The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-04-11
Game of Humbug.

From the Augusta Chronicle,
When me sees how easily an audience
is humbugged bv cant and lnsincerity
on the part of speaker, he begins to
| believe In the declaration that the
| American public loves to tie humbug-
ged. Mr.. Atkinson seems to believe
| this, for in his speeches he deals IL the
most fragrant humbuggery. Strangely
enough tie audience does not seem TO
see through it, but cheers him in one
sentence as ''tOwn fellow" and five
minutes later yells Justify for the
country boy"
just before the joint debates began an
Atkinson paper advocated the carrying
If 800 wool hat boys'to Griffin to take
care of 1.-The city fellers' who would
come from Atlanta to cheer for Evans.
In his speech Mr. Atkinson ridiculing
Gen. Evans, membership in an agricul-
turals society, aligned himself with
these same city fellows, and declared "We
city fellers'' are all the time trying to
teach you farmers how to farm. This
sentiment, of course, elicits laughter and
applause from the farmers, who regard
it very frank in Mr.. Atkinson to admit
that he, as ''city feller," has been tell
ing farmers how to farm.
But in the very next breath Mr.. At
kinson begins abusing city fellows and
city rings, and suddenly changes to a
country boy. IF Atlanta has monop-
,ly of all the brains," says he, "then
give her all the offices, but if we country
bows have a share or tie brains and
qualifications. then give us share of the
offices. In spite Of the Atlanta ring
you are going to make one country boy
governor of Georgia"
And so he facilitates from country to
t. wn, and back again, all through his
speech, figuring one minute as "tOWn
fellow" and the next as country
boy," Just as suits his purpose. Singu
larly enough the crowds seem not to see
through the transparent humbuggery,
and cheer him in either role; but, when
they 60 home and think it all over, they
are obliged to be impressed by its want.
of sincerity.
General Evans has spent useful and
honorable life-four years of it in the
service of his country on the fields OF
battle. That he did brave and patriotic
service is proven by the fact that he was
five times wounded, and was promoted
for conspicuous galIantry to the rank of
general. And yet, in the same demagogi-
cal spirit of humbuggery Mr.. Atkinson
declared at Hawkinsville that if he had
been old enough to be in the war he
"probably would have fought so hard as
never to have come out alive; and, if me
and my crowd had been there, we would
have licked them yankees"
Is such rot as this worthy of candi-
date for governor? By shrew1 insinua-
ton he implies that because Gen. Evans
came out of the army alive, possibly he
didn't do so much fighting, after all. II
1 had been there II probably would
have fought 81 hard as not to come out
alive" This is no greater reflection on
Gen. Evans than tits on Gen Lee, Gen.
Gordon, Gen. Longstreet, Cen. Early,
and thousands of other brave men, who
did their whole duty and came out
alive from that terrible ordeal.
The people will not be deceived by
such humbuggery. They may laugh,
and applaud these empty utterances on
the stump, but when they get to theil
homes, and calmly think the matter
over, they will not be misled.
A man whose life record is full of
faithful service to his country, and his
God, has hon red his State, and Georgia
will honor herself in honoring Clement
A. Evans, despite Mr.. Atkinson's cam
paign humbuggery to the contrary.