National Republican., 1876-09-08
LOYALTY OF OLD VIRGINIA.

from Portsmouth, gives the following de-
scription of the decorations of the platform
upon the occasion of the ratification of MIR.
Goodies nomination for reelection: The
meeting was held on the courthouse
square. The court house yard and sur
4" roundings were elaborstely decorated
with Chinese lanterns, seats arranged and
"well filled with the ladies, Comprising
&" "one half of the whole assemblage,) bon
" fires and re-rockets, firing of the cannon
&" by the C. P. C. club. altogether making
ga grand and gorgeous display. Elaborate,
grand and beautiful as it was, all this was
surpassed by the stage decorations. The
stage was erected on the courthouse
steps, Between the two pillars, back of
the speakers, were two American flags,
(which had been glorious up to 1861, Cor
"nearly one hundred years. Between
1.-THE two American flags was suspended
the Virginia State flag. On the right and
"left of the rostrum we're also placed two
"other American flags, but the rostrum
itself was decorated with three battle
flags, and directly in the centre, and i'm
mediately under the speakers hands, was
suspended the Stars and Bars or Con-
" federate flag. There it defiantly waved,
land there stood our brave Confederate
"Goode, with as much complacency as
in the days when he represented US in
ga Confederate Congress or in our present
House of Representatives, dealing in the
wholesale frauds % of our honorable
Secretary of the Navy, or making appro-
"priations for the maintenance of our navy
"yard and his poor constituents in this
district. Friends and comrades of the
North, stop and consider Those of you
"who know the cost of saving this coun-
:" try, and who have before met rebels, as
"they must again be met; those of you
"who know of Libby and Anderson
"ville, beg of you, stop and consider
before voting for any one who will recog-
"nize the dirty rebel flag of 1861 and
"1S64!"
Enthused by these surroundings, Mr..
Goode is reported as having briefly ad-
Verted to his recent contest with Mr. Platt,
and stated that 'the House of Representa-
tives seated him simply because of the
glaring and outrageous intimidation prac-
ticed in GOsport navy -yardion.the day of
election. He would scorn to accept the
seat on a mere technicality. He had Of
fered to give Platt the votes of Prince
George and Nsasemond counties, which
were rejected by the State canvassers, but
tho iptirni atiOnc Of la orJ
the Democratic party would not tolerate,
and purely on that ground he was seated
There will be no more political assess
"ments hereafter in navy yards, he said.
" That day is over, and he felt proud of the
" fact that he was an humble iustru ment
" in purifying the ballot, box"
Addressing the con Vention on the same
day che pledges himself to do all in his
power to carry the flag to victory in
" November. I'VE can win if we will, he
said, If in our vocabulary there is no
"such word as fail. We mus. go into
faction determined to achieve what we
"deserve, i. e., the permanent rescue of
"this district from the rule OF radicalism.'
He then adverted to his work for two
"years past proclaiming that an inner
consciousness of right had supported
"him amid all the struggles he had en-
"countered with the radical party. He
"knew what he had to encounter when
" nominated, and accepted the trust though
90 it should be severe, for such was the
"sch ooling of his life. He alluded
"hurriedly to the lengthy contest in Wash
"ineton with Mr. Platt and its result. In
"the discussion on that OCCASION he
" said, 'he took the position that he Would
d" scOrn to ssoop to the meanness of &C.
" cepting a seat on that floor unless fairly
" elected; i. G., if seated on 9 simple tech
" nicality.' He could but believe he was
' fairly elected. To the honor of the
" American Congress, be it said, the de-
termination had been settled that there
will be no more political assessments in
" the navy yard unless under penalty of
high crime and misdemeanor; no free
Z" born American citizen shall ever again
" walk 10 the polls under the watch of
navy yard official and spy. The navy
Jo4N hOIC Udo LCJCOICu ny SOuSICoo UC-
"cause it was shown that the navy-yard
"vote was cast under gross intimidation
"snd force. IT. he said, he..should never
accomplish anything else in this life he
" would feel that he had not lived in vain,
" but that he had been an humble instru-
"ment in vindicating the purity Of the
" ballot box"
Those who are conversant with the facts
in the case of the Plat -Goode contest as
are the readers of this journal know that
this is all the purest bosh, the most srrant
demagogery. They know that there is not
a single word of truth in his statement re-
garding the reasons which induced the ex-
Confederates in the House to award him
the seat of Mr.. Platt. The majority of the
committee was against him and the ma
jority in tho House were against him, but
the vote was taken when barely two thirds
of the members were present, and by the
efforts of his personal friends in
the shape of partisan appeals for the sake
of the cause and the effect which the re-
suit would have on the next election now
a bare majority of six only
was obtained in favor of Mr.. Goode. This
in House counting two third Demo
cratic majority Mr.. Goode has the brazen
effrontery to tell his constituents was
Democratic verdict in favor of the purif-
cation Of the ballot Could "cheek" 60
further? And if his words be true, it
speaks very badly for the purity of his
party, when considered in the light of the
meagre vote he received, scarcely more
than one half OF his own party strength in
a full House.
Like "Uriah Heep," he is an "humble
instrument for "purifcation of the bal
lot" How this humility will make Satan