Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-10-28
SPEECH BY GOV. G. C. WALKER.
On the 18th instant, Gov. Walker made a
speech at Fredericksburg which correspon-
dent of the ENQUIRER reports as follows:

Governor Walker, after returning thanks for
his reception, paid glowing compliment to
General Kemper. He then referred to the elec-
ton of 1869, and said that by the action of the
people then the manacles forged by the Radl-
Gals had been struck from General Kemper and
all the representative men of Virginia. Had
the Radicals been successful then, Kemper
could not have been our candidate now. The
Radical candidate charged that the Conserva-
tive party had started this war of race against
race he knew it to be false when he made the
charge. The people of Virginia are the only
people who have shown by their votes that they
favor political equality and while the Conserva-
tives were voting for this equality, the Radicals
sought to ostracise the white people of Virgin
la, not only in 69 but they stand upon the
same platform Tor hatform, as Lewis Lindsey
called it, to-day, and upon that platform stands
Robert w. Hughes to-day asking for the votes
of the people of Virginia. He could not see
how the RAIDS could have the impudence to ask
for the votes of the people when they we're try
ing to deprive them of their rights. The pao-
pie to-day would stand shoulder to shoulder
and again overthrow the party of discord. He
told very good anecdote Of two negroes argu-
ing about steamboat and railroad travel. when
one said, "If the cars run off the track, dar you
is; but if the ber bust on a steamboat, whar
is you?' And if the people turn over their
liberties and rights to the negroes and Radicals,
'whar is you?" This they would never do, for
they were entrenched 10 strong fortress they
were surrounded and shielded by right and
principle, and their ammunition was virtue and
integrity
He next compared the composition of the two
parties-the one nine-teuths of whom were ne
groes, and the other o1e-tenth class of white
people who were deformed, being white outside
and black inside. Applause A class of
white men seeking responsibility By association
With the negroes; and the negro had the worst
of it SO far, because these whites were dragging
down the negroes to the filthy hole occupied by
themselves. Show me white Radical, and |
will show you an cf6ce holder or an Office seek
er AS to the negroes, they were led on by
set Of forganized plunderers. Poor souls. they
know not what they (the negroes) do; forgive
them for their error. The only correct theory
to get rid of these white plunderers was to de-
prive them of office.
We should first rid ourselves in Virginia, and
then 10 1876 rid the national government Of
them as officials then we could say goodbye,
carpet bagger, goodbye, scallawag. In the
North there were honest men in the Republican
party, but In the South there were precious few
in the Radical party, and those few we're labor
ing under an illusion. 1t would be no more
preposterous for Senator Herndnn's (who, by
the way, had made an efficient Senator, and he
hoped would be returned to the Senate, color
ed man, who swept cut his office, to say to him,
having been set on by his scallawag associates,
Senator, get out of this Office intend to run
it myself | know | know nothing about law,
but think [ ought to be a lawyer and [ II run
this office myself than for the negroes Of
Virginia to say to the people, get out of our
way, give US the reius ofgovernment we know
nothing of government, but we intend to take
the power anyhow and run it to suit ourselves
If once the people give them the power they
will never forget it the longest day they live
The people of the Southern States that they
have devastated, will remember their ruin to
the last day of their lives. He had searched
the record, the platform, and the speeches of
their leaders, and they should be called the
party Of false pretences. They claimed to be
poor mans party-in some respects GOULD not
deny they we're poor mans party, for they
were as poor a set of white men as were ever
gotten together The combined taxes paid by
the people of Virginia to the State and Federal
governments was 10 round numbers $S 600, ,000
of which this party paid probably one-twentieth.
They were mighty poor man s party, and it
was mighty poor party for poor white man.
Ii this cry of poor man was truthful, he could
say nothing, for he had been poor man him
famous than was seen on the surface the same
cry had made the cities of La Belle France run
with the best French blood this same cry had
deluged Rome In war-it was agrarianism and
communism OF the worst sort, and he would
denounce 1t as false to the very people whom
they professed to aid and befriend. Labor and
capital were necessary to each other, for labor
without capital was worthless, and Uice versd-
When they appealed to the poor man they did
it with lies in their mouth and falsehood in
heart. Applause The whites and blacks
we're mutually interested In each other-the
whites as employers and the blacks as employees
and they should join the whites in building up
and developing Virginia.
On another grouud-that of relief-the home
stead exemption, they claim support. The
Black and Tan Convention framed the consti-
tuition, and In the constitution exempted s., 900
as homestead, Allow them the merit of inser-
ting it, if any such merit attaches to it, but the
Conservative party adopted the constitution,
and to them is due as much merit for had the
Conservative party not voted for the constitu-
ton it would not have been adopted and there
would have been no homestead clause. The
Radical party did control 10 '6S, land pray God
they may never do so again) and they did con-
troll features in the constitution, and he was
willing to concede this to them and any merit
that attaches to it, but he would also charge
them with placing IN the next article of that
constitution a clause which prevented the Leg
islature from legislating for the relief of the
debtor class in Virginia; that the Legislature
had tried to pass, and he was anxious to have
passed, a law which would be equitable to the
debtor and creditor classes in the State, and sf-
ford relief to the debtors who had lost every
thing by the war, but it was impossible on ac-
count of the clause in the constitution referred
to- They claimed to be relief party. So they
were in one sense and had they succeeded In
carrying that constitution unpurged they would
have relieved nearly every gentleman in Vir-
ginia of his vote and of all responsibility of gov
ernment except to pay the taxes assessed by
them As to the bankrupt law it never could
have passed unless the Conservative members
of the South and the Democratic members of
| the North had voted for it. The original law
was passed in 1867, without any thought of the
| South for the relief of Northern debtors, and
the amendment was passed last winter, and as
Mr.. Hughes said at the time in a letter, it was
not party measure, and yet to-day he claims
| the support of the people of Virginia because
| he drew the bankrupt bill. l have from good
authority (the name can be given if necessary,
that the registrars In bankruptcy hired and paid
him to lobby through this biil-one register
alone paying him 81, 800 This is patriotism
paid for of $50 or 500 per day. Suppose they
did pass a bankrupt bill, what party was it that
so mismanaged, so ruined the government iu
| five years as to make bankrupt bill necessary
The Republican party first ruined you, and then
claim credit for giving you relief. 1t was like
man beating his neighbor nearly to death and
| then claiming credit for calling doctor to save