The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-09-22
Tom Watson


ing on the bowling down of Tom
Watson in Atlanta recently, when it
appears that he made reference to
Hoke Smith, such as did not suit the
temper of the audience, you made the
statement that Watson, in his efforts
in behalf of better government, and
for the welfare generally of the peo-
pie of Georgia, and, in fact, of the
entire South, has proven a failure, or
words to that effect. infer from
the tone of your editorial that you
are, at least, to some extent, an adj
mirer of Mr.. Watson, admitting his
undoubted ability as an historian and
writer generally. economic and other
wise.
Mr. Editor, I want to ask that you
will not allow the verdict of an At
lanta mob to mislead you. Mr.. Wat
son is not failure any more than
was Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine,
Abraham Lincoln, Jim Hogg of Texas,
and, more recently, La Toilette of
Wisconsin, or Folk of Missouri
Without reference to his own for
tunes, personal popularity, or eleva-
ton to high Office that he might easily
have enjoyed, Watson has educated
the ignorant mass of voters in Geor-
gia and elsewhere, in spite of them
selves. The writer knows whereof
he writes, for was he not one of that
same ignorant crowd of Democrats in
South Georgia in 1898 or Whereabouts
that thought Watson a political i'm
postor, outlaw and renegade? Did
he not see his own dear moss-backed
party in less than four years from
that time steal the entire Populist
ideas with reference to the money
question, the very question they were
farthest apart on, and since then,
foam at the mouth about other Popu-
list principles, such as the initiative
and referendum, etc., until now those
same Watson haters of '94 "pint with
pride" to their advocacy of those
principles, as if they were the origi-
nal promoters of such reforms? Of
the Populist giants of We good old
days of fighting radicalism, the only
kind that counts, only few remain
ed faithful unto the end and among
those, at all times, stood Watson,
head and shoulders above all others,
lighting like a Crusader of old,
neither asking nor giving quarter,
nor compromising for the sake of Of
flee, until today he has lived to see
his Populistic principles a part of
every political platform worth read
ing, including that of the Republi-
cans.
Tom Watson failure? How alb
surd! To be sure the press of the
country persistently refuse to give
him credit, where it is by all sense of
right and justice his due. For in
stance, there is the record with refer
ence to the rural delivery of mail.
In spite of the fact that the proceed
ings Of Congress show as plainly as
daylight that Watson is the author
of the real country, backwoods, free
delivery of mail, not a Democratic
nor Republican paper or writer is
willing to tell the truth about it, not
even Preacher Bryan, please the
Lord. Mr.. Editor, it would take en-
tirely too much space to give even a
brief outline of the things that Wat
son has done, and I don't ask to be
INDUCED to that extent, but I would
like to call your attention to the last
victory that has crowned Watson's
splendid efforts in behalf of the peo-
pie and good government, and that
is, the defeat of old Lon Livingston
and Bill Howard, two longtime Con-
gressmen from Georgia Watson. to