The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-23
WELCOMED At WAYCROSS.
A Royal Greeting TO Secretary Smith,
Col. duBiglOl and Capt. Hammond.

Listen to the oratory and Applaud.
Waycross, Ca, Sept. 22.-Three thou
sand persons made up the audience that
greeted Secretary Smith, Col duBignon
and Capt. Hammond to-day. Several
hundred ladies graced the occasion with
their presence. The meetings. general
effect upon the political situation has
been to stimulate the true democracy to
greater activity and even more faithful
ness to the interests of the party.
The democrats listened with rapt at
tention to the eloquent speeches of
the distinguished men who dis
cussed the issues of the day and
they heard the important truths of de-
mocracy explained and presented more
successfully than ever before.
The few populists who were present
were shown their blindness. and the
great folly Of their course in politics.
They received no abuse, but were spoken
to in a fair manner
The meeting to-day had been extern
sively advertised by the press of the state
and by other means, and arrangements
were made with all the railroads TO offer
cheap rates to those who would come
Judge Henry @. Turner whose chances
are bright indeed, was invited to be here,
but he had appointments elsewhere and
could not do so. Speaker Crisp was also
invited, but he had another appointment.
The chairman Of the executive commit
tee succeeded in getting appointments
from Hon Hoke Smith, Secretary of the
Interior Capt. w. NJ Hammond and Hon.
Fleming q. duBignon.
For several weeks the committee on ar
engagements and the citizens generally
have been preparing for tO-day's demo-
cratic rally and barbecue. That they
succeeded is proved by the large crowds
that came on the different trains and in
vehicles from the surrounding country,
and the bountiful spread Of edibles that
filed the long rows of tables. at which
were fed several thousand people.
The ladies also participated in the sue
cess of the barbecue by contributing we'll
filed baskets of nice things to eat, and
preparing coffee and refreshments for the
crowd.
The speaking took place on Gulf street,
IN front Of John Mallons residence and
under the shade of magnificent water
oaks alongside the street.
Comfortable seats to accommodate
everybody who attended were arranged
in front Of the speakers stand, and no
one had to stand up during the meeting.
Special trains were run on all the rail
roads leading to Waycross, and the peo-
pie took advantage of the cheap rates to
hear the speeches of men of national
regulations
it was at first expected that the
populists would participate in the
meeting and make il JOINT
discussion, but they declined to do so.
The democrats invited Hon. Thomas f.
Watson, Judge James K. Hines and DR..
S. W. Johnson, populists, to enter into
the discussions with the democrats, but
met with refusals from them all
The populists have been trying to keep
their fellows away from the meeting, and
they succeeded TO some extent. They
held meeting and basket picnic at
Blackshear to-day, to induce their
crowd TO keep away from here. How
ever, few pOpulists were here, and
several of them were reclaimed by the
democrats. The populists are weak in
this county, and their only work now is
IN trying to persuade the negroes TO vote
with them.
The meeting today was presided at by
Hon. Warren Lott, chairman of the dem.
ocratlc executive committee Judge
Lott opened the meeting by making
short speech in which he stated the OBJ
lect of the rally and asked the people to
give the speakers an attentive and pa
tlent hearing.
EFFECT ON THE ENEMY.
Despite the efforts of Bishop and his
followers to persuade the populists from
attending, there were about fifty present.
They listened to the speeches at first
with kind of Don't care" interest and
as the populist platform dwindled away
at the heavy strokes of democracy's able
and faithful opponents, they began to
vince and make wry faces, but later on
when the speeches showed that there was
IN reality no populistic party, a great
change came over them. They were seen
in several instances to stamp the ground
and grit their teeth hard, ana heard TO
mutter hard things concerning Watson
ana his visionary schemes. Then a close
observer saw their faces suddenly
brighten as if by electricity, and heard
them say that they would never more be-
leve IN populism, but would be true dem
ocrats hereafter.
A hardshell popuhst, who listened at
tentlvely, was observed to look in aston
lsnment at the serenely bright face of
Hoke Smith, and after awhile he re-
marked that the democrats had great
cheek TO do so much meanness in ONCE
and then look so calmly in the faces of a
respectful audience
The democrats were in their glory
They cheered the speakers repeatedly.
and their countenances expressed salts
faction.
An old lady from the low country came
10 town IN an OK cart, and drove up near
TO the speakers stand She got down
and asked who were the speakers 0Is
Hickey Smith gwine ter speak and he les
cum all de way from Washington to do it?
He's mighty good man, ana he's the
President of the United States, 10 do
that. reckon he's erkin TO the Smiths
IN, my settlement They air
a good lot of folks, sure Although
1t was announced that Mr. duBignon
would be unable TO speak, as his voice
was injured by speaking at Townsville
yesterday, that popular and brilliant
Georgian was obliged to make short
speech after Secretary Smith had spoken,
70 satisfy the audience, so great was their
desire 10 hear MIN.
THESE WANTED THEIR PENSIONS.
Secretary Hoke Smith was besieged to-
night at the Phoenix hotel by claimants to
the national government for pensions or
services in various ways, from the revolu-
tlonary TO that of the late trouble
in the region of the Okeehnokee
swamp. To them all he gave
words Of announcement providing they
had the proper proofs The claimants
told peculiar stories Of how they became
entitled 10 government pensions They
had all been waiting TO see the secretary
10 get his assistance. IL was happy lot
OF claimants that went away from Mr.
Smith. indul rinu in fond homes of final