The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-26
! rspee,al' telegram ,osIthe Dispatch j

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a.o,j arspeeial telegram 70 the Dispateb.l 2a's
WEST POINT, August 95.-There was
very r. large crowd at King William Court
house to-day to listen to the discussion OF
the McCulioch bill between Messrs. Beule
and. Gregory on the one size, and Massey
and Ryland on the other.
Ryland led off in speech Of half an hour,
in which he attempted to explain bis vote
in the last Legislature on the debt question.
Doubtless he succeeded, to his own satisfac-
ton, but certainly nobody else was either
enlightened or benefited by the explanation.
He announced his unqualified opposition to
the McCulloch bill. 4 *, :es;s.s.s- s-. .a..
= Mr.. Ryland was followed by
~ ~. GENERAL r. Z. T. BEALE,
who spoke for an hour in defence OF the
honor and integrity OF the State and for the
good name Of the people. He appealed to
Massey to do what RyIand had signalIy
failed to do: tell the people what better
plan OF settlement he and his party had to
propose in place OF the law passed lastwin-
ter, pledging himself and the Conservative
people OF the State to unite with him in any
other and better settlement than that already
effected. - ......
The General spoke earnestly and effect
lively. and held the assemblage speIl-bound
during the whole time. -,
He made a telling point. ON Massey
when be said that years ago, when men,
Der Of the Virginia State Senate, he bad la
bored in common with the representative
from the Tidewater section OF the State to
81" PREVENT THE CREATION OF THE DEBT,
andrhad found one OF the most formidable
OF its friends and advocates in the then
represa NATIVE from: Albemarle. To-day
he found son Of Albemarlc in King Will
liam county (whose representatives had
opposed the creation Of the State debit adj
yocating its reputation. 49,. ...
The General closed with an earnest and
eloquent,appeal to the people to,be true to
themselves, their State, and the traditions
and teachings Of the past, and to show by
their votes ia November that they repudiate
this latter-day saint from the county OF Al
bemarle, who would teach them to disre-
gard the sanctity and binding obligation OF
a sound contract. His speech throughout
was warmly applauded.
PARsoN MASSEY BEGUN HIS SPEECH
by reading portion OF the late editorial
article in the West Point Star commenting
upon him as public man, and charging
that he had been elected to the Senate as an
Independ dent candidate by the aid Of Radi-
calls and sorehead Conservatives, all OF which
he denied most positively and emphatically.
But when asked il it was not true that he
had been elected to the lower house as an
Independent over the regular nominee OF
the Conservative party, he had to own up
that such was the fact, but claimed that he
got more votes than the Conservative and
Radical candidates together. In discussing
the question Massey seriously asserted that
VIRGINIA WAS NOT LEGALLY BOUND
for the payment OF the debt, and that there
was not the least danger OF the State being
made TO pay anything; but that We were
morally bound to pay what we were able TO
pay, and that our ability was to be ascer-
tanned by taking off, first onethird for
West Virginia, and then one-hali for the
loss OF personal property by the war, and
that We might pay three per cent. on the
balance. ..4 ~. e.. 49, -. ...
His speech throughout was void of sound
or convincing argument, and was merely
rehash of what has been heard or read every
day nearly during the late session Of the
Legislature. as''' -
He did not advance SIM gle new idea, and
his harapgue was surprise to all, friends
and foes, as We had expected to hear some
thing great from the champion political
tramp of the nineteenth century. His
sneech as an argument was n failure.
AS the insinuatins harangue OF the accom-
plished and Inscriptions demagogue, 1t
was worthy Of the man who made it. He
failed to show what he proposed to do to
give relief to the people, what plan he bad
10 propose, or how be would get rid OF the
old funding bill after the McCuIloch bill
was repealed. =. On those points he was as
dumb as an oyster, although the speakers
on the opposite side urged him again and
again to state what be wanted, or what he
bad to propose, pledg;ng themselves and the
people of Virginia to 60 with him in any
honorable settlement he could devise which
would give the State greater relief than we
had already obtained under the recent law.
Referring to a. j. ;,...- ...aa: .... .. ...
THE PRESENT COURT OF APPEALS,
he said the terms of the judges would
soon expire by Limitation, and that it would
not be very strange il the Legislature should
then fail to reflect the present ircumbents,
but should elect men who were in accord
with him-and his party on this question.
Mr.. Massey begged the people, to elect to
the Legislature only such man as would
truly represent the principles and plans he
.----.' "-1-<-s- -sz-a3#ss-s
Major w. F. G.. Gregory followed in
speech OF an hour and twenty-five minutes,
and il ever man received aseverer or more
COMPLETE cIsTtGATI0N <''f,
than the ParSon did he is to be pitied.
His demagogic address was effectively
dissected, and his figures proved by official
statements to be false and incorrect-gar-
bled to suit the views and wishes OF the
man who attempted to palm them off on
the people as true and correct. The debt
was shown to be Justly due, and that the
creditors OF the State had already surren-
dered, more than they had by rightito ex-