The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1897-11-12

JnaC every WnlSkeY man IN town Is
opposed to the Reform movement, and
every little gambler is putting forth all
his energies to beat the Reform tick Ell?
Would they stand as one working
day and night unceasing, never stop
ping-unless they expected something
for their labors? 1t is as plain as if it
were placed upon sheet and heralded
to the world-'The Peoples Party is the
standard bearer of the whiskey men
and gamblers"
Their speakers have derided an be-
Titled everything that is pure and holy;
and yet they say, we are the friends
of the public schools that instill into
the hearts of our little ones virtue, in
telligence, purity, knowledge and lover
Mr.. Padgett then took up Mr.. lazarus
little "Flash in the Pan" card, the con-
tents of which are familiar to the pub
lie. He read the ordinance which the
iipscomb Board had tried to pass,
which ordinance sought to repeal the
statute-and the only statute--that au-
thorized the establishment of the pub
! lie schools in Columbia. In that Board
were two church membership. John
T. Williamson and Ed. D. Wilson-and
these gentlemen voted against the pas
sage of this ordinances; and in that
Board there were also three saloon keep
ers-L. NJ. Matthews, d. Lazarus, and
A. Il. Sellars-and these gentlemen
voted for the ordinance that would have
stricken down the public schools of Co
lumbia. Mr.. Southall, President of the
Board of Education at that time, came
before the Board of Mayor and Alder
men, and begged for an appropriation
of $4,000 to run the schools. Messrs.
Williamson and Wilson, the church
members, voted for the appropriation,
while the three saloon-keepers voted
against it and only to allow $500. Mr..
Lazarus gave as his reason for voting to
abolish the Board of Education that an
account had been rendered unitemized,
on which were charges for forty cent
brooms and thirty cents coal oil, that
might have been bought cheaper. Mr.
Padgett had taken the trouble to hunt
up this account, and he found that it
was an account for $27.40, and was not
presented at all until more than month
after Mr.. Lazarus had voted against the
schools, and when it was presented
there were charges for forty cent brooms
and Mr.. Lazarus voted to approve the
l.. hant ,nf h. For. a
drop of coal oil on the bill. Mr.. Padgett
asked his audience if they would vote
for man who, for the mere sum OF
$27 40, would strike down the public
school system of their town. "Nop
rNom answered number of voices
The Lipscomb Board had cut down the
schools from 10 months session to a
months session. The saloon men or
the Board voted for it, and the church
, members voted against it.
elbow did White vote?" said voice
} from the crowd.
Gle said, please excuse me- He was
neither pig nor puppy"
| "Since the establishment of the pub
/ lie school system" continued Mr.. Pad
: gett, "this was the only Board tina
r ever cut uown the schools to a nine
months session, and thereby robbed tn,
children of the poor men of month";
, education"
3 Mr. Padgett closed by asking every
t voter to cast his ballot for men VIII,
| they knew would befrend them and
: protect their children
r DIR. ID. G. Kelley
then came 70 the stand. He said he wa
9 at the meeting of the Peoples party The
a night before, and stated at that meet
ing that he wanted to interrogate al
! their candidates, and give them a chance
e to explain themselves, before he would
t say publicly whom he endorsed or whom
t he condemned. 1t had been hisrule in lif
| to give every man chance to defenC
himself, and pursuing that rule, he haC
e given the Peoples Party candidates
S fair hearing before rising to condeml
i them. That was the substance of wha
;, he said and meant the night before.
t Some weeks ago he had attended tn
e meeting at the Opera House 1T the tim
d of the nominations of the Reform
e ticket and took part in the selection
]? and endorsed their principles. After
: wards good many of his friends o.
!, the other side had come to him an
n said that there was "nothing in
name;" that both parties were praC
# tlcally fol the same thing; both 70
Vt temperance, the observance of the Sal
1t bath, good morals, etc. They had aske
It him to wait and give their candidate
d and their speakers a hearing. He ha
l. done so. He had put himself to tn
3 trouble to call upon some of their car
d didates and he had listened patientl
a and as calmly as he could under tn
If exasperating and trying circumstance
II to their ablest speaker the night befor
Then the next morning he went to tn
It candidate for Mayor on the People
d ticket and asked him the plain, drec
d simple question;
Ie "Do you endorse that speech mad
:" last night?"
1t "Well-I-er-I-" began Mr.. Yoest
ID "My friend, do you endorse tina
1t speech9"
n "Well-I-T-er-I-" stammered tn
if Peoples candidate for Mayor.