People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-08-12

discoursed sweet music, but the people
were anxious to hear the music of Wat
sons voice, so at two o'clock he took the
stand, and without any formal introduce
ton, spoke as follows
Fellcw-Citizens On my return home,
after the longest absence | ever had, it is
extremely pleasant to me to have this
welcome from my neighbOrs and my
friends IF | were to attempt to express
just what | feel if | were to attempt to
express my probationary thorough
appreciatiOn-of the com pliment by both
white and cOlOred you have paid me to-
day, words would fail me.
FellOw-citizens, for eight months 7
have been attending to your atfairs-my
own affairs have taken care of them
selves for eight months [ have stood
where you placed me, doing what | un-
derstood you wanted me to do applause |;
and the man or the newspaper who says
have ever shown the white feather
speaks most untruthfully. Renewed
applause. 1t is an easy thing for
man to make pledges when he has
cheering crowd like this, and when
the bright eyes of hundreds of beautiful
women and the eyes of hundreds of
brave men are upon him and the strong
arms of the people are about him, it is
easy, say, to be true to the creed of the
people under such circumstances, but
when one is standing alone; when you
have no frind except the conscience
which tells you you are doing right ;
when your friends are hundreds of miles
away and your enemies are opposing
you front to front and foot to foot, that
tries the strongest. Avoice, "We are
here go it y
thank you, my friends, not only for
this ovation to myself but in behalf of
my good wife, who has shared every
hour of my toll, and without whose
company would be weak indeed.
If [ have been true to you, as I think
have been; if | have discharged every
demand of duty it is largely owing to
that member of the firm of Watson e
Wife, which is the better half of the
two. ISeveral voices, ''Hurrah for Mrs.
Watson Hurrah for the whole family !
Hurrah for all his kin folks
I hope that includes the old man over
there, because I got my good looks from
him. Laughter.
[ can say this to you fellow-citizens--
that [ have never seen the time when
was ashamed Of you, or your platform,
or your instructions, and if [ have come
back to you in such shape that you are
not ashamed of me, am content.
Voices, ''Never Neverr'l
/ saw ia yesterday prints that McDuf-
ffe county WaR disgu@ted with me.
To-day as 4 came home, at every sta
ton after we struck the district, at every
point where the train stopped, there
were the good, brawny and tried men of
the country, and the sweet ladies of the
land had their f1owery tokens h. every
station along the road. [ wish l hao
here the magnificent wreath Of flowers
framed for me by the good ladies OF
Norwood, and on this evidence [ would
ask you to say whether the people Of the
Tenth district are Disguised with their
representative. Cries of mo! No! NoP']
Now, my friends, I wish to discuss,
fairly and plainly, some Of the facts in
this campaign lam glad to see so many
of the colOred people here, for [ have
something to say to them. [ have never
made a campaign in the Tenth District
that I did not have something special to
say to these colOred people, and today I
am going to read them a few lines of
good doctrine. [Great applause, in which
the colored people joined
Now let me render to you brief &C
count Of my stewardship while [ have
been absent. shall make no comment
upon i'll leave that 20 you.
I have introduced bills on nearly every
point included IN the Ocala platform. /
introduced bill to prevent the payment
N advance of the interest to the bond
holders. In one year there were thirteen
million dollars of your taxed taken out
of the treasury and paid to the bond
holders in advance of the contract. I
introduced bill to have that stopped,
and it was referred to the Ways and
Means Committee, and no man ever
heard of 1t afterwafds. Derisive laugh
teri I introduced a bill to repeal the
National Bank Act, which even General
Gordon says is ga great crime against
the people;' renewed laughter which
even the Augusta Chronicle has at last
found to be monopoly, and class legs
lation. That bill was referred to the
committee on banking and currency,
whose chairman is a New York banker.
He put it in his pocket, apparently, and
sat down upon it, for the bill was never
heard of after wards; and, mind you, this
is a Congress which is Democratic by 148
majority, and the Democrats are tel ing
us that all they want is chance to re-
peal the National Bank Act. 1t takes
more chances for the Democrats to do
anything than any body of men have
ever found yet. Laughter.
From year to year the great corpora
tons have had standing army, in the
Pinkerton detective agency--men who
are hired to go into other states armed
with Winchester rifles, and shoot down,
in cold blood, laborers who are dissatis
fled with the reductions of wages. So
far as l know, there has never been a
fight made in the halls of Congress
against this institution. When I vert
TO Washington one of the first things I
did was to introduce a resolution and a
bill upon the subject. That laid six
months before the committee, and I was
covered with bucket of cold water ev<9AAy
time | went before that committee. but
after the strike at Homes cad, aad the
Presidential election was comingJon, and
votes were becoming objects of solicit
tude, they sent committee over there.
The Pinkertons had been at work, and
dead men were in the Streets, murdered
by a gang of ruffiars that never would
dare to invade state if the Democratic
party had done, in time what was its
duty; but they bought a brand new
Oa0I0ck and carnfullv locked tho door