The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-10-20

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ga TdlJR eotls ~.
I f 1 p,sl s1 IONS 70 RaRp AND 1oLDI
HS;JE,r THEkSsr b j {HAs-F IaG Aas and
ssrarSGp & sow Fnl sIE pSgT:pAYgass
{ ff,o.r.snondence OF tie Richmond Dispatch.
cT0BER IL; 1870.
An unssually largo q fhe ssIfe e IN
14ucstoE dfss
c,,ssed. ii. hazjng ,beeHsha abroad that
the g Iiftle Giant 9i--t the, hero OF the Cra.
'fer--and Parson Massey would pc here on
he ,ida, az the Regdjusters, and lCoghill, OF
Amherst, on the other side. There was
General dtsap appointment, however,. as paitber
sone al iI1eae distinguished gentlemen pns
in an appearance; but We had joint .ois-
,c1nssjon nevertheless. although all OK tue
sDea kers except Captain Figgatts were
strangers 10 our people. ass@
.... .. uR. JOSEPH sHERRARD,
the Resdiusters' candidate for the Senate OF
syirginin, opeuedtie discussion IN speech
nj forty.aiye min utes, which was replied to
hv Cas3tain Figsatt, who occupied the same
time. He was followed by Mr. Arnold. OF
sussex. in aaspeesh;s Of mn hour and ten
minutes. who was replied TO by Major
IStr,ngseIlow. of Petersburg, In q speech OF
an hour and thirty minutes, Mt Arnold
cIosius stfe discussion with d speech OF
twenty,qninutes. 81 The courthouse was
denseiy packed with both white and col
.ored., and Sherrard had hardly opened bis
mouth before 1t became obvious that mum.
her OF, colored people had gone iDtoiof been
nlaced in the gallery for3ther purpose OF
doing all they could In the way OF cheering
and stamping, so as to make. n great show
OF enthusiasm, and Thus getarunning start
1of tie other side. In season and out ;of
season they continued to cheer their
sneaker through, his rather dull and
heavy performance, which consisted OF
..rehash. OF the objections to. the ,McCulloch
bill, which have been repeated al 1aa1Seana
by every speaker on that side OF the Ques.
tion,. from the Z" Little Giant" Tor DOWN
to Paul, Massey, and Fulkerson. The Nc
Culloch bill was odious on account OF its
eXempting from taxation the bonds funded
under it, which was class-legisation, &C.
cordipg to Mr.. Sherrurd. The Allen amend
,ment was delusion and SPARE. and
amounted to an admission that there wo uId
be deficiency in the school fund, which
could be made up only by rninous loss to
the State 10 selling The certificates contenl.
plated to beissued under this amendment
nc Is cents on the dollar, These and other
equally futile objections to the bill were
urged.by Mr.. Shsrrard with, aigood deal oi
fehemence, aud with as much .plnusibility
as Resdiusiers, usually employ In the dis.
cussion, Of. The, State-debt, apestionj and
there were, doubtless, some Ibis audience
that thought it . a very conclusive ar
sument, at least they seemed to think SC
from the long.con:inued and r,yociferous
cheering, or rather yelling, at its. close. But
this was all for Bnncombe land it was evil
dent FROM the moment that .,.,
Ts'tii3' fIGGATT '.s
began to demolish bis opponents argu.
ments that he had the thinking portion oil
the crowed with him; and as one after an
other OF Sherrard's batteries was silenced
or turned against him. Figgatts friends
greeted his triumph with tremendous APP
plause, while "Joseph and his brethren y
began 10 look decidedly blue. But when
Figgatt took up the gehtleman's legislative
record, and got after him with sharp stick
about his lodging and doube-dealing in
the former senatorial canvass, which was ex-
posed with telling effect, the gentleman from
HIGHLAND became very restless, and after
sauirming awhile under the terrible casli-
CATION, interrupted Mr.. Figgatt by say
ing that he had been misrepresented.
and attempted an explanation. which was
ludcrousy lame anu Unsatisfactory, be-
sides, being shown BY Figgatt to be not ac-
cording to the facts OF the case. On the
whole, Figgatt's triumph was complete,
and il he is as we'll sustained in The other
counties Of the senatorial district as lie will
be in Botetourt, his election is sure, what.
ever may be said to the contrary by set OF
unfedged orators, with which the staunch
ole Conservative county Of Botetourt is Of
ficted at the present time, who are pla! ING
the game OF Drag 10 perfection, and who
in heaven OF fools would be demi-gods at
least, if not full diViniiies of the highest
rank. ... 800. ...
Tue discussion between . 81. -
MR.. ARNOLD AND MAJOR sTRINGF Elbow
terminated in manner equally satisfactory
to the Debt-Payers, though l have no doubt
that it VIII be heraIded very differently in
the Wig by its readjusting correspondents
from Botetourt, by whom it will be claimed
that the gentleman from Sussex carried of
all the donors OF the day. But such, am
very sure, will not be the verdict OF the
voters On the day Of election. The line Of
argument--i argument 1t could be called
pursued By Mr.. Arnold was pretty much
the same as Mr.. Sberrard's-tbe same OBJ
iectivns to the McCulloch bill-the same de-
nunciations Of it az brokers' biIl-a put
up Job to destroy the liberties OF the people
OF Virginia and cripple the free school,-
the same stale cry of class-leglsution in IA
vor of the bloated bondholders, interspersed
with few wretcbed anecdotes about
pig, another about q mule, and another
about lame chicken, which afforded some
amusement to his colored friends. and were
applauded to the echo, nut did not throw
much light unon the subject OF the State
debt. which MIR. Arnold argued to show that
Virginia ought to adjust, as Louisiana and
some other southern Stat es had done, by re-
pudiating very large part Of them; remcr1-
berDg to forget that the most OF these debts
had been created since the war by the car
pet bag governments, carried on by SET or
VAN ires who had sucked the blood or the
southern people for purposes OF sel1-aggran-
dlzemonI, and in utter disregard OF law ana
justice. .l.':@-t :"
Major Stringfellow's reply was every.
thing that. the true Conservative dept'pay-'
ers could have asked or desired-not only a
full and complete answer to all OF Mr.. Ar
uola's objections to the McCulloch Dill, but
!, mastery statement OF the wnoie state.
debt question, OF which the McCulloch bill
presented fair and honorable adjustment;
that it was IN honest debt for which Vir-
ginia had received full value, and which
every consideration OF honor and plignted
faith required her to'pay. Instead of ap-
peaIing, as his opponent bad done, to the
passions and preiudices OF his bearers, he
addressed himself to their reason asd judy.
ment: and his able aud eloquent speech
must have made deep impression on all