The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-05
ATKINSON ON DISPENSARY.
THE GOVERNOR DOES NOT WANT
THE SPY SYSTEM.

Nor Does He Favor Metropolitan Po-
Iice-says Prohibition Has no
Place in POIitics-A Grand Rally OF
the UnterrIhed of the Tenth at
AuEusta-Mr. Fleming and the A.
p. A.'s-An Address by Hon. Hal.
II. Lewis ON the Financial Plank
of the Party Platform.
Augusta, Ga, Sept. Augusta had
rousing democratic rally tonight at the
Grand opera house. A hundred prominent
citizens occupied seats on the stage, and
the house was fun to the doors Congress
man ]. c. c. Black was chairman of the
meeting. and Gov. Atkinson and Hon.
w. H. Fleming. nominee for congress- and
Hon. Hal T. Lewis Of Green were the
speakers.
The boxes were occupied by ladies and
many others were in the audience. Chair
man Black spoke very briefly and intro
duced Gov. Atkinson as the first speaker.
Gov. Atkinson reviewed the work of his
administration and defended the demo-
cratic party against the attacks that are
being made against it by his antagonists,
and declared that ne was ready TO hear
and answer any charge that anyone had
70 bring against his administration, and
he challenged attack. he referred TO
Seab wrights statement in Rome that
Bill Atkinson was not elected governor,
but was counted in, saying that Wright
knew that If his statement was true, he
was recreant in his duty as a citizen in
not prosecuting the guilty, and If he did
not know 1t to be true, he is making false
statements to injure me and to aid him
self. He can choose either horn of the
dilemma he prefers.
Who put prohibition in this campaign,
he asked; not the prohibitionists, but Of
fee seeking populists who wanted to ride
into office on this issue. He declared his
own willingness to prohibition, but that
he favored local option for each county,
and was unwilling for the people of one
county to force 1t upon another that
don't want it Prohibition is a moral
and local issue, and should be decided by
each county 1t should be entirely sepa-
rated from politics. / don't want dis
pensaries forced upon any county against
its will, bringing with it the necessity for
state spies and metropolitan police, to
hound down citizens. Great applause)
He said the question, how to establish
prohibition is one of policy and method,
and should, the duly elected representa-
tives of the people pass a law in the next
legislature declaring in favor of
any given system, he would |
bow to the popular will. even though it
might not be the system he advocated.
In reference to the convict lease system
he declared that he would veto any law
passed by the legislature, that left the
convicts to the mercy of the lessees. and
would veto any law that placed them In
competition with free labor. He advocat-
ed the establishment of the reformatory
for juvenile criminals.
lie concluded with an endorsement of
tho national democratic platform, and a
declaration of loyal support for Bryan
and Sewall.
Mr.. Fleming devoted his speech to ma
tional issues principally. but paid high
tribute to Gov. Atkinsons administration,
and defended the pardon of the man Hill
ton. He declared all the men involved in
the murder were populists, and there was
no ground for Seab Wright to declare 1t
a democratic conspiracy against a popu
list. The most important part of his
speech was his reference to the A. p. A,
and the silence in the great audience was
absolute as he denounced the man
as liar who said he had
ever applied for membership in the or
ganization. He argued against all politi-
cal prescription on the ground of relig-
ious belief, and said II a man is to be pro-
hibited from holding office because he is
a Catholic the logical sequence would be
10 prohibit him from voting also, as the
right TO vote and to hold office were in
separable. If Catholics have a right to
vote they have a right to vote for one of
their number and any prescription which
prevents a Catholic from holding office is
equivalent to DISTINGUISHING Catholics
from voting.
Hon. Hal T. Lewis was given a great
ovation. He devoted his speech to a de-
Tense of the financial plank of the Chicago
platform, declared a vote for Bryan and
Watson was equivalent to a vote against
the democratic nominees. and concluded
with a glowing eulogy upon w. ]. Bryan,
the democratic standard bearer.
The rally was a glowing and enthusiast
tic success