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

4 OA~~~~A ~N"~S
order, and urged good behavior and
respectful attention on the part of
the audience. He said, under the
terms Of the agreement, Mr.. Watson
would begin, and speak one hour,
Major Black would follow for an
hour and half, and Mr.. Watson
would conclude in fifteen minutes.
He then introduced Mr.. Watson,
who was greeted with cheers.
mr.. Watson began by reading the
concluding paragraph from an edi-
torlal in the Augusta Chronicle, as
| follows:
"And if on the other hand the man
who raises his hand against the prosperity
OF his own people, and would scatter the
ashes Of desolatiOn over the hearthstones
of his ne ghbOrs, is ever confronted by
the consciousness that he stands before
his fellow-citizens political pariah and
social Ishmaeiite then Mr.. Watson's
conscience will be his enemy and scourge
to-day.
''We commend to Major Black the
thought
"'Who saves his country, saves all
things, and all things saved will bless
him.
while Mr.. Watson may be Chastened
by the reflection that
who let's his country die, let's all
things die, and all things dying curse
him."
This is in keeping with the intoler-
ant and proscriptive spirit of this
paper. But who was author of
those words? Benjamin H. Hill,
who said if he was ever a democrat,
he didn't go to be. (Cheers.) He
was first Wing, then a Know
Nothing, and when he died was al
most an Independent. repel the
charge that l am either a political
pariah or social Ishmaelite.
I am within few days of my Seth
year, and If any man has ever found
me out to be a scoundrel I do not
know it. I went to the legislature
and think I served with some dis
tinction, and if I was ever charged
with unfaithfulness I do not know it.
When an elector, I denounced the
financial ills which / now denounce.
So bold was | in my denunciations
that q pistol was drawn on me in the
Louisville fair grounds.
AT this juncture the Georgia rail
road train was heard coming, with
the brass band playing Dixie, and
the speaker decided to wait until he
could be heard.)
He continued by saying that no
where did he feel more perfectly at
home than in the yard Of Liberty
Hall; and paid a high tribute to the
Grand Old Commoner. Mr.. Steph-
ems wrote that he would stand for
Congress regardless of the Augusta
thimble-riggers. (Cheers.) Let no
man think that am discouraged by
showing me the picture of that grand
old independent. I thank you for
showing me bis picture. It strength.
ems my arm and inspires my soul.
I do not doubt that the Master will
furnish me strength as long as he
has work for me to do. ANY man
who thinks he can browbeat the ban.
ner- bearer of the Peoples party is
mistaken. The corporations and
their attorneys cannot bring enough
Of their followers from Atlanta and
Augusta to beat me down.
Every fair-minded man knows that
I was elected on the Ocala platfor n.
Who says that promised to go
into any caucus? On the other
hand, this St. Louis platform con-
tanned distinct enunciation that
these principles would be sustained
independent Of any and every eau
Gus. The choice came between party
and principle, and did not hesitate
to stand BY principle and let the
party go. They told you to make
your fight inside the party lines !;
that they would have the majority
in the Fifty-second Congress and,
they said, "we will get you the relief
you demand" Have they kept that
promise? Cries of, "No! No!7
They told US that they would
hberalize the platform. Every
little county democracy adopted the
most of your demands; almost every
State democracy; the democracies
Of Kentucky, South Carolina and
Florida adopted your demands. But
all this was before the democratic
national convention, and they did it
with the hope that your demands
would be recognized IN the national
convention. Why am [ publicly
blamed? for said, q will wrap the
Ocala platform around my body; I
will take that platform and call upon
the people, and will open it and
make distinct fight. If I am a
traitor, every one of you who have
left the democratic party are also
traitors. You may indict one man,
but you cannot indiot a whole peo-
pie"
From this on is Mr.. Watson's
speech as he delivered it. L. Dris.
col.
Mr.. Watson. They have denounced
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