People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-07

myself. In my eyes the issues at
stake are vastly more important than
he or |. If he is bad man you
know it better than I can tell you.
If / am bad man you know it bet
ter than he can tell you. Our pub
lie walks have been SO conspicuous
that you all have your minds made
up as to the manner of men we are
| am here to talk upon public issues.
When l have been attacked I have
defended myself. If I am attacked
to-day I will defend myself. do
not go out of the way to start up
personal collisions. / meet them If
they are forced upon me. I am do
ing my best to bring these issues to
the comprehension Of all, believing
that IN this contest our welfare is
wrapped up for the next twenty five
years.
A political party is what? An
organization framed by certain men
in order to perpetuate certain prin-
ciples. That is what a political
party ought to be. A joining to-
gether Of hearts and of hands Of
those who have agreed upon GER
tain line Of policy, and wish to see
that line Of policy enacted into
statute law. Why, my fellow citi-
zens, the idea has got abroed that
there never was breaking away
from old parties before. The idea
is sought to be created that new
party is an abnormal growth as
strange and as venomous as a cent?
pede. AS q matter Of fact, there is
not generation passes that party
does not break down and new one
spring up in its place. The old
party Of Thomas Jefferson was not
the Democratic party-not known
by that name. He called his party
the Republican party, and organized
it against the principles of Alex
ander Hamilton. It was the same
in Andrew Jackso1's time; the party
that he founded was a revolt against
the concentration Of wealth and
class rule. Now you see, therefore,
that new parties are no new things.
They are the natural progress Of
ideas in the revivifying Of old ideas
that have been prostituted from their
original purposes. So much by way
of preface.
I am here to-day to argue the de-
mands Of the Peoples party and its
principles, as against the Democratic
party and it's principles. That is
the line of argument that I have
adopted everywhere. A plain discus
sion of whether or not modern Dem
ocracy is best calculated to advance
your interests, or whether or not the
Peoples party represents your best
hope of escape from the abuses Of
which you complain.
Who framed these Peoples party
principles? Who framed these de-
mands? Why, fellow citizens, it is
the work Of your own hands. They
seek to show that we are inconsistent
because eight or ten years ago we
did not support James 3. Weaver
instead Of the Democratic party Of
the South. Why did YOU not do SO?
His at that time was not the banner
of the South. The South was sus-
picious Of everything that did not
emanate from the South. The Pat
rons of Husbandry, and the Farmers
Alliance and the knights of Labor
went abroad talking these great
principles. With a view to what?
Was it with a view of letting them
die at the behest Of party tyranny?
Did you learn that there were great
wrongs for the purpose Of righting
wrongs or not?
Voices; We did, we did. Hur-
rah for Watson. (Cheering.)
Mr.. Watson: Did you expect to
find out that the men who had a mo-
nopoly Of the money of the country,
given to them by the government,
had superior rights to you, and then
fold your hands and submit to the
wrong? Did you expect to be in
doctrinated with the idea that the
income tax was a proper thing to be
enacted into statutory law? That
those few people who owned half the
wealth of the United States should
pay half the tax, and that they pay
nothing to-day, although their i'm
mense fortunes were made off the
favoritism Of this system? Did you
expect to find that these principles
were right and then abandon them
in favor of the wrong? In other
words, did you expect to find the
ground, to pillow deep and cross pillow
it until it was a mellow bed ready
for the reception of the crop2s Did
you expect to sow and cultivate it,
and then at the eleventh hour, when
the crop was ripe and ready for the
sickle, to let it die in the field?
Voices: No! no! no! Great
Mr. Watson: Now, is not that
fair preface of the situation? Gre
newed cheering)
You all know what race | am
making in the tenth district. There
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