People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-03-13

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organic or an enemy of his parry,
If you know? A. / think that, in the
speech at Crawfordville, 1892, Major
Black characterized the action of Mr..
Watson in deserving the Democratic
party as a traitor, which was caught
up AMI carried over the whole dis
trict, and to his every argument,
''traitor" was responded.
Q What was the comment, if
you know, of the De- mocratic press
an speakers concerning the Popu.
list party and it, friendship for the
negro? A. The Democrats tried to
play double game They claimed
to the negro that the Popuists we're
their enemies, and claimed to the
white man that the Populist party
was the party that advocated social
equality. The ignorant Demo rat
was aroused AGAINST the Populist
uarty, believing that it was his enc
my, in that it endeavored to put the
negro above him.
Q Of what kind of people, or nat
ionality, was the Popullst party COM
posed in most of the counties of the
districl? A. / think that I can say
truthfully that no man travelled the
district as I did, not even Mr.. Wat
son or Major Black. / think that I
can say truthfully that I came as
near knowing the political opinions
and desires of the people as any
man living. In every county, with
the single exception of one, the ma
jority of the white people were in
'avor of the POI ulist party. 1 must
confess that / believe Major Black
had majority of the white vote in
Richmond county, d equal honesty
would make me say that 1 do not
believe he had it in any o;her. Now,
in every county with the possible
exception of Richmond, the negroes
were almost unanimously in favor of
the Populist party. In Warren
county, not one dozen negroes voted
for Major Black in 1894. In Han
cock county-the county in which l
ived-the Democratic negro outside
# the Sparta precinct was almost a
uriosity. A few around town, who
hung around the stores and sa 'oons
ffiisted with the Democra ic party
"a class which could be depended
upon to do any work that the Dem
ocrstic par y W .nted done In Lin
coin, Columbia and Ned ffi9 coun,
ties, there was no question about hon
the negro beneved and vo'ed. Ia
], if .rson, Washington, Wilkinson
and Hancock counties, here are
great farming interests and individ
uals who own large farms and EN-
10y large nu nbers of negroes. The
negroes being aim 1st welded to The
soil were absolutely in the hands of
their employers. The land owners,
as a general thing, were the men
who we're either Office holders or re
lated to Office holders, and used their
position to coerce the negroes int
sup porting the Democratic party. In
Warren, McDufie and Columbia
counties, the situation was the re-
verse. TIE land owners were of tn
Populist party, and when the Dem
ocrats would discharge negroes for
supporting he Populists, the large
la d o~ners would say to the ne
groes, "Why come, we have plenty
of land" DR.. Pitcher, Major Nc
Gregor, and forget the name of the
other man in Warren county who
was one of the three principal land
owners, were all in the Populist par
ty know of instances where ne
groes had to leave their homes BE-
cause they did not support the Dsm,
ocratic party.
@. Was a full vote polled or coun.
ted by the Populist party, in that
county in those campaigns, and if
not, you may STATE why not? A. A
full vote was not counted, and ef-
forts we're used to pre- vent a full
vo.e being polled by the Populists.
The reason they were not counted
was because they were in the hands
of the Democrats.
@. You may state what the Dem
ocrats did in that connection? A, In
IOnA Al