The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-07
BAD BREAK OVER BOSS BUCK.
BANQUET TO PROVE A POLITICAL
BANQUO'S GHOST.


gret the Fact-Au Appear to Have
Been Carried Away ON An Unjusti-
fable Wave of Enthusiasm.
Atlanta, Ga, May 6.-The Kimbal house
banquet given to Col Alfred Ezekiel
Buck, the Easy Boss of the Georgia re-
publcans. last Saturday night promises
to 60 down in political annals alongside
of the famous Markham house" confer
ence. AS the men who took part in that
meeting have ever since been
marked, so it is promised that
the getters-up and participants
in the Buck banquet VIII be made
to feel the keen edge Of political ostra'
lentless severity as has followed some Of
those who took part in the Markham
house affair
The Buck banquet was engineered rath.
er on the quiet. The first that tho public
knew of it was when ii was announced
that it would be rendered, and along with
the announcement was printed list OF
the names of those who proposed to take
part. 1t is now certain that If some of
those who figured in IL had it to do oven
again they would hesitate long before
signing the list Of patrons. At the time
they put their names down they perhaps
did not consider the political hereafter to
be attached to the action.
But since 1t is all over and Col. Buck.
whose appointment to be minister to
the court of the milSado by President
ri,,1.- olf f1,r Tod hAr
cratic dining, has gone on to Washington,
the aftermath is beginning to be heard.
Many inquiries are being made by people
who have been led to believe by some of
the men who sat down to his feast that
Boss" Buck was the personihcatlon of
the negro-loving white politician, as to
what II all meant. They have been ex-
pectng some kind of an explanation, and
in some instances those who were in at
tendance have been called upon by the as
tonished ones to tell how it came that
they should do such thing. In the in
stances that have become public property
these banquetters have given various ex-
cuses. They realized their blunder and
did not attempt to justify themselves, but
been regarded with an air Of amusement.
No one ever dreamed before his appoint
ment as minister that Col. Buck had a
personal acquaintance among prominent
men as large as the list Of the democrats
who gave him his banquet. lie has lived
In Atlanta for a number of years. but his
politics and his persistent atiliation with
the colored contingent of his party has
tat LII l.
street neighbOrs, and TO large eX-
tent also from that large element of solid
business men, who by reason OF attending
to their business, do not come much into
contact with politicians of any class, es-
pecialy those engaged in manipulating the
coored population.
In fact Col. Buck, although widely
known in the newspapers, chiefly on ac-
count of the manner in which he has
been denounced and abused as the cham
pion Of the negro, was comparative
stranger in the city personally, except
among the colored population.
His office, as the rendezvous for the
negro politicians OF the state, was never
much frequented by others except aggres-
sive newspaper reporters who went there
to get news matter in political times with
which to make new roasts OF the easy
boss"
Under these circumstances, and in view
of the fact that Col Buck has been the
most relentless and determined enemy the
democrats nave ever had to face in com
batting the negro vote, the democratic
dinner given to him is looming up as a
nightmare to those who took part In il. 1t
was announced when the function was
proclaimed that It was to be given in rec
ognition OF the honor done TO the city and
the state by the selection of citizen for
such an important mission.
Gfuqa fbn fumes of the clamDagnn have
cleared away, however many OF those
who crossed their legs under the BUCK
mahogany are wondering what they could
have been thinking about. II Is more than
likely that President Mckinley hardly
gave the state from which Bucl. hailed
was simply paying "a political debt for
value received The President would
doubtless have preferred IL his japanese
minister had resided IN some other state
where his appointment might have been
taken as a party reward.
Then, as to the sagacious colonel him
self the question has now come IN, what
has he ever had IN common with the real
citizens OF Atlanta or OF the state OF Geor-
gia He has never been anything more
than citizen in name only, and, there
fore. It is being asked where Is II an honor
to the state for him to receive official
honors. The colonefs heart Is In his native
politics, which has been his sole profession
since coming to Georgia, he would doubt
Jess have returned thither long ago.
There has been a great deal OF gossip
over the affair, and when political battles
come to be fought again In the state with
the populists and the followers Of Boss
Buck aligned together against democrats
and the name Of the absent Buck Is used
to conjure the negro with, there will be
more Of it. In this connection Il can now
be said that some gentlemen with pollti-
cal aspirations had sagacity enough to de-
cline being present at the klmball house
function, and they are now congratulatlng
themselves upon their wisdom. The list
Of those who had q hand I'm Il Is being
carefully kept in a half dozen or more po-
lltical scrap books. Some Of these scrap
books also contain certain ac-
counts OF the burning Of Boss
Buck IN engy here seven or
eight years ago. because a negro had been
placed IN a position Ia the postonice 70
work at the same desk with a young white
lady. And oddly enough, too, some OF the
men who helped raise the feast to Minister
Buck watched che incident Of eight years
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