Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-10-15

We did not have time, last week, to
notice the criticism of conservatives
OF Rockingham on our editorial in re-
lation to the discussion at our last
Court, between Hon. John T. Harris
the candidate of the Conservative party
of the 7th Congressional District, and
his Independent competitor, Judge
O'Ferrall. Whilst our columns are al,
ways open to legitimate discussion Of
the merits Of aspirants for Office. yet We
cannot permit them to be used to at
tack the Conservative party or it's can
didate without entering our protest
We said we were present at the be-
ginning of the discussion, but not at it,
close. We were there long enough tc
hear Judge Harris successfully meet ev
cry charge of his competitor. We
heard Judge H. say and prove that he
voted against the salary bill Ave differ
emit times that on the passage of the
bill his vote was no. He read the GER
tifeate from the Journal Clerk of thu
House OF. Representatives that he bad
examined the Journal and that on ev-
cry test vote on the salary bill Harri.
had voted no.
In regard to the Rail Road Bill, VIZ
heard his reasons for voting against it
and were CONVINCED no other vote
would have been satisfactory to the
people. 1t will be a sad day for the
people when the President, through
nine commissioners, appointed by him
self, shall undertake to control all the
railroads in the United States. The
danger is the railroads would run the
commissioners instead of the commits,
sioners running the railroads. The lat.
ter would have an easy task to fete
these gentle nen on their roads, and
then use them to the injury of the
people, and if the people complain,
their only redress would be in the
United States Courts. But five Con.
servatives in Congress voted for this
bill, and we are glad to know that only
one from the South did. 1t formed
another of those corrupt rings
to cheat the people. it was so mons.
trous and shocking that the Senate re-
fused even to consider it. aa
If our correspondent had stated the
date and substance Of the bill against
which Judge Harris wisely voted in
the Legislature during the war, it would
have carried its own refutation The
date ofthe bill was February %, 1865,
few weeks before the surrender. Its
substance was that the State should
issue her bonds for one million dollars
to be paid after the war-those bonds
to be sold for Confederate money, and
that money to be sent through the Fed
eral lines to the families of soldiers in
our army. Judge Harris said what ev>
cry one knows to be true; at that time
Confederate money was here worth on
ly one dollar in gold for seventy, and
that we could not then even buy shucks
with it here, much less could supplies
be purchased beyond our lines, where
by law 1t could not circulate, and any
man having it in his possession would
have been arrested. We heard him say
it would have increased the debt of our
tax payers one million dollars, and have
done no one any good. For these sea>
sons he said he voted against it. He
read letter from Judge Kennsy, who
served with him at the time, saying he
distinctly recollected that those were
the reasons Judge Harris gave for vo
ting against the bill ; and Judge Ken
ney stated further that Judge Harris
voted Hberally for supplies for soldiers
families, sometimes, he thought too
much So
Judge Harris further showed FROM
record, that he had voted number of
times for the repeal of the salary bill,
and that he had offered an amendment
to reduce it to $4,000 per annuuf; and
that When the bill repeating the law
came back from the Senate, he was at
home with sick child, that his press
ence was not material, as the vote was
nearly unanimous; and. on his return he
rose in the House and said If he had
been present he would have voted for
the bill
We have thus briefly given the points
in Judge Harris speech, as a simple
matter of justice to faithful represen
sative. On all questions concerning the
State of Virginia and the South, Judge
H. has uniformly stood by his people.
His one act of interference for Peters,
burg has won for him the regard of not
only the people of Petersburg, but of
the entire State. Rock. Reg.