People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-11-12
Mr.. Watson and Senator Brooke's Cores
pondence.

from current newspaper criticism that
some Populist members of the State
mate with whose names you are ia
miliar are freely charged with want OF
faith to our pledges as set forth in our
state platform on the question of bar
rooms. AS one of the representatives
of our party in the Senate who voted
for the bill, l wish to urge you not to
permit any criticism as to the conduct
of these Senators to appear in the col
umns of the P. P. P. What might be
said pro and con might not result in
good to our party. On the considera-
ton of the bill 1 appealed personally
to each of these Senators to vote for
the measure and each of them assured
me that they were committed against
this kind of legislation before the
adoption of our State platform and that
they each so stated to their people and
that the people went on and elected
them with full knowledge of their pc
sition and that for these reasons thev
felt bound by their pledges made in
advance of the adoption of the state
platform.
Pardon me for making this sugges
ton, as it now appears that great
many things are going to be said in
regard to he vote of the Senate and l
feel that it will be decidedly best for
us to get up no division in our own
ranks, such a. a harsh criticism of the
votes of our Senators might lead to.
Yours truly,
j. P BROOKE, seth District.
MIR. Watson's Reply.
THOMSON, GA, Nov. 8, 1897.
Hon. J. P. BROOKE:
My Dear Sir-Yours received. The
subject of your letter is very impor-
tant; as it concerns every Populist
in Georgia, l think it may be the
best course to discuss it in public-the
question itself being one of a public
nature, and the conduct proposed to
me by you, and that of the Senators
alluded to by you, being the conduct of
public men in the discharge of public
duties-I, as editor of our Party Paper,
and they as Senators representing our
party in the Legislature. sd ~
You, Senator, voted in favor of the
Anti Barroom Bill, as you were in duty
bound to do: and you endeavored to
get all our Senators to do the same
thing. This is greatly to your credit.
You say that the Populist Senators
who voted in favor of Whiskey told
you that they pledged themselves to do
so, to their people, previous to their
election.
know nothing of the facts except
as to Senators Carter and Strother.
If Senator Carter told you that he
made any public pledges to vote against
our State Platform, during his candi-
dacy for the Senate, and after the
adoption of our State Platform, he
misinformed you-to the best Of my
knowledge and belief.
When the Populist Executive Com
mittee met in Atlanta, and recon
mended" that the Prohibition plank be
inserted in our next State Platform,
Senator Carter was present, and voted
~ ---anornnaers9
Mhnr, ha ko4 NA--av,4s1y, az
met, Senator Carter was made Chair
man of the Platform Committee, and as
such Chairman assisted in the framing
of said Anti-Barroom plank. asass
When the Platform was reported
back to the Convention, the Report was
made as Carter's Report, and not one
word did he utter against 1t.
When Seaborn Wright was made our
nominee for Governor, every body un-
derstood that the effect would be to
emphasize Prohibition-Mr, Wright
being much better known as 3 Prohi-
bitionist than as Populist. In fact,
very many of the rank and file of our
party made that objection to Mr..
Wright, and his canvass thus failed to
enlist the hearty support his brilliant
campaign and splendid character an d
abilities deserved.
But Mr.. Carter was not one of those
who made the objection. He was an
original Wright man. He was one of
those who were most active in getting
him to run, And after the nomination
was over, he said to me, in the Conven
ton Hall, that he had come to that
Convention to do two things; one of
these two was to get Seab Wright
nominated for Governor.
After the Convention adjourned, our
Executive Committee Chairman, Hon.
John D. Cunningham, wrote me that
Mr.. Carter was anxious for me to make
speeches for him in his District.
Although was anxious to go West
on my own national campaign, con-
s nted to help Mr.. Carter. At Clarks-
vile and at Royston held mass-meet-
ings in his behalf. At neither meet
ing confine myself to National
issues. At both discussed state issues
and never did I plead more earnestly
against the Whiskey Traffic than in
Mr.. Carters district. Mr.. Carter was
with me at each meeting.
He sat on the stand, and cheered me
to the echo. After each speech he
warmly thanked me and endorsed me-
We travelled together, rode in the
same buggy, ate at the same table,
walked and talked in the utmost appa-
rent cor fdence, and never once, in
public or in private, did get the slight
est Whit of hint that Senator Yancey
Carter was pledged to violate the plat
form W hich he himself had SO recently