Mr.. James and
Mr.. Ham, and other gentlemen, that
there was nothing of an insulting ma
ture INDUCED in by any person pres
ent, save Baxter and Jervey; but
still | was surrounded by men who
were willing to torture everything in
their favor. L. D.
Mr.. Watson: Now, felIow-citizens,
/ put it to you as fair-minded men
NOISY demonstrations On the outside
Of the crowd, and angry retorts from
within-the people evidently losing
patience with the blackguards. Now,
my feIow-citizens, have come here
to discuss public issues with you, and
do you think it fair, as fair men, as
honest men, as brave men, that a
squad of half dozen should stand
over there and try to keep me from
speaking ? Cries of''No mo Nor'7
Don't you think that they put their
candidate in contemplate attitude
when they stand there and say, by
their noisy Interruptions, that they
are afraid for him to meet me and
talk to you? (Angry mutterings
around the speakers stand.) Now,
if you will keep quiet addressing
those around the stand who showed
their Indignation we will get-rid of
this riff-raff out there-those empty
headed boys who have neither the in
stinct nor training of gentlemen. No
gentleman would behave in that way,
no brave man would behave in that
way, no fair minded man would at
tempt to drown the voice of reason
when a man has come here to meet
his enemies foot to foot and face to
face; nobody but a contemplate
| coward would affanoDt n +b;,oe Is1~o