The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-08-26
PRESTON COUNTY.
Meeting at FeliOWsvillc.
Brown and McGrew Oh tht
stump.
Joint Political Discussion.

EVANSVILLE, PRESTON Co., w. VA, !
AUGUST, "a, 1868. !
Editors of the Register:
Alarge meeting of both political par
ties. was held at Fellowsville on Satur-
day, to have o joint discussion of the
questions now agitating the country.
The Democrats were represented by
VIM. G. Brown and j. Needham, "The
Plough Boy of Ohio" and the Radicals
by James C. McGrew and Mr.. Garvey.
The arrangement made by the parties
was that Mr. Brown should open, to he
followed by McGrew, Needham and
Garvey, each speaker to be allowed one
hour and fifteen minutes, with an addi-
tional thirty minutes for Mr.. Brown to
close.
These preliminary arrangements hav-
ing been effected, Mr.. Brown mounted
the rostrum and at once entered upon
his subject. No time was lost in intro
ductory remarks. He began at once to
expose the corruption, venality and ex-
travagance of the Republican Congress;
cited their vote to increase their own
pay from $4,000 to $4,000; read from Of
fetal documents the amount of station
cru consumed by the members, by
which term were included perfumery,
knives, combs, and toilet articles in
general, and in many cases articles OF
Clothing. He next showed from Mr..
Ordway's own official report, that thou
sands of the peoples money were paid
to him as mileage in hunting up wit
nesses, when the business was done by
telegraph and he not outside the Dis
trict. Financial matters next received
his attention, and he exposed the injus-
tice, partiality and exOrbitant demands
of the Radical theory, and explained
the Justice and correctness Of the Dem
ocratic principle of paying the princi-
pal of the bonds in greenbacks, unless
some other special contract has been
made to the contrary. The extrava'
gance and corruption of the Freedmen's
Bureau was then exposed, and the in
tention of the Radical party to force
negro suffrage upon the country proven
by the acts of the Radical Congress in
forcing it upon the District of Colum-
bia and the Southern States, wherever
they had the power to do so.
Mr.. McGrew said he had been &C,
auaisted with Mr.. Brown for the past
thirty-five years, knew him to be a gen.
tleman of honor and riotism, an hon.
est straightforward Jackson Democrat,
a consistent Democrat throughout the
rebellion, and one of the firmest friends
of the new State; and that if Mr.. Brown
was elected the people might rest as
sured he would do all he could for the
citizens of West Virginia, and then ad.
ded, "or should / be elected, shall
promise to do the same" He then said
something, which we do not understand,
but we will record it, as the people may
make more out of it than we did. 1t was
this, that having been intimately asso-
ciated with Mr.. Brown in business for
the past two years, he had been unable
to fully understand the political senti'
ments of tkat gentleman, and after
hearing him speak here for an hour and
quarter, he was as much in the dark
as ever. Whether the gentleman wa.
dull of hearing, or whether he knew OF
nothing else to say, we arc unable to
youch. When Mr.. McGrew spoke Of
Mr.. Brown as q Union man, and .
friend of the new State, Col. Hooteu
ey ed the speaker, smiled and shook his
head. What tickled the Colonel We
did not learn. Mr.. McGrew merely
touched the finances, aud said he felt
unable to discuss the question, q,
| it wsuld take him twenty days
to do it. Various opinions were
held in regard to the payment O
the 5-20s. Jay Cook, the Agent ant
Commissioner of the Government, hat