People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-09-02

arc SoAnS W DC udppy GO-udy. dLn
going to tell you more of the truth
directly, and will prove all l say; |
do not ask you to take my word for
anything. Now listen, and you will
hear more about what was done
than these Democrats will dare to
tell you.
When | was member of the
legislature l drew up bill and tried
to have it enacted into law, which
would directly help the laborer and
the cropper all over the State of
Georgia. How? You know that,
as the law stands, you may rent a
home for the year, and the land at
tached, and during the year l may
take a portion of my rent from you
or your wife children, and forget to
give you credit for i'll may take
some in vegetables, and fail to give
you credit for it; may take some in
corn, and forget to give you credit
for it; | may take some in poultry,
and forget to give credit for it; and
at the end of the year you have two
little bales of cotton, and in those
little bales of cotton are locked up
all your profits for the Iyear's farm
ing. You have watered your mouth
thinking of the good things you
were ging to get when you had the
the money in your pocket Perhaps
you had promised the old lady new
dress, and your daughter dress and
brand new red handkerchief each;
perhaps you promised the boys new
hats and boots, and yourself a new
outfit, but in comes the sheriff and
levies on these two bales of cotton.
tell you that gives you a
shrinkage about the vitals that
will not be forgotten in many a day.
You say, "Boys,I paid nearly all that
rent in such and such commodities; I
owe only about ten or fifteen dol
lars" Well, the sheriff says: 600
and see your lawyer" and you go to
long John Jordon Qaughter,) and
say, 81 paid all but ten or fifteen
dollars on my rent, and here the
sheriff has come and levied on the
two bales of cotton that | depended
upon to keep me in supplies and get
myself and the old lady and children
necessary clothing for the winter"
And what does long John say? He
tells you that you can go into the
court house and fight the case if
you give bond for the costs of the
suit, and the payment of the debt.
Now, people do not like togo securi-
ty for each other, and the poorer
you are the less likely you are to
find any one willing to go on your
bond and save your cotton, and on
account Of your poverty, whether
you be poor white tenant or poor
black tenant, you have to go home
with tears of disappointment in your
eyes, and crushed hopes in your
hearts because you could not go into
the court house and defend your
rights. CA brawny farmer: 81
have seen that very thing done, that
is the Gods truth"
Well, [ introduced a bill into the
legislature to open the court house
door to the doorest tenant, whether
black or white, just as it was open
ed to the richest farmer. (Cries of
''Thank you, thank you! God bless
you.O [ introduced bill into the
legislature to allow the tenant to
swear that he could not pay that
rent, that he could not give that
bond, and then he could 60 into the
Court House and appeal to jury
of his white neighbors who would
not turn that cotton loose. Was
not that a good and a fair law?
Cries of: eyes, Yes''7 We pro-
posed that should a jury of his
neighbors decide in his favor, he
should have his cotton, and not al
low the landlord to pick it up and
carry it away, and force him, wheth-
er white or black, to introduce a
suit, and give a bond, in order to get
the cotton back. Now, I introduc-
ed that in the legislature, and how
many Democrats do you think voted
for the bill? Only twenty-five.
How many do you think voted
against it, and said by their votes
that because a man was poor and
could not give bond, the doors of
the court house were closed against
him-he could not contest with his
landlord, and that is the law to-day?
(Cries of: 'Shame Same") Do
you want to know the names of
some of the men that voted against
that just law? L. L. Columbus, the
leader Of the House, of Wilkes coun-
ty, who is a candidate for the Dem
ocratic party, and who pretends to
be such a friend of the people in
general, and the negroes in particu-
lar. Mr.. Reese said, by his
vote, that there ought to
be discriminating conditions imposed
on the tenant and not on the land
lord. Who else voted against this
bill so manifestly fair and equitable,
down in Richmond county? Why
in the name of God don't they men
ton Mr.. Reese and Robey, if they
want to show who have been hitting
| Il Al. .