The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-09-24
THE FLOPPER.
Seab Wright Spoke at
Marietta.
He DEALT IN V|TuPERAT|oN'
lie Is Very Small Man Wanting to
Fill a Big Office, but He
will Never Do So.

Hon. Seaoorn Wright. Populist candi-
date for Governor, spoke at the court
house to a large crowd last Friday.
Some few minutes were consumed by
editor Blackburn of the Atiauta Conn
mercial, when General Phillips introduce
ed Mr.. Wright, who came forward and
began in very happy style to crate and
run his fingers through his long hair.
Mr.. Wright is fine speaker. no doubt
about that, but he is not fair and gem
erous one. he is very ingenious with the
English language, twists and warps insig.
ni6cant things to appear bad. when they
are not He quotes so much of anything
as will suit his purpose to poison the
minds of his hearers, and gives coloring
to statements that smacks OF bearing
false witness against his neighbor"
He is as full of sophistry as an egg is
full of meat. and by the arts of oratory is
capable of imposing Oh the judgment and
infaming the prejudices Of the unthink-
ing.
He prided himself great deal that he
was an Independent il politics, had al
ways been and always expected to be-.
He pleaded guilty to being "fopper,"
and said he always Topped when scoun-
drel was nominated, and if the Porulists
put up dirty rascal he would flop back
! again. He held Cleveland, up as a great
independent because he has recently bolt
ed the Democratic party for the goldbup
Democratic candidate, Palmer.
He said Bryan threatened to bolt if q
gold standard platform had been adopted in
place Of silver.
+ He asserted that Bryan was a Populist
; and had never held any Office only By
Populist votes, as there were only nand.
full of Democrats where he lived.
Of course, Mr.. Wright wouldn't tell a
e--(newspaper men only do that, you
knov)-but Mr.. Wright handled facts very
carelessly. The record shows that Mr..
, Bryan was elected to the SD Congress
from Nebraska as Democrat, receiving
1874 votes against l3, GA votes for Allen
W. Field, Republican; 2,409 votes for
, Jerome Shamp, Populist, and 1868 votes for
R. W. Maxwell, Prohi5itionist.
Mr.. Wright made the statement also
shat tie Democrats two years ago were
not for free silver, but for parity" while
the Pops were. He said that Steve, Bill
ard Massa Evans, were crying out what
1 they must do to be saved, and rushed of
: to Chicago and adopted free silver plat-
/ form. Mr.. Wright must know that the
= Atlanta Constitution, backed by the
I weeEly press OF Georgia, led the fight in
this state for free silver two years ago,
while Seab was silent as door mat and
Tom Watson was asserting that free silver
wouldn't amount to anything, anyway, as
: it wouldn't be more than 35 cents per
capita. he must also know, if he read
papers, that Steve Clay and Bill Atkinson
in speeches and interviews, advocated
free silver at that time
Mr.. Wright thought it great crime for
1 the Democratic party to exist as an or
I ganizstion aud that business men would
( continue to vote the Democratic ticket
! from year to year. He thinks everybody
should be Independent like h:mself-he
was a great model for imitation. And yet
Mr.. Wright was Chairman of Floyd
County Democratic Executive Committee
, a lew years ago, sought the influence OIL
t Judge K. r. Harris, of Rome, to get the
9 place, got it, and then went back on Judge
Harris afterwards according to Judge
, Harris own statement In his speech he
said he was a better democrat than
Governor Atkinson. With the same pro-
J priety Judas Iscariot could have claimed
to have been better disciple than John
e Luke or Mathew
D Mr.. Wright thought the rank and file o.
: the Democratic party we're controlled anc
D bossed by politicians. Pray isn't the
Populist party, an organized party, bosseG
by politicians and soreheads Who bosses
the Popalist party? Tom Watson, who
has been politician, running for Office
5 ever since he entered public life. Who
= said 60 outside OF the Populist party and
e pick up topper" an avowed "independ
q ent," and nominate him for Governor
! Watson and Hines, politicians and lawyers
When did the 10000 populists farmers
u (which Seab said were backing bim), vote
il county primaries and send delegates fol
Seab Wright to be their nominee fol
u Governor Bill Atkinson wss nominated
3 by primaries, a direct vote OF the people
!, but Wright was nominated by the politica
bosses and the.rauk and file Of the Poru'