The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-10-30

Thirteenth, After your election to the
U. s. Senate, did you not, after having
been once q slave owner, in speech on
the floor of the United Sts,es Senate, say
if you believed the Bible recognized
slavery, you would COURSE GoD AND
DIE2"
AS the Hon. Widely put it in anali-
zing the record of the Democratic party,
is there not much of the same "Presto
Jack" in his own record2" 1t certainly
has that hue and very decided hue it
is. In consequence of the intensity of
this "Presto Jack" hue which so con-
spicuously shades his early politica! re-
cord, our reporter thought it but just 10
that gentleman's reputation for shrewd'
ness, strategy and cunning to
introduce him to our readers as the Hon.
w. T. WHQe)y. Democrats, lnae'
pendent voters, and even Republicans
who choose to remember his history
pryor and just at the birth of our COM
mon wealth will incline to think the ale"
Is not only superAuous but inappropriate
to make the name consistent politically
with the man.
The Hon. WilQe)y said many strange
things in his speech, as we'll rs funny
ones. Here are few of them. "He COM
pared the two national platforms and de-
duced theretrom that the Republican one
was the embodiment of reform. while
the Democratic was humbug from be-
ginning to end. II Tilden was elected,
all of the present Office holders would
step down and out, and new ones go IN" !"
(He told the truth there.) To illustrate
the cruel injustice of such course, "he
compared the vast superiority and skill
OF the present officials 10 the inferiority
anc ignorance OF new ones" In this con-
nection one might say that he did not
make 1t clear whether he referred to
their skill in corrupt practices, or an
honest administration OF the govern
ment. ale said the last Democratic Con-
gress had turned out of office eleven or
twelve Union soldiers, and substituted in
their stead as many southern men," The
significance of this point is that there
were so few removed, when the Radical
press has been yelling that hundreds of
rebels were given positions at Washing
ton and Union meR dismissed. There is
a whopping lie out somewhere. "He
compared the corruption OF the party in
our own State with that of the National
Republican party, and as proof OF his
correct comparison he cited the frighttul
corruption in our County Court system"
This was sumner and was considered
such a hit as to elicit loud cheers from the
Republicans present. He next reviewed
the guilt and duplicity of the Democrats.
They were for the rebellion in go, and
at st. Louis they reattrmed their attach
ment to the Union.
Just here he seemed entlrly lost to any
recollection OF his own duplclty. He
struck common chord between many
of his audience and himself in his merry
comparisons over the Democratic record
of duplicity, and when he finally
climaxed this line of argument
by calling them (he Democrats)
"the buggars," his hearers were i'm
mensely tickled SO much so that he took
pains to repeat the epithet several times.
Our readers, if there are any who don't
know, are requested to post themselves
from Webster on the exact definition Of
the word "buggar," so that they may the
better appreciate where the laughing
came IN.
"This change of love from the South
was all pretence; there was no sincerity
in their professions of reconciliation, aId
that their conversion would have been q
a greater one than st. Paul ever
made"
From the Hon. WilQe)y's standpoint,
of course no Democrats exist outside
the extreme Southern States, and ii any
of them are to be found in Indiana, West
Virginia, New York, Connecticut or
any other Democratic state north of
Mason and Dixon's line, they must be
escaped "buggars' from the South.
The speaker next reverted to the
"Rebel claims and really declared that
there were S2,400,0O0, 900, a sum greater
than our national debt, ready for pre-
sentation and adjudication as soon as
Tilden was elected" This astounding
assertion ought TO have produced a sem
sstion, but 1t didn'l, and why it did not
our reporter is unable to say, except on
the ground that the audience was so
dumbfounded or perhaps terror
stricken ut the prodigious, yes
almost incomprehensible amount that
would 90 in Southern pockets if Tilden
were elected"
Right here it may be stated that the
last Republican Congress passed bills Tor
The payment of Southern claims TO the
amount of S5,SSl 600, while the late
Democratic Congress paid but S74, 453-
or S5.SO6,547 less than had been allowed
bv the preceding Republican Congress.
About 200 bills containing and pro-
viding tor such claims were presented AT
the late session of Congress. Several OF
them were general bills to pay for all
property used or occupied by the Uniou
army, without reference to the loyalty OF
the claimants. These claims were mostly
introduced by Republican members
They found no favor with the Democrats,
who vigorously limited awards 10 loyal
citizens whose claims were in the hands
of the original owners.
These claims. were worked up and
ow. ed By Republican Southeran claims
Ring. headed by General (. V. Rice, the
confident of Belknsp in the post-trader-
ship business. Circulars were sent out
by this Republican Southern Claims
Agency, calling for the presentation of
such claims. 1t is estimated that these
claims aggregate over s., 500, 100000.
The Hon. w. 7. Wiltlely next refer
red to "the Morrison tariff bIll," which
was introduced at the late session Of
Congress, but never passed, and because
OF the on-passsge of this bill he attempt
ed to make some local capital for Mr..
Scott, at the expense Of Hon. b. Wilson.
He did not once refer, though, TO the tact
that the Radical Congress reduced the
tariff on iron from nine to six dollars per
ton. while the last Democratic Congress
very sensibly left it alone.
The gentleman again got back to
the "disloyalty Of the Democratic party,
and ranted on at some length, without
regard to truth or justice. From this
appeal to the passions of his hearers, he
struck the KEYNOTE OF the campaign, viz:
Reform" The way he handled that
question wss worthy of the willy gen.