The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-04
BLACK DOWNS WATSON.
THE SERIES OF JOINT DEBATES
OPENED.

Five Thousand Persons turn out al
Crawfordville to Hear the speakers.
Watson opens the Debate and Pro
pounds Three Questions-The Major
Answers Them to the Satisfaction
OF Everybody.
CRAwFoRDvILLK. GA, Sept. S.-The se-
ries Of joint discussions between Mai. J. C.
c. Black and Thomas E. Watson, eandi-
dates for congress in the Tenth district,
opened here to-day. The meeting was the
largest this town has ever seen, fully 5000
persons being present The crowd seemed
TO be evenly divided between the democrats
and Peoples partyites but II The volume
and continuation Of the cheering could be
taken as q criterion the majority were sup
porters of Mai Black There were about
. thousand negroes in the throng. They
kept well to themselves and had little TO
say. The speakers stand had been erected
on hsllowed ground, being on the rear lawn
of Liberty Hall, the old home of Alexander
a. Stephens.
The sensation OF the meeting was the
falling of this platform during Mr.. Wat
sons speech. 1t had been weakly con-
weight. The descent was gentle, however
Nobody was hurt, and as Mr.. Watson
promptly mounted one of the reporters
tables the speaking went on after only
slight delay.
WATSON READY TO FIGHT.
The only other symptom of a sensation
was an incident that occurred while Maj
Black was speaking, Somebody on the
platform said In a voice loud enough to he
III ~. L. I'D
bought Watson. Quick as a fash the Peo-
PIES party champion was on his feet and,
making for the man who said it, exclaimed
exctedly, whats thata Who said that~
Several men closed in around the author Of
the trouble, however. and the threatened
difficulty went no further.
MIR. Watson had the opening speech. He
reviewed his own record. He had stumped
Georgia for Cleveland aud preached tariff
reform In 1888 it was true. but even then he
had oondemned Mr.. CleVeland's financial
policy and for criticism of the national
hanks He had run for congress as demo-
orat because at that time there was but one
party here but he had been elected on a
peculiar platform. He was true to that
platform to-day, be declared, and he deded
any man to prove other wise. Il had been
choice between party and principle, and
he had stuck TO principle and let the party
go. IF | am traitor" he shouted, "every
one of you is a traitor aud you can't indict a
whole people"
The arrival OF the Augusta contingent
with banner bearing pictures Of Alex
ander Fl. Stephens and Maj. Black caused
Mr.. Watson to remark that they couldn't
brighten him by displaying the picture Of
that grand old commoner.
NO PERSONAL ABUSE.
Mr. Watson turned his attention TO per-
sonai Issues. II ask my friend BiAok.n
turning to his opponent che is my friend,
true aud tried, as I am his, true and tried,
whether have ever uttered any word of
personal offsnse or abuse OF himP'
Maj. Black answered that he had not.
MIR. Watson pronounced as false ths charge
tbst be had used nauseous and disgusting
word in the presence OF ladies Ia hia speooh
at Sandsrsville, to which Maj. Black
asan that be accepted the disclaimer
Mr.. Watson also denied in toto
having been told by Mrs. Roberts, pro-
prsetress of the hotel at Sparta, that she
did not want him or his gang about her
house any more. Mrs. Roberts had told
him no such thing, and the alleged incident
had never come to the kno Wedge of him
self or his friends
REPUBLIC AN TENDENCIES DENIED.
When somebody In the crowd sheussd
something connecting MIR. WatAon's name
champion got in q piece of dramatic work
Jumping upon the speakers table Mr..
Watson, shaking his finger in the direction
OF the offender exclaimed; ANY man or
set OF men that says the Peoples party tends
so republicanism is a cowardly and infamous
liar, and l hurl the insult back into your
cowardly face.n
Mr.. Watson read the following list of
questions, which he called on Maj. Black to
answer:
u. Do you admit the existence OF un-
usual suffering among the people2
''2. II SO, specify the legislation from
which that suffering results.
SO What remedies do you proposeP'
MIR. Watson declared that he was a free
trader and wanted all the free trade he
could get, and that he regarded the money
money question as far more vital than the
tariff. He asked Maj. Black IL he was for
free trade, aud the major said no.
BLACK TAKES THE RosrRUM.
Mr.. Watson was brought 30 a summary
conclusion at the end of the allotted time,
one hour, and Maj Black was introduced.
For several minutes the crowd cheered to its
hearts content Hats flew into the air.
handkerchiefs waved and voices rent the
air. Maj. Black began by giving ans wers
TO the questions propounded by Mr.. Wat
son. To the first be answered 81 do ad-
init the existence Of suffering resulting
from legislation, but | dare 30 stand here
and say that | believe that suffering to be
exaggerated"
To the second he said: al specify as one
of the chief pieces Of legislation from which
these evils have resulted, the iniqultous tar
i'll, and who represented the issue of the
reform of that tariff but Grover Cleveland,
and what platform called for the reform of
that tariff but the democratic PLATFORM
Voice-Where are you going to get
the money to run the government 'FRONT.'
Maj. Blaok-Ill tell you. You Peoples
party men want TO raise money by putting
the machines TO work and stamping IL.
And it would soon be as plentiful as the
leaves of the forest and about as worthless.
The remedy he proposed was the repeal
of the tax on state banks. That was the
farmers own demand and it had been ip~
cnrporated in the democratic state and ma
tional platforms, but the Peoples party
leaders, including Mr.. Watson, were resist
ing il.
wATsoN's QUEER POSITION.
Maj. Black declared that he had al laast