Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-10-28

VI SIAUNTON-THE APfLAOSCO Vt AAC
PEOPLE UNBOUNDED-THE BEST
SPEECH OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Of Gen'l Echol's speech at Chatham,
the Danville Post makes the following
report:
Gen. Echols spoke about one hour and
forty minutes, during the whole OF whlcn
time the absorbed attention of the peo-
pie never tagged for single moment.
The large court room was crowded with
citizens of all classes, comprising many
of the leading citizens of the county
among farmers, merchants, lawyers,
physicians and ministers, as well as the
less prominent among the sturdy yeo-
manry, artizans and laborers. All were
intensely interested in the speech and
the applause, with which certain por-
lions of it were greeted sounded as con-
cordant as the voices of church choir.
Many of the ablest lawyers and most
intelligent citizens in other callings
were heard to pronounce the speech the
ablest that has been delivered in this
county for many yers, and certainly the
mostconvincing that has been heard dur
ing the present campaign. 1t was indeed
irresistible in its eloquence.
A full report is impracticable In the
brief limits of this notice, and an in
complete one would be unjust to the
able speaker Yet there were some
points which reference may be made for
effect upon readers who were not pre-
sent-though even in that light the ef-
feet will necessarily be like that of an
echo which may have been the sound
but not the thrill of martial music. The
speaker traced the debt difficulties of
the Common wealth, historically, step
by step, calculating every point as he
went along so clearly and fOrcibly that
the humblest mind could understand.
When he came to the effort to settle our
financial difficulties by the passage OF
the funding bill of 1871. he presented
that episode in light never before pre-
sented to an audience in this county
and forced every reasoning mind to just
conclusions touching it which blind
error and unreasoning prejudice had
hitherto denied. Then tracing the
failure of that effort and adverting to
the causes of that failure he followed up
the story of the subsequent efforts to Sc.
cure O. settlement and to take the vexed
subject out of our state politics. Gen.
Malone, the speaker and, was and Is
his personal friend and he mad no word
to saw against him. But the real dlfn-
Guilty in the way of settlement all this
time was because General Malone and
the party led by him didn't a00nt set
Element and had used every means In
their power to prevent q settlement.
Coming to the period in the history OF
the debt trouble when the Conservative
convention of 1877 met, he read from
the platform adopted by the convention
and showed that 1t imposed the duty
upon the legislature next thereafter
elected to secure just such settlement,
if possible, as was provided by the Nc
Culloch bill. He traced the history OF
the efforts of the good and true men OF
the legislature naming such men as
Sneaker Allen, 1.-THE member from
Rockingham, the member from Wythe''
and others (naming them) who '"had
still some conscience left in public af-
fairs', to bring about the desired settle
ment. He related the history of the
"Barbour- BILL" and showed that it had
70 purpose save only to stave off q
settlement. He gave the history of the
tsBocook- Fowler bill" under whose pro
visions it became possible for Governor
Holiday to take the initiative step fol
a conference with the bondhOlders and
when he described the dismay OF his
soid friend Harvie, of Amelia" and
other opponents of any settlement OF
the debt question, when the governor
sent in his message to the legislature in
December, 1878, covering the correspon-
dence he had during the recess of the
legislature with the bondholders and
the tentative proposition they mad SUB
mitted in response, the cfoWq fairly
yelled like madmen with delight at the
speakers incisive. cratory and graphic
descriptive powers. From this polnl
EDWARDS he traced the course OF pro
ceedings to the final success of the Ell
forts of all the good and true men OF the
legislature, including the senator ano
delegates from Pittsylvania. in thu
passage of the bill known as thu
McCulloch bill stopping as he wen
brium of "ploated bond holders
the Messrs. Barring Brothers, of Eng
land. who had in their hands the en-
tire sterling debt of Virginia, which
thew originally negotiated for her wher
she wanted the money to build her rail
roads, ana who standing at the head o
the financial firms of Europe had al
ways stood by Virginia and had repea
tedly advanced the money to pay int
rest on her bonds in order to save he
credit when she was financially EN-
barrassed he also similarly vindicatet
Mr.. Fry, Virginian, born in Orang,
county who served his appren
ticeship in Richmond, Virginia start
ing as a poor boy and had risen t.
the position of President of the great
Bank of New York, and had now uset
that position to befriend his native stat
in her effort to secure this compromise
with her creditors and he also similar
ly vindicated the Other gentlemen Wit
had united in the correspondence Will
Gov. Holiday and the proposition fol
this settlement which had grown out o
j it.
After thus indicating the capitalist
who have come to the assistance of Vir
ginia in her efforts to extricate hersel
from her financial difficulties, the alb
speaker adverted to the charge that tn
debt settlement act was advocated b.,
LAWYERS who were retained and paid 70
their services. He repealed the insinua
: ton that the many able lawyers in tn
State, from the attorney general dow
|, to the humbIest member of the prOfes
sion, were actuated by any other thar
the highest motives of patriotism il
their efforts to convince the people tina
their true interests would be best sub
served by standing by the settlemen
which their representatives in the legis
lature have made for them. And il
connection with this reference he paid
high tribute to the legal profession. I'll
ali ages and all countless" said he
whenever and wherever the liberties o
the people have been invaded or threat
ened, their ablest and most Jealous de
tenders have been the lawyers. Wheth
er the danger of liberty's subversioI
proceeded from despot or demagogue
the lawyers in all ages and all countries
have stood in the forefront of the defenc
and to their efforts more than anything
else, under Heaven, is due the preserva
ton of the peoples liberties. Especial
ly is this true among English-speakin,
nations from the days of Magma Cnart'
to the present era" To this tribute til
: eloquent speaker added that now in on
own day and generation the firmest
ablest and most Jealous defenders of tn
true liberties of the people were tn
members of that profession of which h'
was proud of being an humble member
The effect of this passage IN the speech