People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1895-11-01
DOWN IN GEORGIA.
J. H. BRO WANG WRITES In
TERESTINGLY
ABOUT POLITICS IN GA.
Ike Great M oral Victory Won
by the POpulists and Facts
About Democracy.

ADOuC DemOcracys
Among the visitors to the Cotton
States and international Exposition,
none has been more observant of polit-
iea-e@en's than the writer of the fol-
lowing letter TO the Western branch of
tie American Press Association
Especial Correspondenoel
ATLANTA, Oct. 21.--If you want pol
ltics as is politics, come to Georgia. If
you want to study. a history showing
how ingeniously people can be led
along by degrees to surrender the exer-
else of self government, take Georgia
from 1870 to 1890, and if you next
want to see how brave and intel
ligent few can induce the people to re-
| sumo their rights and force an arrogant
oligarehy to consent to reforms, take the
| experience Of the Populist leaders Of
! this state. The reading public has part
Of this history by fits and starts. wish
! now to present it in the order of time
to the end that Populists elsewhere may
see that their compatriots he4a have al
ready won great moral victory and are
| encouraged to press on.
Those languid patriots who complain
! that "the excitement of hotly contest
cd campaign is bad for business" and
that farmers talk politics when they
ought to be at work" should have lived
in Georgia the 90 years following the
overthrow Of the reconstruction govern
ment. 1t would have been heaven to
| them. There was but one political
party, bat at first there was excitement
| about the conventions, as nomination
was an election. The managers soon got
rid OF that, however, and then year by
year the interest declined until two
thirds c.nthe citizens neither knew nor
cared when election day came. Those
NJ l'4ss2t1ened to be going to town that
4 d feyg aundred ballots elected
/ 4 cas. essnl3ll,, &c score q
member Of the legislature, ana in many
instances the votes Of the election OIL
Gals were the only ones cast. As late
as two weeks ago, at special election
III 6aGtESs Ob bIIo III A-Iib w 1lA cttltt w 5at~
ern railroad, but one man qualified and
voted. Mr.. Beta Hill, candidate for
mayor, elected himself and the whole
town council. And during one-half of
those 20 years taxes were actually high
or in. proportion than during the much
! abused administration of Governor
Bullock-that Bullock whom they ran
! D,,+ ~ 4nto Iz,k Il,
with honor when he drought in capt.
tai.
There were uneasy spirits all that
time, however, men who did not believe
in such oppressive unanimity. There
was HJp.$ W. Fl. FELTON,, grand old hero,
up in the Seventh district, who for 30
years preached Methodist doctrine on
Sunday and honesty and independence
in politics on weekdays. He represent
ed his district i'll congress, refused to
! bow the knee to Baal, came out Popu-
list, and though we'll up in the seven
ties is fighting yet and says he has just
learned how to fight. There was and is
Judge James X. Hines Of this city, a
prominent member of the local bar and
I one of the clearest thinkers on social and
economic issues to be found in the cour-
try. He has been judge of the superior
court, and according to the belief Of the
Populists was elected governor last
year, though the old machinery counted
in Governor Atkinson. The career Of
i Tom Watson is we'll known. Another
/ leader in the revolt was Major G. E.
/ McGregor, present manager Of the Peo-
ple's Party paper of this city and state
senator from the district composed of
! Greene, Warren and Taliaferro counties.
His experience is Of special interest,
showing as it does what men had to I'M
dergo who fought against the prevailing
current. He is native of the state, and
/ was brave soldier, a major III the
Eighth Georgia and the reserves. So all
was serene till he began to agitate for
reforms. Then the 'solid men, - as they
called themselves, united against him.
All the prestige, all the leading families,
all the concentrated wealth and privi-
lege stood i'll solid array, but he carried
the three counties, the one with the
largest Democratic vote in 1890 and
1899 giving him 575 majority. His
election expenses were just $50, while
the old set admit that they spent nearly
So, 600 TO defeat him. This, be it re-
membered, was under the old law, when
bribery was easy and fraud the rule,
The three counties elected Populist Off
ciaIs at the same time, but the judge
threw them out on technioalities. An
other trusted leader is Mr.. John d.
Cunningham, owner of the Kenesaw
nursery, near Marietta, one of the largest
fruit growers in the south and president
of the Fruit Growers association of the
state. He is neither an orator nor a
writer, but as an executive man has few
equals He led the fruit growers fight
with the transportation companies and
forced reduction Of some $40 per car
on fruit to the eastern cities.
All these and many moro led off 10