Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-09-18

congrcssiOnal-presented by COM
promising partisans and interpret
ed literally and with the heroic
latitude of partisan newspapers,
there is satisfaction for every sep
arate view and an ample basis for
joyous harmony into which even
the Populists may gather in the
old-fashioncd ratio of Is to /.
But neither the bitterness of par
tisanship, nor the sins of the tar
iff, nor the straddle of the finan-
cial issue, can explain the deep
discomfort that is growing in the
State.
Will you explain it! If not, l
will. | will tell you where the
trouble lies. 1t is in the protest
of the thinking masses against
methods that are Objectionable,
and a drift in our politics that is
dangerous and deadly. LET ME
TELL YOU, CONSTITUTION, THAT,
ALTHOUGH IT MAY SLEEP LONG AND
SLUGGIsHI.Y UNDER THE REIGN OF
THE DEMAGOGUE, THERE Is MOTH
ING IN COPS GREAT UNIVERSE OF
THOUGHT KEENER AND TRUER AND
WISER AND BOLDER AT LAST THAN
THE AWAKENED JUDGEMENT OF THE
PEOPLE. The MAN OR MEN WHO
DISCOUNT THIS FACT, DISCOUNT
HISTORY, REASON AND COMMON
SENSE. And the woods of Gcor-
gia, like the streets of your cities,
are full of men who are carrying
in patriotic hearts a protest, ST
lent now, but tremendous here
after.
am the humblest of these
men, perhaps. Perhaps the weak
est and most unworthy. But |
will voice this protest for them.
l will speak without fear and
without apology, in the freedom
of citizen, and in the most un-
selfish love for the real interests
of the Democratic party.
/. They bclieyc-thousands of
them-that there is ring form
ed in Georgia. ring of small
men, of keen, shrcwd, active and
ambitious politicians, loving them
selves first of all, AND GEORGIA
INCIDENTALLY AS THE MOTHER OF
OFFICES AND THE DISBURSER OF
spoIIs. They believe that these
men have secured control of the
machinery of party and intend to
throttle the free expression of the
popular will. They believe that
these men, confident in the fam
cicd strength of their position,
and reckless of public opinion,
have met in secret conclave and
parceled out the Offices of GeOr-
gia for years to come, without
consulting their masters, the peo
pie, who are expected to ratify in
slavish and truculcnt loyalty the
edicts of conventions which these
men shrcwdly manipulate and sell
fishly "control. -
2. They bclieve-thousands of
them-that a goodly number, if
not majority, of the judges and
solicitors of Georgia-monstrous
thought have wrapped their
splendid energies and their polit
ical fortunes in the future of this
ring, and that this highest and
noblest and most sacred branch
of our civic life is being strained
by political manipulation, and
prostituted by the selfish scram
BILE for place.
This is the protest which is
rolling in silence and gathering
in menace in the hearts and the
hands of the people. They believe
these dangers to be real, and they
are rising to meet them. You
shall not doubt the truth of this
assertion. l dare you who doubt
it-whether in personal or official
state-to 60 with me or send with
me one who shall fairly guage
and fearlessly report the sweep
of this sentiment in Georgia.
And the people have right to
believe this dreadful danger. If
it is not threatening, it is not
their fault that they cherish the
apprehension. No effort has ever
been made to disabuse them of
this fear. Both of these mon
strous apprehensions have been
established in their convictions;
established in circumstantial evil
dence powerful enough to seem
conclusive; established in the
open and oft-repeated charges of
Democratic orators and Demo-
cratic newspapers, whose fiery al
legations have never been retract-