The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-09-01
opposition to RadieallSm.
MASS MEETING OF CONSERVATIVES
AT ASSEMBLY, HALL.
ENTHUSIASTIC DEMONSTRATIONS
Able Speeches of w. w. Walker, Col.
JB. Baldwin, and Ex-Gov. Smith.

The general desire TO near sohcSnius
| from some of the distinguished gentlemen ia
attendance upon the state Cohset ta1 -.
Convention was gratified last night aC
Grand mass meeting held at Assembly Hal.
The notice given was short. the announce
ment not being made until just before the
! adjournment of the Convention but the
, large hall was nevertheless crowded Win
an audience of notable responsibility ana
intelligence, and the enthusiasm was aston
ishing, in view of the early stage OF The
! campaign.
d; Gen. z. #. Moore called the meeting TO
order. md, on his motion, Hon. a. NJ
Kelley, Mayor Of Richmond, was called TO
the chair.
I Mr.. Kelley very gracefully returned
thanks for the honor, and III few compn'
mentsry remarks introduced to the meet
| ing Col. w. W. Walker, of Westmoreland.
SPEECH OF MR.. WALKER.
| Mr.. Walker was received with great ap.
plause. He commenced his remarks by
CONCENTRATING the people of Richmond,
and of every part Of the State, upon the
successful completion Of the work marked
out for the great council Of Virginia Con.
seryatiycs just adjourned. The object of
, that Convention was the perfection Of
| plan of organization for the Conservative
party. One perfect and satisfactory has
been adopted. But it has dono more: 1t
has adopted the best and most satisfactory
platform ever known in the history OF 20.
litical parties in Virginia, and one which
makes our success in the approaching cleo
ton already assured. This assemblage has
, been looked forward to with a great deal of
interest even by persons outside OF our
. own party-persons, in fact, interested in
; its defeat and longing to feast their eyes on
q scene of discord in our ranks. Thank
God they have been disappointed. (Ap-
plause.7 The Convention was composed OF
men who drew in Democratic doctrines with
their mothers milk, and men who have
hated Democracy from their very birth;
but on this occasion they united in one
grand patriotic effort for the redemption
and salvation Of Virginia. [Applausc'] The
result was the Platform be had character
lied as perfect. Short as it is, all The die
tionaries ami political manuals i'll the world
cnuldn't afford better one. 1t consists OF
three words: Opposition to Radicahsm.
PROLONGED appllu,c.l What this means is
illustrated by the Irishman's advice TO his
son when the younger tiTst went to Don
rybrook Fair. Johnny" said he.
"you're a-going to Donnybrook, and
you're apt to get into bit OF scrlmmage.
When you do get into scrimmase, John,
all have to say to you is, whenever you
see head bit it." Now, that Is what we
say to The people OF Virginia. Whenever
you see Radical hedd mt II. Laughter
and applause.
| Mr.. Walker then graphically sketched
the situation of Virginia at the close of the
war. and told now. when our old mother
Virginia was supposed 10 be IN the aSonles
Of death, she was oyerrun by knavlng car
pet-baegers, who, by masSing the ignorant
negroes into Union Leagues under their
direction, epdcavored to possess themselves
of lee simple to our State. They cared
not what blood might be shed, or how
industries might suffer, so that they
were allowed to plunge their hands,
elbow deep, in the treasury. From
; our threatened fate we were averted
! By the struggle of 80 when the best brain
mower OF the Commonwealth was turned
loose, and we conquered under The same
glorious banner which we have uplifted to-
dav-oppoSition to KadicaliSm-and under
which we are going to conquer again. We
have now the same enemy before US, though
it is more dcceutly disguised. and it has the
same vile ends in view. When we say we
will oppose Rauicall>m we determine to
oppose the grasping CT power 10y selfish and
unworthy people for their own selfish ends.
That is one plank, and another is that we are
determined to oppose scattering the seeds Of
discord and strife in the bosom Of Virginia
society. 1t means that we will oppose
these things, or RadicaliSn in any form.
now and cver-ycS, aS long as time lasts, if
the thing don't die in the mean time. Zap
plause.] Radicali.m can outlie and out
, steal anything in the world, and the results
| of Radical rule are what might be expected
from n Radical party. Look at the head Of
this great nation-a horse.jockcy, whose
salary is twenty-five thousand dollars per
annum, and presents ad HJitun,. Laughter
and applause Sometimes when turning
towards Washington the speaker behold
. through cloud OF tobacco smoke the Prcs-
!. dent Of this great North American Repub-
liz driving his fast horse, taking presents,
and rewardng the giverS with fat offices !;
and then turning to Il little Virginia town,
gaze upon the still unmarked grave Of IL
Southern hero, he felt in his heart that if
we were rcyenge!ul people we would be
already fully avenged. [Applau>e.l He
would rathcr-yes ten thousand times
rataer be Lee. the dead soldier ut LeXing-
ton. than the living Grant, entnroned in
the White House and enriched by infamy
Loud ard prolonged applauSe].
/ Mr.. stalker concluded VITA an earnest
and eloquent appeal for grand rally of the
party in November next Tar another, Il last
and Il crushing defeat Of the already demor-
allzed enemy. His speech was throughout
telling effect.
| SPEECH OF COL. BALDWIN.
The chairman then introduced Col. Jno.
B. Baldwin, OF Augusta. That gentleman
made a brief and stirring speech. He was
no politician; he had left politics at the
back door. On the 18th Of April. 1861, he
| had thought for the last time OF himself as
, partisan. Since that day he had looked
! upon all good citizens Of Virginia as MEM
bers of the same great party, united for the
salvation and glory of the Commonwealth.
: He pictured the utterly depressed PEG.
pie of Virginia at the close Of the
war. They looked abroad for aid,
. and with what result? We looked
naturally to the Government, knowing
that war did not necessarily cut off the
: vanquished from the aid of the victor or
from the sympathy and good will Of the
outside world. Having surrendered, it
was the duty Of the Government to show
In soma degree at least a common hum4ni-
ty. The temper Of the man then in the chair
OF the Chief Magistrate was doubtless good,
but in an evil hour he Was foully murdered,
! and at once there arose u howl Of rage
which has hardly yet ceased to echo. We
of the South were charged with the wick
edness and folly Of that aimless crime, and
We have ever since been made to suffer for
. it. The policy Of the Nortn has been u
war policy; we have been prosecuted and
oppressed; and from these mean oppres-
sioDs has arisen our opposition to Radi-
calism.
He then reviewed in detail the course of
the Radical party towards the South-to-
wards the whites and towards the blacks,
, and its evil effects. He likeued the incen-
diarigm Of the Republican emssaries in the
South TO that Of the Communists of Paris,