Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-10-03
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FRIDAY MORNING. OCT. 8. 1879.
ROCKINGHAM AGAIN INVADED.


ROCKINGHAM AGAIN INVADED.
THE TWO PARSONS LOCK HORN6-MASsEY
GOES DOWN FIGHTING-CURRY HOLDS
TIE FIELD-ExTRA BILLY ENTERS THE
LISTS AND GIVES SOME HEAVY BLOWS
MORE LIGHT FOR THE AGITATORs,
&C., &C., SC.
reported for the Staunton V1ND1cAToR.)a
HARRIsoNBuRa. Sept. %, 10.
The people of Rockingham county are
always ready to hear a political discussion,
and it is not surprising that the large
Court House here was filed to-day to hear
the discussion between Ex-Gov. Smith and
DIR. j. L. NJ. Curry, representing the Nc
Culloch Bill, and Rev. ]. E. Massey, in
opposition to it. The discussion COM
mencing at 1890 P. M, was opened by
Ex.Gov. Smith in an able and interesting,
speech Of one hour and ten minutes.
Though So years old he retains in a WON
derful degree his youthful fire and &C
tivity. His age tells on him most plainly
in the loss Of lung power, his voice being
very weak. His appearance before Rock
lngham audience seemed to stir up the old
Democratic spirit, which had its strong
hold in this section.
PARsON MASSEY,
according to the division of time. followed
in speech of one hour and 40 minutes
which was the shrewdest effort upon that
line and the best defence of the course Of
the Agitators have ever heard. Mr..
Massey is rapid talker and an exceeding
ly able debater, and few men can excel
him at repartee. He made, however,
many egregious blunders in his argu-
ments against the McCulloch bill, for
which he paid dearly when DR.. Curry
came to reply. In the course of Mr..
Massey's re marks he was twice interrupt
ed by Gov. Smith, at which time by means
of his re ady wit and the hurrah boys he
rather worsted the Governor. He argued
at great length, consuming over half his
time to show that no legislature could
bind its successor, and that hence the
Funding Bill of 1871, and the McCulloch
Bill were DO tn repealable contracts, and
read in support of this view lengthy ex-
tracts from two decisions of the U. S. Su-
preme Court, in one of which, Chief
Justice fancy delivered the opinion, from
the Supreme Court of Penn. and from the
Ct. Of Appeals Of Va. in Burroughs VS.. Pey =
ton. He also read on this subject letter
written by Judge Hughes, saying that
Hughes was the peer of any man in the
land as jurist. In commenting upon the
case Of Wright VS.. Antoni. he declared
with the air of man who believed he was
telling the truth, and said so without fear
of contradiction. that, that case was de-
cided by divided court, and hence settled
no principle and was not the law of the
land, but only the law Of that particular
case. He assaulted vigorously tie tax
receivable coupon and non-taxable feature
Of the bill.
He illustrated with the s'shoo-fiy" anec-
dote the elegant time bond holders would
have, not having any taxes to pay. He
said that the syndicate feature Of the bill
was sham, pushed through in the inter-
est of Brookes, and closed with a lick at
Aliens amendment and a wall about the
Acknowledgement of the statue. He claimed
that the Allen amendm emit allowing the
issue Of debt certificates at Is cents on the
dollar was al outrage. When the chair
men announced that his time had expired
there was great deal of confusion and
cries from every part of the house of s'Go
on! 60 on!" Curry! Curry!"
j DIR. CURRY
followed in aspeech Of one hour and ten
minutes, and he used his time we'll. Fro m
the moment he arose he commanded the
most earnest attention. He is a man
about feet 10 inch high, Of splendid pres
ence and an an exceedingly honest face.
a glance tells you that he is no ordinary
man. In answer to Mr.. Massey's position
on the impractibility of the McC ulloch bill
and funding bill Of 1871, he read the case
OF Kent vs.. Clark, which was a Tennessee
case taken to and decided by the Supreme
Court OF the U. s. in the last year, which
OF itself is complete answer to Massey's
| respectable theory. He had in his pocket
and read Judge Hughes recent opinion
endorsing the Thorn letter, which wasi a
great surprise to Massey and created the,
greatest merriment. In answer to Mr..
Massey 3 argument that there was no legal
obligation resting on the State to pay the
public debt he used the case of Bankrupts
to illustrate that the morality of people
never rises above their laws and hence if
their is no legal obligations as claimed Nv
Mr.. M. then the debt would never be Paid.
He showed plainly that none of the, law
quoted by Mr.. Massey applied to bis case
and denied and ridiculed Massey state.
ment that Wright VS.. Antoni y, as decided
by divided court and was not law. He
read amid storms Of applav. SO, greatly to
Massey's discontinue, Senate bill AZ
introduced by Mr.. M. authorizing the sale
Of $5,OOO,OO of certificates of indebtedness
to be.issued and sold at 80 cents on the
dollar. He showed that there was moth
ing Ubiquitous in the tax receivable cou.
pom feature, for it was nothing more than
the decision of offset allowed every day by
the court. AS to the Acknowledgement of
the statue he said you mi ,ht as well say
that France is not France because she has
lost Alsace and Lorraine, as to say that
Virginia has lost her identy by closing
West Va.
AT one time when he was trying to get
Massey to answer question after repeat--
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