People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-10-02
THE RAPE CIRCULAR TRACED HOME

The Atlanta Commercial. staunch Demo-
cratic organ in its issue Sept. 25th says:
The Commercials pity has never been so
| challengaain political fight as during its
! late vigorous unrageling of the Duncan circu-
| lar mystery.
| In order TO quiet the popular Indignation
that had been engendered by the exposures OF
this paper Governor Atkinson entered dis
claimer only two days ago in which he con-
tended that the filthy circular was sent out
without his knowledge or consent, and with
out the knowledge or cooperation of the DEM
ocratie headquarters.
| Unfortunately he convicted himself in his
eagerness to be too explicit. There is nothing
so confusing and entanging as the frankness
| of machine politician. The governor gave
the whole snap away when he said, that as
| soon as he heard of the circular, he requested
| Chairman Clay 10 stop it's distribution. Still
neither knew by whom twas being sent out,
or where to go to stop it. Funny, amt it?
Then when the publication was made yester-
! day, o. letters sent out from the Democratic
headquarters. signed by Mr.. Clay the latteg
40 s.s u l toti III ~ d. sT@s4S y
also unfortunate enough to embarrass himself
and his cause. In this letter MIR. Clay says;
|
! at the time wrote this letter thought that
I he had reference to some literature which was
| being circulated over the state by some of the
| colored people who are supporting Governor
| Atkinson"
Surely Mr.. Clay was ratified over these eN"
posurcs, or he would have never written the
above in explanationof his MeCrary letter, for
in that letter Mr.. Clay said:
The circular you refer to, have not seen.
! | understand that such circular has been is
| sued by some of the colored people here in At
lanta. The governor is not responsible-nelth-
er are his friends
| "The pardon referred to was recommended
by the supreme court and the solicitor general
who prosecuted the case, and the governor sat
| islied himself that he ought to have been par
doned and he pardoned him. l trust this eX-
| PLANTATION will be satisfactory to all.
Now. if Mr.. Clay did not refer to the Duncan
| circular in the statement"that the pardon was
| recommended by the supreme court and the
solicitor general who prosecuted the case"
what, in the name of heaven, could he have
! had in mind.
This is the only case that will fit the refer
ence contained in his MeCary letter And
this is what that letter was intended to meet
In that letter he also said: 1.-THE governor is
not responsible-neither are his friends" In
dependent of the proof of the responsibility
furnished by the Commercial in the puhlica-
ton of these letters from Democratic head
quarters, Mr.. Clay himself admits that the
Duncan circular was sent out from his office
for he says in his "letter to the people" that
none of the literature was sent out from his
Office after his attention had been called tc
the newspaper criticism Of the circular by GOV
! ernor Atkinson
The Commercial first attacked this circular
in its issue of September It'll. MIR. Clay wrote
through his clerk to Mr.. Rainey on September
9th, to have them distributed. On September
llth he wrote the McCrary letter denying tina
any of Governor Atkinson's friends had circu
lated the offensive folder. He allowed thu
governors letter of September % to go undeni
/, wherein the latter reiterated that neithe
he. Mr.. Clay or the Democratic headquarter
had sent out the circular.
Now, since the circular was sent out from
Mr.. Clay's Office on September 9th, criticised
by the Commercial on the 18th, recalled ? from
distribution no man knows when, denied il
the McC.rary letter of the 14th, and again b,
Governor Atkinson on the 23d, it is wei
enough TO inquire where will the end o
thread in this knotted hank be found?
But there is even more convincing proc
that the circular was sent out by Democrats
HEADQUARTERS and that its existence was gen
orally known prior to any publication by tn,
Commercial. On September Sd, the Constitu
ton said
The Democratic campaign has reached tn,
educational stage. Thousands of pamphlets
have been sent out from state headquarters
this week all over Georgia. some 90 to every
postofice in the state There IS copy of Mr.
Bryan's speech Of acceptance; pamphlet oJ
What Governor Atkinson has done for thu
colored people Of Geo ga, leatet on "wha
Democratic administration has done for (Teor
ga.n This leafiet gives the receipts and eN
penses Of the state OF Georgia for last year"
This is the identical Duncan circular which
the Constitution seems to have critically ex
aminrd in the Democratic headquarters. nnt
which Governor Atkinson aad Mr.. Clay "kney
absolutely nothing about
What do intelligent people think Of thi
proof? Doesn't it convict the whole crowd
from the Constitution down? II matters no
whether Mr.. Clay actually read it. 1t wa- sen
out from his office on September Sd, according
to the organ that gets its news through Mr.
Clay himself.
Truly the way of the transgresso is hard.
The fact that Mr.. j, S Turner, chief kecpe
of the penitentary, assumes responsibility TO
the preparation of the circular instead of rC
lieving the embarrassment OF the governor
tends to make matters even more interesting
Mr.. Turner is an appointee Of the governor
and he saws That he was requested by "severa