The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-05
DAILY. so a YEAR.
CENTS a COPY.
WEEKLY 2-TIMES-A-WEEK 81 A YEAR
OUR HEAVY ARTILLERY.
THE CAMPAIGN OPENED At MARI
ETA YESTERDAY.


sion ON the POpuIisfs-He Invites
Them 10 Join Democratic Ranks.
Chairman Clay Makes "a speech at
McDOnOugh-Stnte and National
Affairs Discussed.
Atlanta. Ca, Aug. 4-Gov. Atkinson
opened the state campaign at Marietta
to-day addressing a big rally Of the DEM
ocrnts OF Cobb county from the same
platform with Col l.. +. Garrard OF CO.
lumbus. While it was a democratic event,
a large percentage Of the crowd was made
up Of populists. who were holding their
county convention In Marietta, and this
governor took advantage OF their pres
ence TO do some good missionary work.
The convict lease system formed ons
OF the most important features OF tho
governors speech. lie declared that II the
next legislature should pass an act re-
newing the lease OF the convicts under
the present system he would veto H. He
appealed strongly to the populists as In
dyiduals to unite with the democrats on
the national ticket for the sake OF prl-
ciple, but did not in any way refer 20 fu-
sion or recognize the existence Of pop-
ulism as an organization.
Col. Garrard brought out some fresh sill
yer arguments OF statistical nature.
and went at length to sustain the action
Of the Chicago convention in critcsins
the supreme court
Both Gov. Atkinson and Col. Garrard
were received with enthusiasm. Two
years ago Cobb county, outside OF the
town Of Marietta, gave Gov. Atkinson
Speech %'I0f1y fogav OF Daa only gSoS on9 sdd3 H3
upon the assembled popullsts leaving
them In "a good humor over his PROPOSE
| ton TO extend them the right hand OF
| fellowship. take them up TO the amen
| corner allow them to lead In prayer, and
| II any Of them wanted Office in the demo-
cratic ranks they should not be handi-
Taking up his administration Of the Of
/ flee OF governor. ne said:
Two years ago the people Of Georgia
| called me to preside IN the executive
| chair what / have accomplished is due
| to the party and not to my individuals
| ity"
The governor then gave resume OF
| his administration and said he had ar
| ranged with the banks whereby the state
/ received about $4,000 as interest on its
/ deposits. Hitherto the state received
/ nothing for the use OF it's money Il have
| done what the merchants can't do" he
said. Il have put your money I'm bank
| and get Interest on It, The business man
| puts his money In bank, but while the
bank keeps II for him, II will not pay in
| terest. II this interest had been collect
ed for the last twenty years It would have
been 100000 in your pocket"
| lie referred to the Northeastern railroad
| saying that he had taken charge OF Il for
| the state and put $4,000 I'm the state treas
| ury for operating and then released It at
a net profit Of $1,000 a year. Talking of
/ the convict question the governor said: II
| have had to deal with the convicts have
| had TO handle the lessees. AS GeorRians
| proud OF your state you ought to feel an
| interest I'm these people being treated Just
| ly and bumanely. / have sought to see the
| decree OF the court carried out. but at the
/ same time / have held the lessees 10 ac-
/ count. During the past two years ] have
/ put fines upon the lessees for improperly
/ treating these convicts. These fines
amount to $500 Not only that but
have taken away over 400 convicts from
/ those who were not giving them proper
/ and impartial treatment.
Our laws" the governor said, "are mada
and executed by white citizens. therefors
| we should give the colored man our protec-
| tion and help. The best element OF the
/ whites treat the negro best. They are the
| ones TO whom the colorod man goes when
| he Is in trouble, and from whom he expects
| faVors and just and liberal treatment. DO
| not follow the advice and leadership OF
/ the man who came around the back way
| and tells you he Is going to favor social
| equality. Whenever you find white
man who goes back on his own color and
! his own flesh and blood, let me tell you.
| black man, that he will go back on =
| black man before you can say Jack Rob-
| inson.'
The convict system again was the great
| question to be acted upon by the next
! legislature. He declared that IL that body
| should re-enact the present lease system
| he would veto the bill so sure as there
/ was a God in heaven. The vlolators or
| the law must be punished, he said. They
! are not going to be put in the SimbalI
| house, but they must be treated humane-
/ ly by the states officers. The lash should
| never be applied except by a state oflchr.
and they should be worked under the
| states control and supervision.
| The governor said he wanted to sea
| the convicts working where they would
| come least in competition with free Ia
! Dor. For" said he, free labor has q
| hard enough time Of it, anyhow" This
| was greeted with cheers. II there is any
| senatorial district or county that wants
| to try the experiment of working their
| cOnVicts on the county roads, / say they
! should be allowed 10 do So
! The governor advocated a state refor-
| matory to redeem the youthful Offenders
| against the law and keep them from being
/ thrown in with hardened criminals. The
/ colored people were he said, more inter-
/ ested in the convict system than th9
whites. because 80 per cent. OF the con-
| victs were black.
/ To the colored part of the crowd he gave
| some good advice about voting with the
| best element Of the white people, those
who are their friends when there, is no
had rather serve five years in the pen
itentiary, said the governor, talking
of the county chain-gangs, than one year
in some of these county chain-gangs.'
He denounced the county chain-gang sys-
TEN as most outrageous and infamous.
He called upon the people to electta Leg
is,ature that would give the state the
right, to supervise these raisdemeanoF
convicts. If the people failed to do so,
then let the stigma remain upon them.
He described a convict brought to East
man as a witness, who had been beaten,
he said. until he was a solid scab, and
could not walk.
He read extracts from the report made
by Special Agent Wright last year show
ing that whites and blacks, males and fe-
males, were chained together. In some
places it was found that the women were
dressed up in the clothes of men working
in the field. Il call for the people to rally
around me- he exclaimed, ito see that the
legislature elected this fan give me the
help and means to see that these unfor-
tunates are humanely treated"
The governor cried out against lynching,
and declared that private hangings were
wrong. One man hung out here on this
public square would do more to suppress
crime than a score hung in private / am
going to do all in my power to wipe out the
l. E..ty. T.-..