People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1895-11-01

the first attempt at anything like union,
but it was short lived. The Farmers
Alliance, however, organized and consoi-
idated healthy opposition and formu-
lated certain specific demands. These
were accepted by the Democrats in most
of the state, and in 1890 the candidates
for congress pledged themselves thereto.
On reaching Washington all ignored
these pledges at command Of the eaucus
except Thomas E. VIM Of the Ninth
district and Thomas E. Watson Of the
| Tenth. Their experience is tolerably
familiar to the public. They were un-
tremendously expelled from the Demo-
cratic party. The split was complete,
and in 1892 Georgia had real political
campaign on live issues, the first in 20
years.
I pause right here to note the irony
of politics. The Democrats are now
calling on the country to admire them
for having passed an election law en-
bracing some of the principles they de-
nounced the Populists for indorsing.
The Populists, who are prominent i'll
their several lines of trade, are appealed
to on behalf Of the exposition, and Hon.
Emery Speers, Republican, who was
made judge Of the United States district
gia to get him out of politics, was Sc
lected as orator of the day at the opening
of the exposition Next to Booker
Washington, the colored orator, Speers
was the hero of the day. So, after 20
years of proclaiming that the talent,
etc, in Georgia is all Democratic, some
of the best work at the exposition is
done by Populists, and the big honors
of the opening day are taken by a Re
publican and "nigger p
Fraud and bribery under the old law
reached their maximum in 1894. No
body will ever know what the real vote
was, for the managers in each county
were afraid there would be slump i'll
other counties, and naturally expecting
officials in the Populist precincts to play
the same game they counted everything
! their own way. When the first reports
came out, they saw they had overdone
it and revised the returns to some SEM
blance of decency.
The possibilities under that law are
beautifully illustrated by the fact that
in one county of the Tenth district the
| Democratic vote returned, even after re-
vision, was nearly 1900 larger than the
number of males over ri, all parties,
qualified and disqualified. Tt was COM
/ placently assumed that the census of
4 1890 was very defective and that in
tho four years the population had in
creased by 40 per cent. The was illus-
tratSa 4 90 =. - sd s., tut in
these United States an evil is seioo4..
reformed till it gets so bad that people
just can't stand it any longer. Every
body was ashamed OF that election, and
so the legislature, by act approved Dec.
10, 1894, provided for a very rigid sys-
tenn of registration, of which shall
have something to say in the future.
Populists consider it q poor attempt at
reform, but it has a few good features.
1t will probably disfranchiae about 40
per cent of the adult males, bat those
actually qualified will stand some
chance of being counted as they vote.
The Old law as to appointing election
officials is still in force.
And now all the Democratic papers
in the state except the radical silyerite
organs are singing the sweet refrain
that "Populism is dead; eight cent
cotton has killed it," which leads me
to give some figures on that subject. 1t
appears by the reports Of the Atlanta
exchange that the average Georgia
farmer last year made six bales Of cotton
and got So cents o pound for it, This
year he has made four bales and expects
cents. Last year therefore he got $165
Tor his crop and this year will get $3.50
If cotton doesn't 60 DOWN. The state
as whole is now claimed to be self
supporting in bread and meat, cotton
being the cash crop. So the farmer has
S. less than last year, and according tc
the market reports will have to pay IL
per cent more for clothing and boots
and shoes and 80 per cent more for iror
utensils. If this is prosperity, what
would the goldbugs call adversely? II
the south as a whole, however, there
may be a slight gain, for the --latest
claim is that the crop this year will bt
nearly ? 1000, 000 bales against 5000, 00(
last year. j. Fl. BROWNING.