Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-08-21
uss.yoRY DEMOCRATIC TACTICS.

cello on business for the paper, as he has
usually done at the opening of Circuit
Court for the last ten years, intending
he while, if opportunity was presented
Turing the noon recess of court, to ad-
lress such of his Lawrence neighbors
as cared to hear him on the political
phases of the liquor question, and per-
haps other political issues of the day.
On reaching Monticello, it was found
that Major Geo. NJ. Govan and Col.
Thos. r. Stockdale we're both there,
also expecting to address the people on
that day. Major Govan has been Sec
rotary of State for two terms and loves
office holding so we'll he now wants to
go to Congress from the Sixth district.
Col. Stockdale has been elected to Con-
gress three times and is so enamored
of the office of Congressman and the
fat salary and perquisites that he
wants to go fourth time.
As soon as we learned the situation,
and hearing that Judge Cassidy was
too sick to hold Court all day, Messrs.
Govan and Stockdale were each con-
suited as to division of time, and
both readily expressed themselves as
willing to such an arrangement. I'm
agine the writer's surprise, therefore,
when Judge Cassidy had empaneled
the juries and announced three hours
recess, to find our request had been ig-
nored and the Chairman of the County
Democratic Executive Committee an
nouncing that the recess would be oc-
cupied with speeches by Messrs. Govan
and Stockdale.
The editor of THE LEADER then and
there protested against the unwarrant-
ed discourtesy, for which Major Govan
asserted the Executive Committee was
responsible, and announced to the
crowd that he would speak any how as
soon as he could get the court room
after the other speakers had finished.
This he did, and we believe we proved
to most of our hearers that the WhOle
truth has sorry chance where Demo
cratic office seekers are relied on to
tell it who expect to ride into position
as the representatives of party whose
inconsistencies and betrayals of public
confidence they fear to let the people
know The fact that the crowd, after
listening over two hours to Messrs.
Stockdale and Govan, kept their seats
and gave the editor of THE LEADER
close and patient attention, at times
breaking into applause, showed that
the people of Lawrence county are not
only willing to hear more than one side
of political questions discussed, but
that they were not in sympathy with
the effort of the Democratic County
Committee to muzzle and cut off free
discussion.
We were informed privately by the
chairman of the committee that no
objection was made to our speaking on
personal grounds, but that it was al
together political, which we were of
course gratified to learn, since we have
been pleased to hitherto reckon sew
eral members of the committee among
our valued personal friends; but as we
see it, there was no justification for the
discourtesy, even on political grounds.
1t was court day, on which the people
had assembled without reference to
party, and not for the purpose of hear
ing political speaking, and no party
had right 70 monopoly of the time.
1t was the peoples day. the taxpayers
of every party were paying for the time
by the court, and the Demo
Gratis didn't have patent right on the
occasion any more than the Populists
or Prohibitionists, Besides, after the
committee had decided to monopolize
all the time, neither they, Col stock
dale nor Major Govan had the polite
ness to inform us of their decision be-
fore it was announced publicly.
A member of the com mittee inform
ed us in conversation afterwasd that
they did not want the editor of TIE
LEADER to speak, because they antici-
pated he would make a Prohibition
speech, and they did not want that
question agitated This confirms the
statement made by Mr.. Posey of the
effort by Democrats to prevent his get
ting hearing on Prohibition at Month
cello last winter, and discreditS the
opinion expressed by Dr. Teunisson at
the time that it was the result of Co
cidence of untoward circumstances.
1t really seems incredible, when the
awful extent and nature of the liquor
traffic is considered, that men calling
themselves Christians and Prohibi-
would actually go to tho verge
of personal discOurtesy to muzzle
Prohibition speaker, in order that they
might honor and listen to one who
voted in Congress to have even their
local prohibition laws set at naught, as
Stockdale did; and yet,
if this committeeman is to be believed,
such was the fact. We predict that
the time will come, and at no distant
day, when these gentlemen, and all who
endorsed their action, will be heartily
ashamed of their conduct. The pro