Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-07-12
Canvass Opened in the Augusta District.
Woodstock Herald-Capt. Rsddlebesger'
LAPsTONE.

On Monday, at II o'clock, there being
no court business, and the demand being
somewhat urgent for public speaking;
Captain Riddleberger took the platform,
announcing that his physical condition
was not such as to justify any effort at a
stituent of the Hon. Jno. T. Harris who
was on the ground, he wanted to ask for
himself and 0thers.what that gentleman's
views were on certain public questions, and
among them the readjustment of our State
debt.
Judge Harris took the stand and for
about IS minutes recited his record in the
last congress, and said that upon this he
proposed to stand as a candidate for con-
gress taking occasion to deny the right of
any one to catechise him as a SchOol-boy
and giving his questioner several thrusts
for presumng to do SO. He concluded by
saying that the State debt had nothing to
do with congress. and he would have no.
thing to do with the State debt beyond adj
vising the people to do all they could to
relieve themselves and to await the result
of the compromise bill of the last legisla-
ture.
At this point an earnest contest enSued.
Capt. Riddlebe:ger came back for an
hour, claiming the right of every voter to
know the views of representative man
on all questions of state politics. He show
ed that no man had ever before attempted
to put state questions behind him when
seeking the suttrages of Virginians for a
federal office. He claimed that the public
debt was an issue, and that it was re-
cogniZed issue, and that the very fact of
congressional or place prestige, which at
tached to Judge Harris made it desirable
that his views should be known He
claimed that if Judge Harris was so far
far removed from his constituency and
State that he could not now say that he
was on one side of this question or the
other, then the time had come when he
should be returned to his people until he
again became one of them, according to
the JefferSonian theory and practice. He
then piled the Judge with questions very
pOintedly put, to which none but evasive
answers were elected. The Judge read
letter which he said he had before written
to man he called ''My Dear Purvis," as
defining his position.
Again Capt. Rlddleberger confronted
him with the questions before put, claim
ing that the letter had been written to
evade and that he had been once deceived
by such letter. He then went into Judge
greenbacks--and touched several other
points in:the,record which was relied upon,
namely: his vote against the repeal of the
bankrupt law after.a awkward attempt to
eVade the issue by pairing off &C., his vote
in committee for the Burchard resolutions
and his failure to vote for or against the
same resolutions when before the House
from which it would get to the country.
On the greenback question the Judge said
he was opposed to government either en-
larging or contracting the currency volume
of to-day, that the States should have con-
troll by a local currency, and claimed that
John Sherman had defeated the labors of
congress on the silver bill, from which he
had hoped for relief. The Burchard reso-
buttons he said were of radical origin and
he ascertained that a democratic commit
tee would put in the same thing, and so he
held his vote for the democratic resolution
as he should always do when radical
offered the same thing, &c.
On the Bankrupt bill he said he was sure
he had voted against repeal but he had not
examined the record to see whether his
name was recorded, as it was quite usual
to miss names. He thought this vote was
demanded by the hard times.
Capt. Riddleberger claimed that this law
had cost the State more than the relief it
afforded and the hard times should now be
relieved in some other way by government |
if government would try to relieve them |
here on public records gentlemen |
being very earnest and carefully avoiding |
all gross personalities. To go into all of |
this would require our whole space. Capt. |
Riddleberger summed up and stated his |
reserved reason for desiring the Judges |
views. He said Col. Jas. II. Sibert was
representing Judge Harris as saying that
be was forcible readjuster and that if he
had been in the State convention he would
have voted for Malone. He was tired of
this duplex system of electiOneering and
wanted Judge Harris and his electioneer-
ing instruments to take one position every
where. He did not like forcible readjust-
ment in Shenandoah and funding bill in
Staunton. He would greatly prefer to
vote for an avoWed funder to man who
would thus dodge, He called on Col. ST.
bert to restate the case. whereupon the Col
Onel had no distinct recollection of using
the term forcible. Capt. R. then called up
on Judge Allen and Capt. Koontz 1.-THE
county treasurer), Judge a. said Col. 5.
had represented in his presence that Harris
told him he was for forcible readjustment
and would have voted for Malone if he had
been in convention. Capt. Koontz said
he could not positively state that the word
forcl6te was used, but that they were Ger
tainly talking about forcible Ieadj .stment
and fully sustained Judge Allen as to
what was said about the support of Malone.
Capt. r. again called upon Judge Harris
to answer now. Judge Harris said he did
not know what forcible meant, but the
funding bill was the most damnable that
could have been devised and he believed
the opinion of the Court of Appeals erro-
neous; that he might have said that Malone
had more ability than any man named for
governor to grapple with this question;
that whatever he had said was private
and should not have been
used. Capt. r. claimed that Col Sibert
was using. it i'll the Judges behalf and
therefore it was public, and that the peO-
pie of Shenandoah could now, perhaps, I'M
lerstand it all as tub to the whale; that
if Judge Harris was not able to compre- ,,
lend the term forcible as now applied to
'eadjustment he would certainly make a |
very obtuse member Of congress after his |
ong experience sc. In reply to something {
'aid about national banks Judge HI. said t
Mr.. Sibert of Harrisonburg had always G
him and he believed or hoped {
llways would, but that the President of q
The StauntOn bank was always an active q
organizer and caucusser against him and f
le reckoned would be in this canvass. The r
Judge concluded with an anecdote which q
vas capped with one by Capt. r. and the 3
Meeting adjourned in a good humor, if >
zone the wiser as to the position
1t is fact beyond controversy that a t
arge majority of the people of this magis- o
erial district, and of the whole county
re very decidedly in favor of Hon. John
'. Harris, as their next representative.
ut if the rings and clicks are suffered to O
Manipulate the primary meetings he is d
kelly to lose the vote of the county.
therefore, we earnestly call upon the peo- y
Ia to turD Or1t nm that dow 4 oo,.1 80 | ID