The age-herald., 1898-02-23
REV. SAM JONES
 DECLARES HIMSELF

Rev. Sam P. Jones, of Georgia, who has announced himself as a candidate for gov- ernor of that state makes the following announcement of his candidacy printed Tn the Atlanta Journal:
 When I Deft the state two weeks ago there wns but one candidate in the field for governor of Georgia. Allen D. Cam1rer had been caCed forth by the popular voice and ds.sire of the state. I believed then that he was the choice of the state. The people said so. The newspapers said 1t was an uprising of the people. He was de- clartia to be aible honest and against the traders and tHicks,serS that made Georgia politics so disreputable in the year lSyf The Constitution and the Journal got the1r heads together, however far thsur hearus may have been apart, and agreed to sup port the same man, which was a mlrac4e- .',- a sign that the mfl.enfum was approach ing The Constitution brought out its banu wagon and the democratic politicians from all over the country round aDout wlth their brass bands and kettle drums board- ed the wagon, declared for harmony, an1 started around the state, saying before each piece of music was played: we nave a clean man for governor; an upright, Christian gentleman, to fill >tlre governor chair!'
 Band Wagon Runs Away
 But To and behold, when reached home Saturday morning I foud the band wagon had struck telegraph post as the run away team turned a corner and the pol ticians were scattered from Dade to Chat- ham. There were more broken noses, skinned shaHks and dfsGocated bones unaal a fellow ever saw dn a heap before. said: ''What staHted those horses to run ndng away with that band wagon?' ana they said MT. Gambler, Nike Senor De Lome, had written a letter. and Nike the exploS- ion of the warelnip Maine, 1t was eptner ahi accident or a torpedo. Gentlemen, oeIleVe it was a torpedo; for when l look around me now fine woods are full of candidates. At thys four points of the compass see the dirt flying up and the candidates snooNauie into the aar, and if the procession moves cq until next October we will nave more candidates than voters.
 I was an original Chandler man TOT | pc locne to tle commcn people of Georg1a as contr,adfstfnguished from the ring-streakeo politicians and pap suckers .
 I am still one of about 2oo,ooO voters m III Georgia who prefer Candler to any candl- date trotted out so far, myself only ex- cepted. A man with thimbleful or bralns could see even if he were blind that there was an unanimous, spontaneous, earnest expression from all over this state on the part of the common people, which ike an index finger pointed towards Candler. The sachems and chiefs, such as Sitting Bull, Red Knife, Scalp Em-All, with their little dogs Trip Fido and Bounce, were all smut up in their tent They were holding couh- cil of war. They were whetting thelr tom ahawks They meant to do just what we now see they are doing. They are like the old woman who said she had more sense than her husband, who was preacher. She said her husband had to have text when he wanted to preach, but all sne wanted was pretext. Lo and behold! MT. Candler gave that pretext unwittingly' maybe judiciously, in his first letter.
 Liked Candler's Letter
 And by the way, that first letter pleased me- I liked every line of it, every syllable of it. knew where it hit just as well as used to know where my mammy's hand hit when she had me across her lap l knew who he meant, and there are hundred thousand fellows in Georgia now who knew who he meant just as well. as Mr. Candler knew I tell you. gentlemen, when you shoot in the hole where they are, they will come out a-humping and swear they were not in there But they are full of shot all the same: and if he didn't shoot in a hole full of little lousy rascals I am no horse doctor-I wouldn't be considered a calf doctor in this settlement. And you can tell who was in the hole by the gang that ran out and hollered.
 Candler His Second ChoIce
 Understand me, am Candler man- next to myself do not know of but one
 
 he cusses. If I wasn't preacher and wasn't so fearfully down on cussing might excuse him, for how he can do the subject justice when he is talking about the gang that ran the politics in Georgia in 1894 with their little ciques called mass meetings, without little cusslng, IS more than I can see.
 was not hurt by that first letter, and I know a whole heap of folks that were not hurt Allen D. was worse scared than, we were hurt, dead sure, or he never would have written that second letter. If I had been him l would have stuck to that letter and fought it out with them as long I could kick or hit or shoot or cut, and when hands and legs were gone and teeth worn out I'd a-gummed 'em till died. Oh if MT. Candler had stuck to that first letter. and said, Gentlemen, have made a lot of shoes. They are my shoes and your fit. T. call no names, but every fellow knows his number"
 Sam Jones' Platform
 The platform on which I stand and have stood for twenty years and more, is sim II pie, unadulterated, unpurchasable, unbull- A dozable manhood.
 God never made a grander being than a noble, royal man, and when He makes a royal man He makes him as near like Himself as He can. I am for everything that develops, fosters and finishes imper- ious, royal manhood I am everlastingly, everywhere and everywhen, against every thing that builds up reputation at the ex- pense of character; that makes gold domi- nate God, or chattles character, or mann mon manhood; for believe that a man in all his royal, magnificent character, is big ger than king grander than a presi- dent and nobler than governor. If I were to run thousand races every sem tence from my lips, as well as every inc spiration from my heart would furnish but a leverage to lift humanity up and make men of our boys and princely characters of our men. would only throw mud back into the mud-holes out of which 1t came.