The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-07-27
The Democratic Rally

harvest gathering, avail themselves of that oc.
casion to take days recreation to meet their
farmer friends and exchange opinions about
the crops, attend to business, and enjoy friend
ly intercourse. OF course it was good day to
advertise for 4 grand ratification meeting. Tho
people were in town, and would as soon sten
into the Courthouse as stroll about the streets
or lounge in the Court yard. Accordingly. ii
was announced that the Democracy would
ratify the nominations of Tilden and Hen
bricks, and to make the occasion more attrac.
tive and fresh, several speakers from distance
were invited to attend, two of whom made Their
appearances. V. Southall, Esq, and Capt,
John Paul. 1t was understood, also. through
the disinterested consideration of the V1R-
GILMAN, that something would be said and
done in reference to the Congressional election,
although the member of Congress from this
district had not been specially advised either Of
the ,grand rally" or of the more important
feature touching the seat now so tenaciously
held by him. Notwithstanding this transparent
disconrtesy, Harris, accidentally Topped down
among the faithful, which, to an impartial oh.
server, had the appearance and the effect OF
the swoop Of a good sized hawk among a flock
of small chickens. There was an active sti,
and ilutter among the managers, as though an
unwelcome visitor had obtrlided his presence
into select and exclusive family consultation.
The people, however, seemed pleased to see
Harris They gathered around and followed
him wherever he went, encouraging him with
assurances that they "would stand by him.
and ''see him through" OF course these gen
erous manifestations were gratefully met and
reciprocated, and Harris circutnambulated
the streets and the Court green, the lion of the
| occasion. Toa stranger, just dropping down
into the streets, without knowing anything
about the circumstances attending the meet.
ing, it wonld have appeared that the gathering
was purely to do Harris honor The curb
| stoners were out of time ant. out of tune They
could not raise Il respectable smile, and it was
with difficulty that they could proceed with the
already predetermined programme, so voci-
ferrous were the masses in their calls for CHAR
ris.'' That notable and highly elatcd indivi
dual had to waive his magic hand to impose
silence. or n SUSPENSION. Of the Harris chorus,
until the formal business of the meeting was
announced. ,o.....5,.. t,.
| We did not hear the entire speech of Mr.. S.
v. Southall, OF Albermarle, who ostensbly came
! here on the stcwardship's business in connec-
| ton with the discharge OF his delegated duties
in the st. Louis Convention. We heard enough,
| however, to assure MS that Mr.. Soutllall is a
refined and cultivated gentleman, witIlno very
great depth of thought Or breadth of mental
grasp. His remarks would have done some
credit to a not overambitious sophomore, grace
fully delivered and smoothly worded and
rounded. We stepped in just as he was saying,
ssWhat Virginia and the South want are relief
and reform.| We fully agreed with him in
the application of these wants to Virginia. The
suffering and oppressed people of this old Com
monweath want relief from the imbecility and
corruption of the Conservative party-from the
public debt that has been increasing a million
each year, until it now amounts to over fifty
millions-from the improvidence that has
squandered all the assets of the State, left
after the war from the outrage that has
been inflicted upon the poor children of the
State by Illegally taking from the public school
fund over four hundred thousand dollars and
app opriating it to pay the interest OH the
issues of the funding bill, a corrupt JOB, con-
summated through bribery and corruption, as
was charged, at least, from conservative
sources. Relief" by the workingmen, too,
from the operations of the onerous road law,
by which the poor man, who travels on foot, has
to keep the highways III good condition for the
rich mans carriage to- pass over. ''Relief''
from the ballot-box suffers, who shamelessly
pervert this agency of free government de.
signed to secure the honest participancy of the
voter in government into an engine of corrup-
ton and fraud, destroying the very vitality of
Republican institutions. ssRelief and reform''
in these respect would indeed be blessing to
sorely oppressed Virginia, and give encourage
ment to her sons that the day of emancipation
from the wrongs that are pressing her to the
earth, was dawning. What other relief does
Virginia want? What expressions or wrongs
has she felt from the Federal government !?
But for the proscrpive spirit and practice of the
Conservative party, our lands would be titled
by northern enterprise and stocked by north
eril capital; our water courses dotted over with
busy machinery, and the dead wealth of the
Commonwealth spring forth into active values,
through the energies of the emigrants and the
means that would be associated with them.
b Mr.. Southall, however, was not thinking of
these things. He wanted change in the adj
ministration of government. He desired that
the party which had just emerged from a
bloody endearor to destroy it, should assume
its control to reform it, and would not give
his consent to be satisfied until the party that
had preserved the Union and held Virginia in
its embrace to enjoy its blessings, should be
driven from power, and the marplots and OBJ
structloLists of the South take its place. To
accomplish this, Mr.. s5outllall had a very self
satisfying theory. 1t was to carry all the South
ern States, except, probably, South Carolina,
for Illden, and then add to them, Indiana.
New York, New Jersey, and the two Pacific
States, Oregon and California, which he said
would be attracted to the Democratic ranks by
the record of Mr.. Tidcn on the currency oues-
ton and the Monaghan plank in the platform
forgetting the other plank in the platform
that; flies right in the face of Mr.. Ti!den's
money notions, and the tail of the ticket that
refuses to be carried by the head
MIR. Southall,s effort was weak and sunerf-