Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1905-11-19

But Smiths disfranchsement
plank is Watsons' "opportunity?u
and Watson's eye with eagle glance
saw it clearly. Here is common
ground. Here they can embrace.
Here the fight is one. Smiths
fight becomes Watson's fight.
Smiths fight is Watson's oppor.
tunity. For years Watson had
hoped for disfranchisement to do
what he wanted done. Smith offers
the opportunity" Opportunity
to do what? "What we want done
and cannot do by ourselves" saws
Watson.
The thing wanted done is the re-
building and reorganization of
Watson's party in Georgia.
As a prerequisite to this, it is
necessary las Watson has contend
ed, to pass a disfranchisement law
This done, the Opportunity is
at hand to revive, rebuild, reor-
ganize an opposition party. Mr..
Smiths plan opens the way. Wat
son says that if Smith is elected
and this negro plank is in the plat
form, the Smith legislature will
be bound by it.
"When Mr.. Smith makes negro
dlSfranchiSement an issue of his
campaign what will be the result?n
asks Mr.. Watson. ellis election
will be a mandate from the people
to disfranchise the negro says
Watson. So he feels sure that the
long hoped for opportunity is
near at hand.
Mr.. Watson declared in the last
presidential campaign that he was
back in politics to stay. He vowed
he would re- cOnsecrate himself to
rebuilding his party. He means
business.
General Grant said: "You can
count on the democrats to act the
d-n fool at the proper time
Watson back into politics, his
editorials breathing a kissing
hatred to the democratic party,
and the Georgia democrats in par
ticular. means taking advantage
of Mr.. Smiths want of political
sagacity, and pushing Watson's
opportunity as soon as Smith makes
good the chance by his negro law.
No wonder Watson says "Smith's
fight is our fight. "Watson was only
too glad to let go Smiths past in
view of the long sought copper
tunity" coming his way.
Watson again says: "No time
now to divide. We must unite;
disfranchise the blacks and FREE
the whites"
Free what whites? Those whites
who are expecting Smith to dc
what they could not do by them
selves. That is, fix conditions Sc
Watson can rebuild an opposition
party. That is "What Watson
Means" and the aftermath, when
the opportunity arrives and the
negro is DISTINGUISHED, what Them
In all negro counties, fifty eight
of them, the "educated' negro
will hold the balance of power
And thus Acknowledgement will be
the enfranchisement of all the
"educated'' negroes.
Mr.. Smith, in his Dawson speech
in August, favored an eight months
public school termfor all pub
schools; yet said it was un-
constitutional to separate the
money, and under his plan how
rapidly negro education would ad-
vance. Even in ten years more the
educated negro will be legions.
With Watson's plan of two par
ties these educated" negroes
would hold the balance of power
in negro counties. The good old
time negro would be disfranchised,
also the uneducated whites, but
the "dude" negro would be in it
furthermore, Hon w. H. Elem
ing, of Augusta, says in his recent
able article: cit is scarcely con
ceivable that the conditions created
| by the disfranchisment laws of the
southern states can be permanent
The battle for supremacy between
those laws and the federal consti
tuition remains to be fought out"
Georgia has acted with wisdom
we are not subject to congressional
discipline. We have violated nj
federal law. Our white primary
does the work. We get rid 0.
negroes by this device, and under
our system Georgia has moved
with gigantic strides along al
lines, industrial, educational, sgri