The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1896-10-24
TO the Voters of the Third Con-
gressiOnal District.
PERRY, La, October 10, 1896.

Gentlemen of the Populist Committee
of the Third Congressional District of
misunderstanding:
After careful consideration I re-
~luctantly decided to accept of the
honor conferred OF me by putting
me in nomination as a candidate for
Representative to the Ffty-ffth Con-
gress of these United States from
this district. I thank the committee
very much for the distinction. I can
assure You that l am not now, and
never was, an aspirant for Office and
while l think you could have found
many other members of our party
better qualified to fill the place, |
will submit to the will of the people
and DO the best l can, and promise,
if elected, to do all in my power to
have enacted into law the platform
of the Populist St. Louis convention.
And now | will say a few words to
my free silver friends, in both the
Democratic and Republican parties,
as well as the Populist party.
Gentlemen, it is impossible for me
to personally canvass the district,
being a farmer and not a rich man,
also having a crop to ARE for, l ask
you not to expect as much Of me as
you will of my opponents, Judge I.
Beattie and II. f. Broussard, who
have a large campaign fund to draw
from, and both being lawyers, have
better opportunities to acquire money
than a farmer.
Judge Beattie represents the Re-
publican and Goldbug element of the
district, and if elected will work for
the single gold standard, and to again
establish Republican domination in
our beloved State. The establish
ment of the gold standard will de-
prive US of one-half of the circulating
medium and will tend-as it is now
doing-to deprive the small owners
of their lands and make landlordism
dominant in this country, as it now
is on the continent of Europe and
many other parts of the world. Re-
publican domination in our State
will, on the other hand, create mis-.
trust between the white and colored
people, and the good will now exist
ing between the races will be a thing
of the past. An unsettled state of
affairs will ensue, production will be
decreased, and all will be impover-
ished, and the condition of the COL
ored people will be worse than under
slavery. But Mr.. Beattie will promise
the old fraud of protection, or a tax
laid on n portion of the people to
enrich the other. Do not let the old
fraud of high tariff deceive US again.
Citizens, vote for the interest of your
selves and forget not your families
and your neighbors. High tariff,
gold standard and class privileges
mean death to free institutions.
On the other hand, will you sup
port Mr.. Broussard and the so-called
Democracy? See Mr.. Cleveland's
administration. Can you discover
any difference between his and Har-
rison's? Only by the harder times
and greater scarcity of money, both
being goldbugs alike, did Mr.. Brous.
sard support Mr.. Cleveland?
=
I will not be able to call upon all
of you to address you. I hope this
will not lessen your confidence in
me. Feeling, as | do, that those
who are dissatisfied with existing
conditions will come to my support
mechanics, farmers, all who labor,
and those who assist those who labor,
and whom are necessary to produc-
ton, l call on you for support to
elect a friend to the common people
one that can sympathize with you on
account of his position in life, and
one who has the courage of his
convictions, and who will not be
controlled by railroad companies,
monopolies, combines or trusts, but
will carry out to the best of his
ability the will of his constituents,
and not serve the interests of your
enemies. And | ask all true Populists
everywhere in this district to stand
by the action of your committee,
and teach those people who have no
respect for a peoples party man,
and who would rather have defeat
by the Republicans than accede to
one demand made by the Populists ;
and that demand was to nominate
one of the best men in the Demo-