Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-10-09

have ever heard on the stump. He
every drink of beer or whisky, and how
much went up in the smoke of every ci-
gar. He said the public debt was large
ly paid by absorption and evaporation" :"
and it was really the most delightful
way of doing good and feeling good at
one and the same time that was ever in
vented by man. He told of a friend of
his who went to Europe, and while
there bought Cashmere shawl for his
wife, costing $1,000, on which the duty
was S1,T00. Now, said he, the fools are
not all dead yet, and that is another
good way to pay the debt. Collect it off
the vices and the fools of the land. He
dressed his wife in American goods, and
| therefore had no duty to pay. He want.
ed everybody who was ashamed to veal
American goods to pay as much of the
National debt as possible in the shape OF
tariff duties, for it was just so much taH
shifted off his shoulders. He said thai
when the war closed his share of the
National debt was S7S, and of the annu
al interest about 81 so, but thanks t.
John Sherman, his share now was only
about $40, and Of the annual interest
only about 81 25. He thought he could
worry through to the end.
| General Gibson's whole speech was {
connected series of brilliant and elo
quent arguments, anecdotes and witty
sallies. The crowd hung upon his words
with intense interest. Every gaze wal
leveled upon his face. The street was
packed with people, and the windows Of
adjoining buildings were Tiled will
deeply interested spectators. 1t seemel
as if the audience grew in size all even
ing, and certainly the interest at the
close was as unabated as ever. His
apnstrophe to America held the people
spell-bOund. The suspense was almost
painful: it was SO profound. He drew 8
picture of what the Almighty had done
for his land sin the morning of time,
and what man could do for it by wist
and fostering legislation. He spoke Of
the Rocky Mountain chain Of Gods great
national bank, out of which the pick
axes of a hundred thousand miles, like
so many checks, were drawing deposit:
of the precious metals He drew pic
ture of the rushing railroad trains
| laundering along the iron ways thai
crossed the country, freighted to theil
! fill with the golden products of the great
West, and of the great fleets of ocean
steamers that were waiting for this rich
! freight at all the seaboard cities, and
carrying it to feed the hungry millions
of Europe. We had bread in abundance
! for ourselves and for the hungry of ali
lands. We were being blessed ourselves
and being made the grand Instrumental
ity for blessing all other people He ap-
pealed to all men to stand by the hOnOl
and integrity of their country, to respect
its authority to protect the rights of the
humbleSt citizen, and to so vote that the
rights of every citizen would be forever
secured and the voice of rebellion forever
hushed within our borders. -..-.
AT the conclusion of GibSon's remarks
the immense crowd was wild with enthu-
siasm. The cheers that rent the all
were perfectly deafening, and they were
again and again repeated. He had stir
red the popular heart to its profoundest
depths. Never before had Bridgeport
heard such speech as that of the "silver
tOngued" orator of Ohio. Beyend IA
doubt it will bear good fruit at the bal
lot-bOX on the eventful day.
We should have noted, in its proper
place at the outset of the Bridgeport
meeting, that prior to the delivery of
Captain Danford'S speech, Warren Hol-
lister, Esq, who was chosen chairman
of the meeting, on behalf Of number
of ladies of Bridgeport, presented to the
Republicans of that election precinct a
alarge and beautiful National flag, and
accompanied the presentation with an
appropriate line of remarks, in which he
gave history of the adoption of our flag
by the National Government The flag
was received on behalf of the Republic
cans by \. W. Campbelle, who, on be-
half of the recipients, returned thanks