The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1870-09-15
SPEAKING AT PUTNAM 9. II.
AND KNIGHT FAIL TO
CONE TO TINE?
ToMLINsoN sPEAKs Els PIEoE.!
w1roHER SKINS HIM ALIvEa


WITCHER SKINS HIM ALIVE!
AN ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING.
PUTNAM WILL GO REPUBLICAN!
Last Saturday being the FIRST day of
Putnam Circuit Court, large number Of
persons were present The Democrats
had notoGed tho people by posters that II.
S. Walker and L. B. Knight. Of Charles
ton, would address them on The FIRST day
Of Court. These gentlemen failed to mr.
rive, and consequently W. II. TomlinsOn
Of Mason county, hat 10 supply their pla-
ces. Gen. Witcher was also announced
to address tho people on same day. Ar
rangenirnts were made as 10 time, and
Tomlinson led off in an hour speech. The
firs! word that fell from his mouth was ne
gro; he continued on in this strain for
short time, and then attempted COMPARE
soa Of tho Republican and Democratic
platforms, but finding that the Republican
platform was much better received than
his Democratic platform, he shifted from
that to taxation, but here he did not dis
play much financial ability, and was COM
PEELED to go for the negro again, and the
last word he uttered was niger"
After Tomlinson bad taken his seat, our
gallant stan lard bearer, General John s.
Witchcr, came forward and was greeted
with enthusiastic cheers. The General
said that he did not wish to say anything
that would wound the feelings Of any one,
andf,al hoped that Mr.. TomlinSoa would
not have entered into the discussion Of
dead issues, but as he had saw ct to do so,
he woull have something to say about
them; he said that the Democratic party
was responsible for the late rebellion; that
they were responsible for all the lives that
were lost in supprcssiug ii; that they were
responsible for tho devastation and destruct-
ion Of property in tho war; that they alone
were responsible for the millions Of debt
'heapel upon the country. He then in re-
ply to .Tomliuson's negro argument, show
cd that Democrats were the first to strike
out the word "wbitc" in our election law,
by voting for q special actproviding for
railrcad election in che counties of 8crko-
ley and Jefferson, which gave to all tho
right to vote in these counties, without re-
gard to race or color; that Democrats (and
Tomlinson one Of thcm) voted for the
charter establishing tho "storor College"
at Harpcr's Ferry, in memory of John
Brown, at which whites and blacks we're
to DO educated together; that Tomlinson
had voted for this bill, while in the Lcgis-
laturc, and yet he cries out "niggor equal
ity; he showed that Lewisburg Democrats
bad put three negroes on their city ticket,
aud had voted for them, and read an edito-
rial in the Independent, as proof of what
he asserted; that Democrats were the first
to take them into their Conventions; that
in the Southern States the Democrats were
nominating and electing colorcd men to
tho FIRST positions; that they opposed the
colorcd mans voting in West Virginia be-
cause ho won't vote the Democratic ticket;
that if he would Democrats would become
tho especial champion of the negro. lie
then referred to the law lately passed by
Congress reducing national taxation over
$50, 900 900, and read list of articles
from which the national tax was entirely
removed. lie said that every Democrat
III Congress voted against reducing these
taxes. He then showed from actual Gg-
ures that the national debt was being paid
off at the rate of $3.50, 100000 annually.
Upon the whole General Witcher's speech
was one of the ablcst and most logical We
have ever listened to. Holis fully propa-
red to meet any of the Democratic orators
on the stump; aud We do not wonder that
Hereford refuses and avoids meeting him
in joint discussion, when it is seen how he
so completely fattcncd out Tomlinson. He
was certainly completely skinned. Every
Democrat We talked to, admitted that
Witchcr gave Tomlinson a severe drub-
bling; that he bad fully sustained every
point he made, and that he vindicated both
himself and the Republican party.