The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-09-23
WATSON GOES AFTER
PITCHFORK TILLMAN
Arraigns United States Sena-
tor on the Problem of
The Negro.
ADDRESS WELL Received.
MIXED AUDIENCE AT EATON, IND,
HEARD EMANCIPATION DAY
SPEECH BY GUBERNATORIA
CANDIDATE.

Muncie. Ind. Sept 23.-In an eman-
cipation day speech yesterday at Riv-
erside park, eleven miles north OF
Muncie, near Eaton, Representative
James z. Watson, candidate for the
republican nomination for governor,
declared that the wild beasts of the
African jungles" would be discredited
by some of the thoughts advanced by
Senator Tillman in his trades on the
race question. An enthusiastic mixed
crowd assembled around f.ag-be-
decked stand in the park and applaud
ed to the echo as Mr.. Watson pro-
ceeded to express his views on the
gospel according to st. Benjamin." as
he termed his text. There were as
many whites as negroes in the audi
ence and before Mr.. Watson had con-
cluded the finishing touches of his
oration there was a sort of general
agreement all around that "St. Benja-
min" is anything but sanctified.
He skinned" TiIiman.
1t had been advertised far and wide
that Mr. Watson would Skin" Till
man. as sort of punishment for some
radical racial ideas advanced by the
"pitchfork" statesman, and he lived
up to the high-sounding manifesto
Tiilman had any skin left when Wat
son got through it was simply hang
ing in shreds in isolated spots.
Mr.. Watson was loaded for bear.
He had typewriter copies of some of
the choice remarks made by Senator
Tillman and he read them to the audi
ence, pausing to express his opinion
of both the remarks and the author.
Every time he "swatted'' the Caro-
iinian there were strong manifesto
tions of approval from the audience
and shouts of That's So" and
That's the truth" ETC., from distin-
guished colored men on the platform.
Mr.. Watson said that of all the great
problems confronting society none
looms up larger than the problem of
the colored man in America He stated
it to be his belief that God is back of
all history-that through all the ages
one increasing purpose runs" The
idea of the Fatherhood of God and the
Brotherhood of Man is expressed, he
said, as men can best express it in
laws, institutions and constitutions.
Though for a time men may be borne
down by the heel of tyranny, the hui
man spirit will not always brook op-
preston and man finally, somehow
and some way, comes into his own.
Emancipated by Lincoln.
He asserted that when Abraham Lin
coin, the greatest of all the loving
dead, struck off the manacles of slav-
cry he emancipated 100000 of col
ored people.
"All of them together had not a
dollar" he said. "They had no litera-
ture, no education, no wealth. They
had had no chance to make literature
or to gain wealth or to do anything
but work with unremitting and unre-
them to the fields by the lash. The
accursed institution of slavery had for
years sat supreme in the seats of the
In the shadow of the dome of
the United States capitol, dedicated to
human liberty, slaves were driven like
cattle to market. This damnable sys-
tenn took little children at their birth
and S tamped them with the seal of
unending bondage. Souls that were
created to shine undimmed forever
were sold for enough tobacco to last
a man month.