The Forrest City times., 1892-08-26
DEMOCRACY UPHELD.
RECTOR AND MACON IN FOR REST CITY.
Tho Popuiitss, Represented by Sweet and
 Mcdonald, Make a Feeble Showing

The Populites, Represented by Sweet and
 Mcdonald, Make a Feeble Showing
 Friday, the goth inst, was great day for the democracy of St. Francis county. 1t had been extensively ad- vertised that Hon. E. W. Rector of Hot Springs, presidential elector. at large on the democratic ticket, and Hon. R. E. Macon, brilliant young democratic orator of Helena, would expound the principles of true democ- racy on that occasion, and the people turned out en masse to hear them. They arrived on the 6 o'clock Little Rock and Memphis train from the west, and the forenoon was consumed in mak- ing the acquaintance of our people. At ? o'clock large audience greeted them at the courthouse. A division of time was accorded the populites, and $. E. Sweet, presidential cleo, or for the Third party in this congress sional district, opened the debate. Sweets talk was the same old harague, consisting mainly of abuse of demo- cratic methods and anticipations of what Col. Rector would say in his speech. It was utterly without argu' ment, and, Col Rector remarked in his reply, was a reproduction almost yer batlm of the speech of Homer Prince | of Searcy, or Princes speech was a | literal reproduction of Sweets. He denounced democracy as being twin | brother of republicanism. He avoided mention of the force bill and was pain | fully silent concerning the soldier plank in the St. Louis platform. | When Sweet had concluded, Col l Rector mounted the r0strum, and ir one of the grandest efforts ever heard in this section upheld the principles of democracy and exposed the fallacies of the opposition. He touched upor l all leading national and state issue ant handled them in masterly manner He did not answer Sweets arguments because Sweet hadn't argued. II, demonstrated the weakness of some 0i the positions taken by the populite: speaker in manner which exposed their utter ridiculousness. When ths matchlass Rector ended his magnifi cent address it was felt that democrac! had been wonderfully strengthened 1T St. Francis county.
 MCDONALD AND MACON.
 Owing 10 the fact that a protracteo meeting was in progress at the MethO dist church, next door to the court house, it was decided to seek another building for the use of the gentleman who were to speak in the evening, anC through the efforts of Col. V. B. IZard chairman of the county democratic ex ecutive committee, the dining hall O. Loda hotel was placed at their dis posal. At 8:l5 Capt. J. F. McDonalC opened for the populites, and for al hour and half endeavored to uphold the principles of his party. On mos subjects Capt. Mcdonald is a very sen sible man, and he is certainly an hon est and sincere man, but he had n' ground to stand upon, and, therefore made poor speech. He handled thu Republican party most tenderly and like Sweet, avoided the force bill anG the "soldier' plank. He denounced the existing system of national finance but offered no substitute. He claimed the disease existed, and that the Dem ocratic party had developed the mala dy, but he prescribed no remedy. H, ignored the existence of a republican senate and denounced the democracti, house for failure to afford relief, wher he knew the senate would block-ant had blocked--every measure of relic attempted by the house. The incom paraDle Manning sat III the auulenc' acted as promptec for Capt. Mcdonald which was bad ''giveaway" for th' speaker.
 Mir Macon follow in one of hi brightest speeches and clearly knocked out Capt. Mcdonald. In fact, it wa: complete rout of the enemy's forces The speaker went into details on stat' affairs and showed the difference il the expenses of our state government under republican and democratic ad Lr1er styations, with the accompanying Fdiminution of taxation. Then he took up the tariff laws and the free coinage bill and dwelt at some length upor each, explaining their workings in tht most lucid manner.
 It was II o'clock when the speaking ended, and though our populites friends were doubtless little dazed the democrats felt that ''it was good tt be there"
 Messrs. Rector and Macon left or Saturday mornings Iron Mountain train for Marianna, where they ad dressed the people of Lee county in the afternoon.
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