The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-11-18
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"A beavtifal ircijent scounscis1 with The
sat Democratic vctsry occurrel in Anaa.
"a Ga, and that has 10, as yet been pub.
nshed. w H M
Thsrs i.altls cannon in that city known
as tho "Cons,i'u,ion's Cannon." IL is an
snthu.i,siirally patriotic Democrats gun,
sn ! wasiisct 10 ce'ebrsts every victory Of
(; oar rsriy since the redemption of ibs South
frum rcconstruciiou rulc. After ann0unsirg
the glad tidings In Atlanta, this little ricce
Of .rJnsncs o axes q pilzrinage over the
sia.s ,... :. . / a-'1 q. ., mu,n reverence rs
he old Liberty Bell. sn,t after the demon
strsiions are over always finds iis wsy
lack hone. Co'nmns have bstn written
sbo,.t Tho sun. aud IL was Henry Grady's
especial pst, flTf
In the Presidential c ntsst Of 1883. Grady
placed q heavy charge w this cannon, witt,
the expectation or touching II of with his
own and TO CO ebrafs Clrve!and's election.
But the banner of '.ur party went down
before ibe onslaught or purchased Republi-
can iall"is, and OF course the II tie gun re-
mained dumb. Grady was sorely distressed
over the result. tut never for nm instant did
his faith wnv'r in the eventusl triumph or
the rinciI les - Dem crncy. SO he care
fully Primed the cannon. pasted n piece .f
PAPER over The touch hoe, and IN this slip
lie wr, te the words
- CHARGE t. KEEP HAVE.
The gun was then carefully laid away,
With a letter written by Henry Graly, ia
which IL was stated that he hoped to live
four ea,s longer, wlrn he intended to
touch that same Iom off to celebrate the
sl, cticn nf Gro- CT Cleveland md the t"iumph
# Democracy. But there wasa Iostscrio
to the letter, in which tho patti tito an
gifted young &c rgnn asked if the hand OF
death wa, l"iI up him erors that nuspi-
cisus day came, u. wnnird some friend Ia
tska tho gun in fr,ni cf ths COnstifution
luilling. and let II announce for him 10 tho
psopls OF At nutn, wliDm hJ loved no vol
the glad 'idings.
Everybody in that city knew the story ,f
tho camI on that Grady londcd, ani when
the wires began TO II ,sh tho news cf he
iriuml hant march Of Democracy, tho ht'lo
gun was b. ought 70 th il,m four years OF
silence ard made ready to ,gnal tho tx-
ppc,ed news. Not for any consi lcra,i,n
would that snor'd charge left by Grady te
fired until victory was pos lively assured,
aud il was generally understood III oughout
the city that when tie "Constitution Can
non' spoke il was evidence that tho re ult
Of Clevelnuh's cction WAS no longer in
d,utt. Tues lay night nni Wednesday
morning NIL care were s'raincl to hear the
f,milar b,.m. The most intense AID
bfenthleS IbIcrctt 1clkuel supreme III
wsu'd hnve been considered n saorilogc TO
sive my ether account of the news thnn thu
pro, h.cy of tho beloved md lamcntc
Grady. speaking through his metal iuro.
At thirty-fve minutes -psst--ons -oi-'oea-
Wings Of ereciri rs; 10 -cantain Evan r.
Howell from Chairman Ha,riiy these words:
"Clsveland is elected let Grady's gun
speak ~
Every man in the Office rushed into the
street. The paper VI ccd hy Gradys hand
was Torn Cif and the charge in the touch
hole WAS found to be dry and sound. In an
instant the fuse VS. lighted, and with
laundering report, that almost shook the
Piedmont escarpment the gun hc'chcd fo,t tn
its glorious and Welcome announcement.
The scene that followed heggars dsscrip-
ton. To the people Of Atlanta that report
WAS ms tho v"icc of one speaking from the
deal Every hat ut once went ino the mir,
and yells and cheers lu,st from fifty thous.
and ibronts. The report If Grady's charge
wa' taken up and rc-echoed by PARKS of
artil e'y stationed on the nsiChboring
heights. Every locomotive and steam whis-
tie in the city took up the refrain, and
never in the history Of Georgia was thero
such dcmonstrativo joy. The fact that
Henry Grady's own hand had loaded that
cannon, and four years before had prophe-
eisd the result, acted as electricity upon the
people. The charge that The dead and bs.
loved journalist. phianihropist and states
men had given his gun to keep was then
. delivered.
IL was worth a trip Of thousand miles
10 be in Atlanta ut thnt hour Coiumbia
Register.