The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-09-26
PRUNTYTOWN N.
FAULKNER AND B0TELER.
AN ABLE DISCUSSION.
Editors of the Register.

IN the late discussion at rruhts Town
shall make my account Of the discus
sion strictly and severely historical, ac-
cording to my recollection, and the i'm
pressions that it made upon my mind,
not assuming to express any opinion OF
the merits of the respective candidates,
or of their claims to public confidence.
After dinner, at the ringing ofthe bell,
large crowd assembled at the court
house. They were of the most substan-
tial farmers and citizens of the county.
On motion of Mr.. Mason, of Grafton,
Hon. Benjamin +. Martin was called to
preside over the meeting. After some
brief and appropriate remarks, he intro
duced to the assemblage Hon. I. j.
Faulkner, of Berkeley county.
MR.. FAULKNER's OPENING SPEECH.
His exordium was of more than usual
length. He had never been in the
county. and had never addressed the
voters of that county before, and he
seemed to feel that he was not only
among strangers but among those who
might be strongly prejudiced against his
support. But think | may say that be-
fore he had finished his preliminary re-
marks. whatever unkind feeling
NAV have existed, growing out of his
triumph over their distinguished fellow
citizen Mr.. Martin, had totally diSap-
peared, and the people were prepared to
| give him favorable hearing. l cannot
! 90 through the points OF his eXordlum,
! but will note its conclusion. In ad-
verting to the general applause awarded
to Mr.. Martin for the graceful and mag
unanimous manner in which he had acted
when he failed to get the nomination, and
to the calumnies, falsehOods and ISLANDERS
which had been heapcd upon HIM, Mr.
| F. since he had received its hOnors, he
thought the position of Mr.. Martin more
to be cnvied than his own; and he
thought that his friends might well be
permitted to eXclaim.
more true joy, Marcellus exiled feels, .,
Than Cesar with Senate at MS heels.
He then adverted to his position rs the
Democratic nominee, the duties that de-
volved upon him in the canvass, and to
the responsibilities that would devOlve
upon him if elected as the representative
of a hundred and fifty Thousand people,
under government SO vast in its terri
tory and SO diversified in its interests.
He said no one who was close observer
of the public mind, could fail to observe
the extent to which il was now awakened
into an inquiry into the affairs of
the government. There was II
manifest uneasincss among the Republi-
lcan masseS-a growing conviction that
there was something rotten IN the state
of Denmark; that power, which always
begets corruption, had been too long IN
the same hands, and that change Of ad-
ministration was now required for the
public good He asked, was it unnatural
that there should be this earnest spirit of
inquiry among the Republican masses in
view of the facts and developments all
around US? The low price of agricul-
tural products, the general pr"stratlon OF
business throughout the country, the
enormous expenditures Of the Federal
Government, the alarming growth OF cH-
ccutive patronage, the astounding frauds
and corruptiOns recently exposed, the
| troubled condition of the Southern States,
! the hubitual use of the Federal army. the
! luxurious indulgences and imperial aspl-
rations of President Grant, were all cal
culated to awaken Il profound spirit of
| inquiry in the nation.
The Republican party had now been in
power too long; it had fulfilled Its mis-
sion: il had rode the negro hobby until
the country had become disguStcd; it WAS
ripe. and now it had become rotten; the
country demanded new policy towards
the South--a policy Of Cancellation
and non-interfercncc with the home rule
of the States. The English government
was kept pure by frequent mutations of
party asccndancy. Power too long re-
! tained in the same hands had there, and
everywhere else, begotten corruption
The mutations of party, were like the
angels wing that moved
the waters of Bethesda; they gave life
and health to the Stagnant pool.
Mr.. Faulkner then proceeded to eX-
anime the condition into which Repub-
lican policy had brought the present in
tcrestS of the country. He presented IN
striking colorS the depressed and crushed
condition of our foreign commerce, our
tonnage reduced to fourth rate power.
every great steamship leaving our ports,
built in foreign lands by foreign Inrr-
chants. and braring foreign flag. He
fortified his position by extracts from
official reports, and the messages OF Pres
ident Grant. He dwelt upon the larG"
increase of the officers Of the government,
from twenty thousand in number, when
he was formerly in Congress, to upwards
of eighty thousand now. He dwclt upon
the growing expenditure of the govern
ment, the sectional character of Congress
sional legislation the inequality in the
/ burden of taxation, the surrender OF the
public. lands to corporations, the
! Credit Mobilier scandal, Sanborn
contracts, District of Columbia and New
York Custom House frauds, Washington
safe robbery, &c, &c. He touched upon
the Civil Rights Bill-Sumner's legacy
of hate to the South; argued it 70 bc
subversion of the rights ofthe States deS-
tructive to the free school system i'll the
South, and calculated TO stimulate the
worst passions and propcnSities of the
colored race, which was illustrated by the
prevalence of fiendish crimes of partic.
ular character. He then gave way toMr
Boteler.
MIR. BOTELERS SPEECH.
Like the gentleman who preceded HIM
this was the first occasion upon which h,
had ever addressed the people of Taylor
He paid handsome compliment to tn,
population, and saw much to admire il
the appearances of the county. He haC
no issue to take with Mr.. Faulkner upor
any of the points presented in his speech
which he admitted to be one of eXtraor
dinary force and ability. He was no Re
publican, and he was not there to deten(
Republican principles or Republican
policy. He appesled to the honest an(
fair minded ofboth parties to come to hi
support. He was opposed to conven