Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-10-29
THE CONGRESSIONAL CANVASS.
THE FIRST MEETING OF ALL THE CAN
DIDATES IN AUGUSTA.
A Full COurt.HOuse and an Attentive
Audience.

Full COurt.HOuse and an Attentive
Audience.
THE THREE JOHNS TROT OUT IN FINE STYLE
NUMEROUS hackers AND MUCH ENTHUSI-
ASM-HARRIS AND PAUL ON THE OLD TRACK
wiTH AN OCCASIONAL SKIP ON SIDE-IssUEs
-ECHoLs PLUMBs THE TRACK AND NEVER
BREAKS.
The aspirants for Congress in this District
met yesterday at the Courthouse for the first
time, and as it was pretty well known through
out the county, and it being county cOurt-day,
there was a full house.
At a quarter of twelve the candidates took
their places on the stand, and in a short while
Judge Harris announced that it had been
agreed for each candidate to lead off in a speech
of an hour and q quarter and follow in a reply
of fifteen minutes. He was not feeling well
but agreed to 1t through courtesy to Gen. Echolf
at his own home. Gen. Echols claimed that il
was no act Of courtesy but that it was in ac'
cordance with the rule hitherto adopted al
other places of meeting.
AS the speaking was not concluded until iat6
yesterday evening, we cannot give full repor'
of The speeches, bnt Will have to content our
selves with a short resume of the salient points
of the speeches; this We feel at the greater
liberty to do, as we have heretofore published
full reports of the speeches Of all the candi'
dates, which are essentially, in argument. the
same.
JUDGE HARRIS
said the present Congressional race reminded
him Of the attempt once made to beat the great
INIT horse
after another on the track, but it lad failed us
signally as would the present attempt.
The two questions in the canvass are the
State debt and National finances. One candi-
date, Capt. Paul, had forced the former into the
canvass as the only question before the people
On this question he had before said that he was
opposed to the Funding Bill, us it placed tRe
revenues of the State beyond her control. and
had thus deprived the school fund of its just
dues. All the other departments of Govern
ment had been paid in full. whilst the school
fund and the School-teachers haA pot. The
State ought to be sovereign over her own reve-
nues. 4k
He claimed that there could be no prosperity
in Virginia until the State debt is settled. The
readjusters do not propose to reduce the taxes
but to readjust the debt on the present rate o
taxation.
Gen. Echols proposes to negotiate with thu
creditors and offer 4 Peg cent. bonds, and. i
they Will not take them, pay the per cent
The forcible readjusters say, let the state taxi
control of her own revenues, tell the creditors
how much she will pay. and stick to it. +,
agreed in this latter view, and on this sQbjec
there was no difference between him and Capt
Paul.
He complimented the eloquence of Gen. Ech
OILS and ridiculed his efforts to settle the Stat
debt, and of how he would then earnestl.
appeal to Paul and the other forcible read
justers to frighten the creditor into terms
which would be honorable to the State an.
satisfactory to the creditor.
On the subject of National currency he wa
directly opposed to Gen. Echols, and denie'
that there was money enough in the country
| to meet the demands of trade and commerce
and was in favor OF repeal of the resunp ttol
act.
On the subject OF imitation he said that NJ
rule had ever been established by which to de
termine how much money was needed per cap
na, or ad Ualorem on property; this had to b'
regulated by experience.
He then spoke of the advantages accruing t.
the people before the war because of the fret
State banks, when State money was at a dis
count and would consequently return to thu
State where it was at par. HE. however, sale
nothing about the loss to the merchant or trav
eler out of the STATED
He claimed that nnder the present syste 60 O
| banking the money flowed out of the Statt
| never to return, and in that connection tolG
| Paul's joke about the young man who made
| off with the church money.
He admitted that if every body was out o
| debt there would be no necessity for more
| money; but men had bought farms at inflated
| prices on credit, and whilst their debt was gen
tinuaIly increasing, the prices of their produce
/ was going down. down, down.
Debt was the great monster, which was eat
| ing up the life Of the people. He would be in
| favor of any government. despotic, monarchi
| cal, or what not. which wosid rid the people o
debt so they could go home without fsaf Of th.
constable's hand in one pocket and the sheriff
| in the other.
When money is plenty lands are high, ant
when money isdear lands arecheap. If money
was plenty 1t would return to the country. bu
when it Is scarce it goes to tbs money eepters
He ridiculed the resumption act as iMpcssf
BILE, because there was not gold enough in thu
country to redeem the greenbacks.
He said the National Bank system cost thu
people Is per cent, interest. That before thu
resumption act was passed the bank notes ant
greenbacks rested upon the faith Of the Gov
eminent, and he proposed to take Up tleSe opt
standing notes with issues of greenbacks, ana
thus relieve the people of this burden of taxa
ton.
He believed that many q National Bank
would fail after January LIST, and the Others
would only be banks OF deposit and discount.
He was no infiationist. for infiatioH Begin
when we have more money than we need. Ill
wanted to stop resumption, and the contraction
of the currency, which has SO disastrousl.
affected the trade of the country. ZIG
He spoke of his record in Congress and chal
Ienged his competitors to ind Eault with any O
his votes. He had been in office ten years an.
had cast 10, 600 votes, and yet not a fault coult
| be found with any of them. s-u
II reference to the cry OF rotation, he urge'
| the importance Of keeping the old members IL
Office, because of theif appointment on import
ant committees.
| He then referred to the Harrisopburg con
vention, of which our readers have heard s.
much; and about the report of his circulating
the New York World-a hard-money paper
which he said he had nothing to do with, but
| mad been done by the EQlLOr OF tne WoTtd,
| whom some time ago he had given the name
| of respectable gentlemen in his District.
He thought that the other candidates ha
made a mistake in running AGAINST him. an
closed with an anecdote, which was grsete
with applause.
| CAPT. JOHN PAUL
afterresponding to Harris closing ancedote sale
| Judge Harris talks about rotation in Office as
it was rotating one man out and another ma
| in. He claimed that the Judge was no NOR
entitled to the office than he was and, "by tn
| eternal" he intended to have it. The Office be
longed to the people and they can say who sha
| wear the Congressional shoes, although the
should go upon the fat dutch feet of himself.
| nthere was any analogy in the Judges refe
ence to Ten Brock, it must surely apply
him (the Speaker) as he was first upon I'll
| track.
The Judge had complained of a combinatio
to defeat him. II there was any such combins
ton, be knew nothing oft. He had always d.
pended upon himself, and would SO continue
do. q.
He knew what the Judge wanted. He wan
ed to cry persecution. But it wouldn't do,
| was "too thin" Oh yes, he has been persecu
ed. His people prosecuted him by making nil
I