The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-07-09


dit of the State"
The Virginia Medical Monthly for July
has come to band. 1t seems to contain a
great many articles interesting to the pro-
fession.
Discussion Between Mr.. FuIkerson
and Mr.. PhIesar.
NEwBERN, VA, July 4, 1878.
Editors Dispatch: 1t may interest your
readers to publish some account OF dis
cI1ssion which occurred here to-day be-
tween Senator Abram Fulkersou, OF forcl-
bic readjusting fame, and Senator Archer
A, Pblegar, Of Montgomery. 1t appears
that each gentleman had been invited by
citizens OF Pulaski county to address the
people on the State.debt questions; both
were present at the County Court, and a
division of time was arranged this morn
ing.
Colonel Fulkerson opened ina two hours
speech-a very forciblc one in every re-
spect He first attempted to show that the
next member OF Congress from this dis
trict ought to beSa forclble readjuster, and
limited at his services in the cause. He
then proceeded to alarm the natives with
the usual appalling statements as to the cX-
tent OF the debt, the condition OF the pco-
pie, the hopelessness OF payment; drew
narrowing pictures OF lunatics who were
beating off their flesh against iail.bars for
want of money appropriated to asylums, and
which had been, he said, grabbed up by the
bloatcd bondholder. While he conceded that
the debt was an honest ore when contract
ed, it was held by Yankees who had ruincd
and divided Virginia, and ought not to he
paid, except so far as the people chose to
pay it.
With more wit than reason he ridiculed
those whom he styled shonor-shriekers,"
and with telling irony did he attempt to de-
moish the sentiment he styled the ''faith
and credit of the State" 1t was played out.
We had repudiated the West Virginia's one
third, We had repudated the war Viz
ginia Treasury notes, one OF which he -four
ished in triumph in the faces OF bis hearers.
He went for" the funding bill and the
"funders," whom he divided, for more
convenient and elaborate abuse, into three
classes: The proud old funders, who were
tickled by sbe Yankee bondbolder by the
phrase "the honor and credit Of the State"
who don't pay any tax and don't care
d-n "a great word with the ColoneD who
does par, or how much; the bribed legisla.
tive funders, in number forty, like the
thieves OF Bagdad, who changed their votes
for greenbacEs; and thirdly, Bradley john
son. They had only pretended to get rid OF
the West Virginia third, and had established
those terrible little coupons that Richmond
pays her taxes with. He deplored the fact
that he had not Simon-pure "iunder" to
meet, instead OF his "young friend from
Montgomery" OF whose position he pro-
fessed to be in profound ignorance. He
abused the Court Of Appeals Except Judge
Staples), and said the funders had elected
them with reference to their opinions on the
constitutionaIity of the funding bill. How
Staples worked in he did not say. He
abused tue Dispatch, and finally abused
gold and silver; they were commodities,
and ought not to be money. He advo-
Gated the abolition OF national banks and the
issuing OF large amount OF grcenbacks
based, not on gold or silver. but on the
"faith and credit' Of the Government! So
far as his argument went it was that we
should get rid of part of the debt, because
~e had lost so much property and because
farm produce had deprecated so greatly in
price. He advocated constitutional con-
yention as the panacea for all the ills he had
so eloquently depicted, and appealed to the
people to wake up to their interests. He
consumed his two hours and made a strong
and entertaining speech to an attentive
audience-aftogether 4 very fair bid for a
seat in Congress.
After dinner the crowd returned to the
ourt-house to hear Senator Phegar's reply.
Mr.. Phlegar declined to consume his time
in defending himself against some criticisms
Colone! Fulkerson had made about his re-
cord as being foreign to the issues and Of
y,,,hl sas nta Nhax CO. far
fined himself strictly to Colonel Fulkerson's
speech and the questions discussed, and
brought down the house in rounds OF APP
plauSe as with scathing logic he exposed
the inconsistencies OF his opponent. He
thought it remarkable, and the audience
seemed TO agree with him, that the
man who had SO much ridicule for
those who seek 10 uphold the .'faith
and credit" OF the State Government
should desire currency founded solely
on the faith and credit OF the United
States, with no gold OR silver to back it.
He elected from his opponent public adj
mission that he advocated a loan by the
United States to Virginia OF 100000 to
complete the Cumberland Gap railroad, and
then described the influence forcible re-
adjuster Of the debt created to build its
connecting roads would have in etfecting
such loan before Congress. With refer.
ence to Senator Fulkerson's covert attack
on the I. funding judges" he called atten-
ton to the fact that these judges, who, ae-
cording to the Colonel, were elected with
reference to their opinions as to the fund
ing bill, were elected before it was thought
of, and more than year before it was
passed, and by q Legislature which, accord
log to Colonel Fulkerson, had to be bought
over. the subsequent session to pass that bill,
and stated. amidst great applause, that Colo.
mel Fulkerson's charge against the court
depended on .forcibte reddjustment of
dateS.s.t. j. fse-8sD q. Z. 1..I
Colonel Fulkerson bad announced HIM
self as opposed to q reimbursement of the
salaries Of State officers. Here his alert
antagonist applied bis keen sarcasm with
stunning effect. We must readiust because
bacon has come down from twenty cents to
tive, says the logical Colonel; yet for the
same reason we must NOT reduce salaries
Though man Can live on SO much less,
ana the dear people are so hard run,
saiarie pectaliy the per, diem OF, sena-
tors--must not be touched. The people OF
EiT1infs wit n NJ hmm Shf fuSth ar, n o,. az