Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-09-15
: N1nn1tatnrs
FRIDAY MORNING, SEPT. IS, 1876.
POLITICAL PICNIC.

2aVOQEa
POLITICAL PICNIC.
SPLENDID AFFAIR AT MIDWAY
SPEECHES BY SENATOR COCHRAN,
HON. j. RANDOLPH TUCKER, HON.
VIM. A. ANDERSON, DIR. A. NJ. FAUNT-
LEROY AND HARRY TUCKER--EN-
THUSIAsM OF THE AUDIENCE--THE
DINNER.
SC. sc. sc.
The largest political gathering of the
campaign in this Congressional District,
assembled last Tuesday in the grove at Mt.
Carmel Church hear Midway, under the
auspices Of the Tilden and Hendricks Club
of that place. Too much cannot be said in
commentator Of the zeal and enterprise Of
the officers and members Of the Midway
club, in fact every man, woman and child
in the neighborhood, seemed to exert them
selves to make the affair enjoyable. And
if large and most respectable crowd, good
speeches, attentive listeners, a bountiful
dinner, appreciative guests, and a general
satisfaction with the whole affair expressed
by every one will compensate them for
their pains, they are already well paid.
The speakers on the occasion were Hon.
Ran. Tucker, Judge Alexander Cochran,
Hon. VIM. A. Anderson, DR.. A. NJ.
Fauntleroy and Fl. St. Geo Tucker, Esq.
Seats for 400 Or 500 people were arranged
under the trees near the church. and a
suitable stage for the speakers erected in
front, and by II A. M,
ALL THE SEATS WERE OCCUPIED,
a large part Of the crowd remaining stand
ing.
Judge Cochran being introduced by Dr..
Hyde, Vice President of the Club, opened
the discussion with az eloquent exordium
on Virginia, the mother of the country
and proceeded to show that what Of great
ness and success, we, as a nation enjoy
has mainly been due to the eminent talents
of Virginia statesmen and the grand hero
ism Of
VIRGINIA SOLDIERS.
With biting allusion to the "black and
tan convention; and it's notified offspring
the speaker led his hearers through the
fiery trials of the great civil war and the
humiliating scenes that followed, up to tile
shameless
SCENES OF PUBLIC DEBAUCHERY
of the present day. He said that the whole
machinery of the Government must be re-
modelled or the country is gone forever
we would slip from Republicanism to Des-
porism and there would be a change from
the most corrupt government in the world
to the
MOST ABSOLUTE DESPOTIsM EVER HEARD
OR DREAMED OF.
Gen. Grant, in an outburst of honest in
dignati3n had said LET no guilty man
escape"; he was now saying, away with
every man who has had anything to do
with this reform scheme.
After rapidly sketching the sham reform
Ell Hayes and the real reformer Tilden, who
would build up our waste places, Mr..
Cochran expressed his. strong convictions
that November would witness a splendid
Democratic triumph, drawing good augury
from the history of the past. Old citizens
who have lived through great political re-
volutionS, tell us that there never was an
election in the midst Of hard times and pc
cuniary distress, but that the people had
turned out the administratio and put il
power new party. The prospect was d
cheering one and might well encourage us.
After warm eulogy upon the great
Lee and our own Jackson. the speaker
closed with an eloquent appeal to Vir-
mother, who if the coming election should
result adversely to the party Of reform,
would be
IMPERILED FOR ALL TIME TO COME.
Mr.. Hugh Lyle, Vice President, then in
troduced to the audience DR.. A. NJ. Faunt-
leroy, Of Staunton, who Notwithstanding
his modest disclaimer in the presence OF
the practiced politicians and finished ora
tors on the stand, held the attention Of the
crowd to the close of his speech. His par;sl-
lei between the respective Presidential can
didates was well drawn, and as he laid bare
the record of each, the damaging light in
which the Ohio Governor showed as con-
trasted with the New York reformer,
seemed to carry conviction to the minds of
all. Reckoning by the saving to New 7 ork,
which has resulted from Mr.. Tilden's CON
dnct as the Executive of that safe, we
might calculate that if elected President,
he would in a four years term save
$40U,000,0 900 TO THE NATION,
he closed with an urgent appeal to all to use
up from good old Virginia such an over
whelming majority as would bear her to
the front of the sovereign States, unfair
nished in her political character; undimmed
in her past record, and unshorn of her
ancient glory.
Hon. VIM. A. Anderson, of Lexington,
being presented by Capt. Carson, the
President, proceeded in an able speech of
an hour and a half to discuss the main
points at issue In this remarkable cam
paign. After abiding to the unanimity
and good faith with which the people of
the South accepted the conditions of re
construction, after the issues of war had
been tried, and the arblters, their swords,
had been
SHEATHED AT APPOMATTOX,
he poln,ed in strong language to the in
expediency, if not the impossibillty of
having on this continent two separate and
rival republics, and that in rallying under
the national flag we do not only what is
right, but what is wise and prudent.
The acts of dishonesty and bad faith on
the part of the Republican party, who as
sumed to control the South with the bay
onet, and the North with money and