Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-09-15
A FIELD DAY"
That's What the Peoples Party
Had at Damascus Last
Saturday.
Fully Five Thousand People
Turn Out to Learn Political
Wisdom.
The Democratic Rally Laid
Completely in the Shade.
\ Full Report of Gen. Fields
Great Speech.


South Mississippi. Conservative csti-
mates place The attendance at 5000
persons; s,rsc Soy il was ncCcCr &,.f".
All candid persons who attend both,
Soy !. completely lclip~cd the Demo
cratic gathering hold at the same place
q few weeks ago, when Private John
Allen was the drawing card and Con-
gresham Hooker and others spoke.
Moreover. it was gathering of the
solid. sun Drowned yeomanry. When
the Democrats held their meeting. all
the business men of the Copiah rail
road towns closed their stores and cz-
cursion trains were run on each end OF
the line to bring people from the towns
outside the county. On last Saturday
the business men did not close their
stores in honor of this great gathering
of the ycomanry of the country, and
no special trains were run, but the poo
pie were there all the same, several
thousand stronger than when the Dem
ocrats held forth.
They commenced arriving at an ear
IL hour on horse back and III every
style of vehicle, from far and ncar and
from every direction. Copiah furnish
ed the great bulk of the crowd, but
Kinds. Simpson, Lincoln, Lawrence,
Jefferson and Claiborne were all rep
resented by earnest, enthusiastic rep
resentativos of the great new party
that is growing so rapidly in strength
and influence.
by 9ocloct the streets OF Hazlehurst
we're crowded with horsCmen and We
hicles on their way to the picnic
grounds. It must have reminded some
of the Democratic leaders there of the
time when these same men gathered in
their streets for the overthrow of the
corrupt and yillainOus carpet-bag and
negro regime which, like both old Ma
tional parties of to-day, reyeled in the
spoils of Office, while the best citizen
ship of the State groaned beneath bur
dens of oppression.
The committee of arrangements,
headed by Sheriff Matheny, had engag-
ed the Hazlehurst cornet band, com
posed mainly Of members of the local
Democratic club. and this, with Tom
Mcbride, Il tall, one armed Confedor-
..kr ~ +,fn
flag. lei the way to the picnic grounds
mile and half distant. followed by
carriages bearing Gen Jas. q. Field.
candidate for the Presidency. Hon.
Frank Burkitt, the next Congressman
from the 4th district, Hon 7. j. Mill
saps and j. ID. Miller, Presidential
Electors, and long line Of vehicles
and horsemen.
When the procession arrived. there
were already acres Of teams and peo-
pie on the grounds. The same spa
cious platform erected by the Demo
Gratis was ready, decorated with flow
erS and evergreens, suggesting that
Woman's heart and hand are in the
movement too.
The band discoursed some stirring
music, all the crowd that could get i'll
hearing distance gathered around the
stand, aud Gen. Field, the orator of
the day, was introduced by Hon. T. J.
Millsaps and began his speech.
Gen. Fields opening remarks were
Of congratulatory nature, the occa-
sion being an especially suspicious one
for the peoples cause. He paid high
tribute to the power and influence of
the ladies, whom he recognized in his
audience in large numbers.
Gen. Field then went on to say he
was not here to make use of campaign
claptrap and adopt the methods of.the
political demagogue. He didn't pro-
pose to indulge in epithet Or abuse, nor
appeal to the passions and prejudices of
his hearers. lie only wanted fair
and honest consideration of the Peo-
pies party and its principles on their
merits. The Democrats talk as though
it were the rankest audacity and un-
pardOnable intrusion for the PEOPLES
party to enter the field to disturb them
in their fight with the Republicans.
They ridlcule the idea of building up
new party to take the place of either of
the old existing parties. They claim
to be the Democratic party of Jeffer-
sons day, in saying which, they show
that they don't know the history of
their own party. For fifty years after
this Republic was established the Dem
ocratic party had no existence. The
first great parties after the Revolution
were the Federal and Republican par
ties. Thomas jefferson was elected
President as Republican and not as a
Democrat. The Democratic party, as
such, never elected a President until
it elected Andrew Jackson. 1t was
ridiculed and belittled at first, like the
Peoples party is now, and nick named
in derision, the Loco-foeo party. The
Democrats who are now trying to cast
ridicule upon the Peoples party, ought
to remember the tumble origin of their
own party.
The speaker then reviewed the rise
and fail of political parties in this
country, telling how the Wing and