People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-09
drown the voices of Mr.. Watson's

I
followers.)
Mr.. Watson. No man shall pro-
yoke me into the attitude of having
an issue with lady; but, at the
same time, what is dearer to me than
life itself is at stake-my honor is at
stake; the peace and comfort of my
household are at stake; my party
the party of the peoples at stake,
and I shall fight for my honor, fight
for the peace and happiness of my
family, fight for my party with all
the resources the good God has
placed at my command (Tremen-
dous cheering, and counter cheering.)
Now listen to me. Listen to me
one moment. I went to that hotel
in company with my friends, Major
MoGregor, Hon. I'll. G. Ellington,
president of the State Alliance; Mr..
and Mrs. Oscar Lee, and various
other friends whose names no not
reour to me at this moment. I ar
rived at about half past eight and
stayed in that hotel until about two
O'clock in the afternoon, except the
time I was on my feet before the peo-
pie in front of the court house.
The alleged occurrence never did
come to my notice; it never came to
the notice Of any Of my friends.
Mr.. Oscar Lee and his wife were in
that hotel, and they say it never
came to their notice.
Voices. owe knew it was lie !
Hurfah for Watson!"
Mr.. Watson. Now listen and hear
the exact truth. AS I said, the lady
never did give me any notice Of this
occurrence; never gave any of my
friends notice. When I was leaving
that hotel, [ went to her; she was
standing near the front door; and /
said, "Mrs. Roberts, what is my
bill?" She told off the items on her
fingers, and said, ''Ten cents for
cup of coffee, fifty cents for your
dinner and fifty cents for your
room" I paid the bill-S1.10-and
| will swear to God she did not say
one word to me about that alleged
insult. (Great cheering, and many
voices, owe did not believe word
Of it") Why should l be held re-
sponsible, even If she was insulted
by any of my friends, if I stood
ready to repudiate that insult |
would do it If she had been insulted
by either white or black. Concede
that she said it, and that it was
true-1 amt denying that part OF it,
[ am only denying that she called.it
TO my attention as alleged N this
card. / say say that if any wo-
man = any lady was insulted by
any of my friends, there would be
nc man quicker to resent it than I.
(Long continued eheering)
Let me go on. Why did not we
stand by Cleveland in this campaign?
Because we have a better house to
go to than before; we have not got
the "Hobson's choice" between
Cleveland and Harrison.
Voices out in the outskirts Of the
crowd. "That's what you are trying
to do; that's the road to Harrison )"
followed by jeering and cries of
e'Hurrah for Cleveland"
Mr.. Watson. There are some
words, there are some insults that
demand the knife as promptly, as
efectually as the most chronic
Great confusion and noise which
drowned the concluding words of
the sentenoe.) I say here (springing
nimbly on the table in front of him)
that any man, Or any set of men, no
matter where they come from, that
says that the Peoples party position,
or that says that my position leads
towards Harrison, utters what is
reckless and an Infamous falsehood!
(The picture at this junoture defies
the power of pen or brush. The
speaker, thin, pale and resolute,
facing the vast multitude, with hands
elevated and fire in his eyes; the
crowd nearly evenly divided;
vooiferations Of approval from the
larger half and bowls of rage from
the smaller, were well calculated to
leave the impression on the timid
that pandemonium had Gomez
I say this Shaking his finger me-
nacingly at a Group of chronic dis
turbers), and I whirl it in your
oowardly teeth, that [ have stood
this about as long as I am going to
stand it (cries of ''That's rightly }; and
my friends have stood it as long as
they intend to land it! (Shouts of
approval) The Peoples party, the
honest yeomanry Of Georgia, have
been called the rag-tag and bob-tail
by the unprincipled politicians, and
they have stood that about as long
as they are going to stand it And
here, where | am exposed to every
man who chooses to make me tar
get, who have been charged with
showing the white feather, I who
have been denounced as a traitor Ia
Augusta, I who have been de-
nounced as a Judas Iscariot, say
here, to your teeth, that any man or
set of men who says that [ ever be-
+ravod ouv 4rust or anvho0v who