National Republican., 1876-08-18
Campaign in virginia-Popham and Ksiley

Campaign IN Virginia-Popham and Kelley
The campaign in the Third Congressional
district of Virginia was opened at Louisa
Court House on Monday by A. NJ. Kelley, the
Democratic candidate for elector, and Colonel
John R. Popham, Republican neminee for the
same position. A correspondent says:
The Democratic elector spoke his whole hour
without an allusion to the name, character or
pretersion of his candidates: abuse of Presi-
dent Grant was all that the speech contained.
For an hour it poured in steady stream of the
foulest kind; corruption, tyranny, incontinence,
ignorance; everything bad, diabolical and
damnable. Scarcely word was spoken of
any other matter. The reply of Popham was
complete. Kelley had fallen into the very mis-
take expected.
The answer was very terrific and overwhem-
ing. Popham boldly charged that Grant, dur
ing his term OF office, had been at various times
complimented, thanked, iDdorsed, eulogized
and toadied 10 by almost the entire leadership
of the Democratic party in the State; that
Ex-Governor Walker had been his supporter
and friend during the time OF reconstruction;
that Democratic Houses and Senates had passed
votes Of thanks to Grant during that time:
that the more recent convention which met in
Richmond to nominate a candidate for Gov
ernor had declared that it desired on the part
of the people it represented to cultivate rela-
tions Of friendship with Grant, and that it had
no "factious opposition to offer: that it had
refused to denounce him, had no complaints to
offer and had secretly instituted most dis
honorable effort to wheedle and coax
and cheat him into countenancing and
sympathizing with them in their campaign for
Governor: that their very representative in
that election, the present Democratic Governor,
had favored Grant for a third term, as he could
show from the private letters of Governor
o. 81 49, l1NN H.
from his pocket and read with startling effect.
The famous expression contained in one of
them, that 'it was better to elect Grant the
third and SeUeJtN term than for him to be de-
feated by Judge Hughes and the negroes, was
dwelt on by the speaker with great JUNCTION.
1t was a rich theme, and gave full play to
Popham's powers of wit, sarcasm and denuncia-
tiOn. The Governors last letter to Mosby,
written after his election, wherein he pledges
himself TO fight it out on the line of Grant at
least as long as one summer, was made the
subject of much merriment, and received by
the Republicans with the widest delight. A
fulsome eulogy of Grant by Kemper, delivered
in Alexandria during the same campaign, con-
tanning expressions of great personal admira-
tion of Grant, was also described, and the
Governors visit to the White House, wherein
Mosby declares it was the intention of the
Governor to ask Office for his friends and
give in his adhesion to Grant, was told with
dramatic effect. The punishment was fearful.
Many of the Democrats seemed to enjoy the
exposure, as the President has many warm ad-
mirers in the ranks of the people in this State
of all kinds. The record of Tilden was then
presented. This was astonishing to every one.
1t was indeed a fearful expose, and exclusively
from Democratic sources. He showed that the
leading Democratic papers in this and other
Southern States had given testimony before his
nomination that showed him to be an abom-
ination in the eyes of all honest and decent
men. Even evidence showing that he had
secretly conspired to aid in the election of
Rutherford B. Hayes as Governor of Ohio one
year ago was presented and read. The au-
dience was amazed. Surprise and alarm were
everywhere visible amongst the Democrats.
1t was a great victory for Grant, Hayes and
the Republican party. Already, Democrats
are advising that their speakers shall spend
less time on Grant and more on Tilden. They
have received fearful lesson.