Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1876-10-31
POLITICAL SPEAKING.

On the afternoon and evening of the 24th
instant, our citizens heard couple of the
best speeches that have been made in Charles
town during the present campaign. In the
afternoon the Hon. II. G. Davis, one of the
U. S. Senators from this State, arraigucd the
Republican party for its corruption in
speech that showed his thorough acquaintance
with the manner in which the finances of the
Federal government have been mismauaged
Tor the past sixteen years. Senator Davis
had carefully compared the expenses of the
government for the past six years with those
of the seventy-two years preceding 1861, and
showed that tho expenses for the past six
years have exceeded those of the seyenty-two
years. His figures were taken from official
sources and may be relied on as correct
THIS difference in the expenditures under the
Republican and the Democratic parties can
not be accounted for by the increased ex-
renses necessarily incident upon the growth
Of the country since 1888. The people pay
moro taxes now upon each dollar of their
property than they paid in 17SS, but they
have billions more dollars now than then. 1t
is evident that there has been an enormous
steal by somebody; and when we reject that
one railroad was given moro of the public
land than the entire area of the States of
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, New jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland, Ohio and Indiana, we can form
some idea of the manner in which the Re-
publican party has squaudered the peoples
money. The Senator also dwelt forcibly upon
the central;zinS tendencies of the Federal
government, and pointed out that unless these
tendencies were arrested the liberties of the
people were in great danger. His speech in-
dictated careful preparation, and a thorough
acquaintance with his subject. He was
listened to with int crested attention for tho
whole Of the hour and a-half occupied by
him In the evening, promptly at : o'clock,
the Hon. Henry S. Walker delivered speech
which was pronounced by all who heard it. TO
combine more of the entertaining with the
instructive than any political speech that has
been made in CharlestOwn during the present
campaign. The two speeches afforded an
illustration of the different modes in which
different minds will present the same subject,
and, by different train of reasoning, arrive
at the same conclusion. Senator Davis seemed
to rest content with simple statement of
crushing facts, leaving his audience to draw
its own conclusion, as it could easily do with>
out any assistance from any one. But argu>
mentatieeness was not the only feature of Mr..
Walkers speech. The train of his argument
was enlivened and diversified, without being
interrupted, by occasional touches of pathos
and flashes Of humor which held his audience
in rapt attention to the very last. His COM
rarison Of what the South and the country
generally might have been at tl.is time had
the Republican party since the war pursued
a wise course, was very pathetic, and his &C.
count of Republican rule in this State, when
si.e'o "esO T., COO hiUes au'i Unty 20, Uoo
people who were eligible to any Of them, must
have struck even the Hayes and Wheeler
men as being laughable in the extreme. Mr..
Walker will draw 4 crowd if he is again an
nounced to speak in Charlestown.