The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-06-25
SPEAKS AT CONYERS.
HON. II. T. ATKINSON ADDRESED a
LARGE CROWD FRIDAY.
He Paya a Handsome Tribute to Gen. Evans
and Has Some Pleaaant Words About
Atlanta-His Position Nationally.


good democratic doctrine and in it three
features were notable. One OF thee was the
tribute he paid his distinguished opponent.
another was his tribute to Atlanta and
her people and the third was his clear-cut
statement Of his position GA the Chicago
platform.
AS Colonel Atkinson walked to the stand
he was greeted with hearty applause.
A Tribute to General Evans.
II am glad" said he. "for the suggestion
which your chairman has made that this
is simply family fight, a friendly rivalry.
l am glad to say that it has been that
throughout. I have never used one harsh
or unkind word concerning my distinguish
ed competitor, who is gentleman OF the
highest worth and the purest character l
have said nothing unkind for two reasons.
One of these is that l do not indulge in
mud singing, and the other is that my dis
tinguished competitor deserves no unkind
words that could be uttered His treatment
of me has been that Of a manly man and
a true gentleman. He has not said one word
which will bring him shame or mortifica-
ton and neither have /. between the Two
candidates it has indeed been a friendly RI
valry; they have conducted themselves on
a high plane, and if we can go through
lively campaign and end us friends, certain
differences which the contest may have
engendered. We are friends, he and l, and
| honor him as a man and love him as a
Christian gentleman. There is then no rea-
son why any member of the democratic
party should carry in his heart anM unklnd
feeling toward any other member OF the
party. and l satisfied there will be none.
We must keep in view the fact that we
are all democrats, that we entered this
fri
Misunderstanding a united front and stand
ing shoulder to shoulder must bring defeat
and disaster to the third party. FROM the
beginning of this campaign until now, l
have proclaimed that 1t was the duty OF
the democrats to name their candidate for
governor, and that SO far as my democracy Is
concerned 1t mattered not upon whom they
might decide; that if my distinguished COM
petitor were selected as the nominee,
would be found battling as hard as l knew
how for the principles Of democracy
Colonel Atkinson's remarks on this line
were greeted with hearty applause. lie then
went on to refer to some of the features
of the campaign, and explained at some
length his position on the soldiers home.
As to Atlanta.
'"They have charged" said he, that l
have been fighting Atlanta. That's wrong.
[ have made no fight on Atlanta, and my
speeches from one end of Georgia to the
other will bear me out in tnat statement.
| have always drawn the distinction be-
tween the people of Atlanta and those poll
ticians who were fighting me, and in my
controversy with them L have, l think,
demonstrated my ability to give as well
to take. AS for Atlanta,-I am proud of
Atlanta as one of the greatest cities of
Georgia and of the south, city in which
every Georgian and every southerner has
right to feel pride. 1t is a city whose popu-
lation is made up of thrifty, active, enter
priSing Georgians-men who love their nome
nd work for it's interests. l an. anxious
to see that splendid city, which sprung
from the ruins left by Sherman, grow in it's
strength and power. All that she adds in
strength to herself, she adds to the strength
OF Georgia. i do not make and | have not
made any war upon Atlanta or upon the
people of Atlanta; what | have said is that
we who live in counties outside of Atlanta
have a right to a fair division of the offices
and 1 think l have made that pretty clear,
No, L have not fought Atlanta or the people
of Atlanta. l am as proud of her as any
of her sons, for Atlanta belongs to GeOr
gia."
On National Issues.
The speaker then went on to define his
position on national issues. He said that he
stood just where he stood two years
ago when he went before the people OF
Georgia and called upon them to rally t.
the standard of democracy. - believe" saiu
he, that it is the duty OF political part.
70 be honest with the people, just az it is
The duty of an individual to be honest in
AL his obligations. A party's first duty is
to stand by the pledges it makes to the
people"
Colonel Atkinson declared himself In favor
of a revision of the tariff, in favor of the
income tax and of the repeal of the 10
per cent tax state bank issues.
II believe in the free and unlimited coin
age OF both gold and silver. We differ with
friends in the east on the currency
question and it is our duty to put forward
men to represent our views, who can i'm
press those views upon the country and
the world Now, l differ with the president
and the administration upon some of the
details relating to the settlement of this
question. All of us--Cleveland and all-be-
iieve in gold and silver currency. Mr.. CleVe-
land believes in silver money and In the
coinage Of it on equal terms with gold,
but he believes that the only way to do
this is by international agreement. There
is where l and great many other members
Of the party, especially here in the SOUTH
differ with him. An international agree
ment is, in my opinion, too remote a con-
tingency to consider now 1t is the duty OF
the government not to wait for that, but
itself. Our country is amply able to take
hold of this question and settle 1t for our
selves without waiting for the nod Of q
monarch. Now. while I differ with the pres
ident and the administration on these QueS-
tions We must not forget that 1t is our
administration. However, it is our plaVl
duty to stand by our own views, to discuss
The questions in frankness, candor and toll
erance with our brethren in the other parts
Of the country and to put forward TO rep
resent us men who will represent the views
Of their people. While the president is our
pres dent and the only friend the south has
had in the presidents chair in thirty years,
we still have a right to differ with him
md to differ in earnestnesS, insisting upon
our views"
He said that while congress has not done
everything which the people have expected,
it has still done a good deal The way to
estimate it's work, he argued, was not by
comparison with an ideal standard, but with
what other congresses nave accomplished
in the same time. Judged by this standard,
congress has done much as could be
expected of it.
To the Third Party.
Colonel Atkinson then turned his attention
to the third party and showed that the
real test of party loyalty must be made as
to platforms and not as to men. He declared
that the third party people did not them
selves believe in the platform Of their party.
Tn eli no cd ont ba h