The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-09-13
Between 5000 and 1000
People Attend the DEM
onstration at Market
Square Last
Night.
Mastery and Eloquent Ora
tions by Hons. b. M.
Mathews and F. M.
Hereford.
The Fifth Ward Alive to the
Exigencies Of the
Occasion.

state, TOOK place al the MarheI oquaio'
Fifth ward, last night. From the
speakers stand at the lower end of the
paved square to the market building
proper, on which was placed two large
refectors facing the stand, a sea of up
turned faces greeted the speakers, from
six to seven thousand persons being pre-
sent. The buildings on all sides of the
streets, adjoining and surrounding the
place of meeting, were filled with people,
attentively listening from open windows
to hear the remaks Of the orators.
There was no regular professions of
the different ward clubs from the rooms
of the Central TildeR and Hendricks
Club, but spontaneous gathering from
all parts of the city, Vaas' band parad-
ing the streets in the evening and gath
ering n crowd of the dimensions above
mentioned. There were several banner',
however, appropriately inscribed, among
which were the following;
"a Ballot Box Before the Cartridge Box"
.sProtection to all and Plunder to None"
"No more Babcock Whisky"
"Grant must be Routed and all His
Thieving Crew"
CONQUER we must; Our Cause is Just"
"Down with Liars and Thieves"
Hon. j. Hans. Good opened the meet
iug by introducing the
HON. HENRY NJ. MATHEWS
who delivered an address of about an
hours length, brief synopsis OF which
we give below:
Nv Friends and Fello'o-citizens:-l
need not tell you how gratifying it is to
me to address you this evening. There
is to-day, feeling of uneasiness through l.
out our country rs to its condition. Inc
city of Wheeling has not been and is not
now, l am happy to say, laboring under the
embarrassments that characterize other
cities in this great nation, but the effects
of the present administration must
eventually reach US here IN the
course of time. do not
propose to go into the dead
issues of the war, that would be antagon-
istic to the principles of the Democratic
party, which is the party OF peace and re-
Cancellation. The Democratic party has
been maligned and ostraclsed from all
sources since their supremacy in this
state, by the Republican party, but lot us
review the acts of the Republican party
before it was deposed. In those days OF
darkness, by act of Republican Legls-
lsture, placing in the hands OF the Gov
ernor all political power, the rights of the
people were usurped, and the ability
OF an officer was measured, not by his will
ingness to take the test-osth, but by his
willingness to support the administra.
tion; and men were removed from ONCE
because they spoke disparagingiy OF the
administration. l refer to these issues
not for the purpose of exciting animosi-
ties. but for the purpose OF showing that
the Republican party was not the party
of the Constitution. When that party
went out of power it left deficit of $52,-
OOO but the Democratic party had
remedied the evil, and gave the right to
every citizen to pursue the even tenor OF
his ways unrestrained, except in
violation of law. The cost of
conducting the State government, per
annum, while in the hands of the Re-
publicans was for in excess of the cost
under Democratic rule. Over 100000 Of
the amount expended by the Republican
party during the time of their control
of affairs of State, was expended in
the registration law, disfranchising free
white citizens of the state. But since
the ascendency of the Democracy to
power, the expenses have been reduced at
least one.third, and the burdens OF the,
people accordingly lessened.
The Tree school system, it is charged
has been perverted from its proper chan
mel. The system was first taken up by
the Democratic party, and carefully car
ried out in detail by that party. He
quoted from the report OF the School
Commissioner and adduced facts and
figures substantiating his assertion, show.
ing that larger amount of money was
expended in the payment OF salaries OF
teachers at the present time than ever
before, and that the taxes, instead of be
ing increased, had been decreased.
The Democratic party, he said, had been
arrslgned on the charge of mlsnansge-
ment in the construction of tie peniten-
tiary, the building being largely in excess
Of the wants of the people. The Demo.
cratic party in the erection OF tha: build
ing was not responsible; the plan of the
Republican party had been carried out to
the letter, and if there was blame at
tached to any psrty,it belonged to them.
The cry, too, had gone forth that convict
labor was detrimental TO the interests OF
the people. 1t is far better, assert
ed the speaker, that those convicted,
who are suffering the penalty Of their
crimes, be compelled to labor and pay
for their keeping, them that the people
be taxed to support than in ldleness.
The Capital plank was next discussed
by the speaker, who SAID that it reminded
him of three darkeys in boat during a
storm. Fearing lest they should be lost,
one of them called on another to pray,
but being unequal to the task, he was re.
ouested TO sing; again failing to respond,
il was resolved between them that col
lection be taken up, that something re-
l:gious might be done: Thus it was
with the capital plank in the Republican
platform, it was the assembled wisdom
of the Republican Convention at Par
kersburs. The same resolution was at
tempted to be forced on the Democrats,
but they had ignored it, saying that ii
should be left to the wisdom Of the peo.