Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-10-14
Able Speech Of Ex.G0v. Jas L. Kemper

At Tappahannock, on the End inst,
Ex.Gov. Kemper delivered an able
speech, which is thus reported by cor
respondent of The State:
Gov. Kemper, in beginning, said as a
plain farmer, a very earnest and devoted
cultivator of the soil and private citi-
zen of the Commonwealth, holding no
office, expecting no office, and desiring
no office, he came to address for the
| first time the people of this ancient and
| glorious representative county of the
proud Commonwealth of Virginia.
| He said he came out of his retirement
in order to render what humble help he
| could to our glorious mother Common
wealth in her hour of distress and peril,
and also as an humble defender Of the
original and identical Conservative par
ty of Virginia. [Applause.1 He came,
he said. for business and to have plain
| talk.
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY.
The Governor then went back to trace
the history of the Conservative party in
| Virginia. He had stood and looked on
at its birth twelve years ago when the
black cloud, full of danger, hung over
our entire southern land. Our sister
southern States had gone down under
the pitiless and merciless rule of the
alien and stranger, and they were suf-
fering the horrors of Hayti and San
Domingo. He drew a graphic picture
of the condition of South Carolina and
Louisiana at that time, when the prop
erty was taxed by carpet. baggers for
more than it would sell for and when
score upon score of millions of dollars
were conveyed into the pockets of the
alien rulers of those States. It was
when gloom like that overhung Vir-
ginia that the Conservative party was
organized, and after heroic struggle OF
nearly two years rescued this Common
wealth. That party has for the last ten
years controlled the fortunes of Virgin.
ia; 1t has freely given equality before
the law, education and protection and
justice to every citizen-high or low
rich or poor, great or small. Under the
rule of that party there is not man in
Virginia that has not been safe in the
enjoyment of liberty, life and the pur-
suit of happiness. He spoke of this
debt agitation as disease that has been
eating out the vitals of this organization
all the time. During these long years
he said, one deplorable internal quarrel
has broken the harmony of this Con-
servative organization and has shaken
Virginia from the centre to the circum
ference of the Commonwealth, and pub
lie and private credit has been FRUSTRATED
FORCED BACK.
He said he knew of some millions Of
dollars which were coming here thai
had been met and forced back from thu
State by reason of our in ternal dissen-
sion, until the farmer has found it i'm
possible to find a purchaser. Money
has taken flight and hidden itself. Thl
labOring man has found employment
hard to get, and badly remunerate(
when gotten. There is not that trade
there is no farmer or mechanic in tn,
broad limits of Virginia around whom
the structure of hard times has no
been drawn with closer and deadlie
and deeper grip by reason of the agita-
ton on the debt question.
WILLIAM MALONE.
There stands man, said the ex-Gov-
ernor, William Malone, of Petersburg
a gentleman with whom I have hat
always pleasant, courteous and cordia
relations, man whom I would rescu
from an impending precipice. If
could would make it so that the chill
dren OF Virginia might not say of hin
as it was said of Charles XII, that
"He left name at which State grew pale,
To point moral and adorn tale"
Gen. Malone then went on to quot
Gen. Mahone's Mozart-Hall- Conven
ton speech, in which he had said h
regarded it as the first interest of tn