The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-17
FUSIoNISTS AT BLAcKSHEAR.
uEPUBLICAN-POPUL SPEAKERS
HAVE A SMALL AUDIENCE.

Cant. MiIIiken and Col. Wilkinson
Abuse of Democracy, But Intro
duee Nothing New In Support OF
PrincipIes-COl. Wilkinson, How
ever, Deals In Anticipated Anec-
dOtes and Praises Mckinley for
TrampIing on Southern Sentiment
and Appointing Negroes to Office
In the sOuth-NO SeriOns Damage
Done Democracy.
Blackshear, Ga, Sept. 16.-Belcher, Mil
,illen & Co.'S -Populist combi-
nation had a meeting here to-day. The
meeting was held in the court room
by actual count, there were exactly 124
persons. in the audience, and of these one
half were negroes and the remainder
white The whites were about evenly di-
vided between Populists and Democrats.
Capt. Ben Milliken, was the first to
speak, and as his ample proportions loom
ed up above the judges stand he was
greeted with many admiring glances.
Capt. Millikens speech was liberal only
in abuse of Democracy, which party, in
his estimation, is responsible for all the
ills flesh is heir to. He charged that the
tax books will show that the taxable prop
erty of Georgia has shrunk 20 per cent.
in value within the last five years, as a
result of Democratic misrule and extrava-
gance. The present administration was
denounced for accepting per cent. in
terest on the states deposits. He was
particularly violent towards THE last leg
islature, because of an appropriation to
the State University, and he seemed filled
with holy horror because of the increase
in the number of judges in the Supreme
bench, and of the creation of the board
of pardons.
Capt. Milliken's speech, generally con-
tanned nothing new, being a rehash of
common Populist charges.
After Capt Milliken had turned his vial
of wrath loose upon the poor head of
Democracy Col. ]. M. Wilkinson, the Re
publican candidate for Congress, was In
troduced. Col. Wilkinson announced that
he was making a race in the interest of
everybody, but himself-a bit of uninten-
tional prophecy, by the way, which will
no doubt be fully verified in November.
This speech was largely interspersed
with anecdotes, one of which is worth re-
heating, because of it's double application.
Col. Wilkinson said he had gone to Folks
ton on one occasion to attend court, and
when be stepped off the train in the early
morning he found a countryman sitting
by a little fire trying TO keep himself
warm. In common with the other lawyers
who had arrived on the same train, he
drew near the fire, and soon discovered
H. ornu1e6
out One of the lawyers turned to the
countryman and asked him about his trav-
els finally asking If the countryman had
ever been to hell, to which the country
man replied, "Yes!"
How did things look down there?" was
next asked
Just like It is here; the lawyers were
the closest to the fire." was the quick re-
tort.
After relating this anecdote Col. Will1in-
son stated that he had reformed and was
no longer a lawyer. He also said that the
lawyers throughout the district generally
were opposing him, and he particularly
mentioned the bar of his home town, and
that of Waycross as being in open oppo-
sition to his candidacy.
Col Wilkinson said he had been guyed
some because of the fact that ne is
nominee of a 'nigger" meetin~. but said
If he could secure a tax on imports of long
staple cotton and upon other commodities
he was willing to have such harmonious
meetings every year.
The latter part of his speech was fuL
of praise for Rucker, the negro collector
Of internal revenue of Atlanta, and De-
veaux, the negro collector of the port of
Savannah, both of whom he said were
good and capable men and worthy of the
offices to which they had been appointed
He upheld Mckinley for trampling upon
Southern sentiment in the appointment of
colored men to prominent offices in the
South. This part of his speech was rath-
er colby received and it can be put down
as certain the two harangues heard here
To-Day nave done no serious damage to
Democracy.