Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-07-23
Mhe Ml~aitatsr.
FRIDAY MORNING. JULY %. 1886
Local
THE VIRGINIA CANVASS.

DEMOCRATIC MEETING IN ROCKINGHAM
ADDRESSED BY DISTINGUISHED READ
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF JAS. BARBOUR.
DIR, MOFFETT AND J. B. F1CKLIN-RE-
ADJUsrER MEETING IN THE COURT
YARD.
&C., &C., &C.
[Reported for the Staunton VINDICATOR.1
HARRlsONBURG, July 10Th.
'sCourt House street!'' called out the
conductor as our train stopped at street
crossing abuut the centre Of Harrisonburg,
to-day. AS alighted, a workman, repair
ing bridge. looked up and, for The infor
nation of the passengers. remarked, II
tell you, boys, there's shower of Demo-
Gratis in town to-day" From "Court
House street, stopping place you could
see large crowd on the court green; a
stand decorate, with little national flags,
and in front of it a brass band playing.
As I reached the spot l saw our towns
man, Vim. Ii. Peyton, on the stand, from
which was convinced that this was the
L
that the Democratic meeting as going ON
III the court house, that Larty having Sc
cured the building by calling their meet
ing first. On inquiring the reason for two
separate meetings OF democrats" by
stander said that he "reckoned it was 10
see who could show the biggest number. .
l passed on to the court house. There they
also had brass band. AS the matter of
numbers was in question 1 had some
curiosity to see how it stood. The court
house was filed, both floor and gallery,
and by as fine representative meeting as
of the window could see the Readjuster
meetlrg, which appeared to me equally as
large. Both sides seemed greatly pleased
with their success in numbers. but to me
this even split in the old Democratic coun-
ty of Rockingham appeared only as field
harvest rlpened by Democratic folly. AS
the two meetings progressed they would
thin and gill up alternately. For instance
the Democratic meeting, which had con-
siderably thinned out, filed up again with
surprising rapidity when Or. Moffet: COM
menced speaking, and, on the other hand,
when the Readjuste1 meeting had become
listless, and a great part OF its listeners
had struggled off leaving only chosen few,
the ringing voice of Rlddleberger quickly
restored it to its former size. l suppose
that during the. three hours session Of each
meeting a goodly part of each audience
heard considerable portion of the speeches
at both.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
in the Court House was called to order and
DR.. T. NJ. Sellers was called to the chair
In taking it he said there were but two ma
tional political parties before the people of
Virginia, one the Republican and the 9TH
er the National Democratic party and he
semblage of members of the latter, (eheers).
DR.. S. H. Moffett then introduced James
B. Ficklin,a farmer from Buckingham
county, a gentleman who in the recen'
legislation of the State has been very prom
inent on the Readjuster side.
audience. that he supposed he saw before
him the ''unterrifed Democracy of Rock
ingham," (cheers) and from their number
and the spirit they showed he had as well
telegraph to Garfield at once that he was
beaten man, (great cheering). Mr.. Flick
lin in noticing the great majority of far
mers in the meeting said that as he lived
by growing corn himself he could appro-
priately call them brother farmers" He
felt that it was strange thing for him to
come to talk Democracy to the people of
Rockingham who were Graded and
brought up in the never dying Democratic
principles of Thomas Jefferson and An
drew Jackson, (cheers.) Those Democrat
ic principles we're to-day embodied in that
famous declaration of Hancock, our can
didate-"The right of trial by jury, the
habeas corpus. the liberty of the press, the
freedom of speech, the natural rights of
persons, and the rights Of property must
be preserved (great cheering). That is
the right sort of Democracy, (cheers). Not
the sort of Democracy you find in the
Richmond "Whig" of to-day, (great ap-
plause and laughter.) No! Here is the
Democracy of the Richmond "Whig:"
"What in the thunder has the National
Democratic Committee got to do with US. T"
A voice-The "Whig" never said that.
Mr.. Ficklin-Well, l read it IN the
'sWhig."
A voice--Show the paper.
Another voice in the crowd-I've got
the paper and that's in it and d sight
worse.
The paper was produced and the speaker
read the following from an editor al in it
on submitting the questions dividing
Democrats in Virginia, to the arbitration
Of The National Democratic Committee
"What in thunder has the National Democratic
Committee got to do with u.s. or we with it? That
committee may deal with the Funders as it please,
so that it do not thereby assume to NEEDLE Nth the
Readjusters The less it has to do in that ,cay, the
better. Mind it! We are not standing on any Ma
tional Democratic platform. We are not parading
(falsely) under the National Democratic name and
banner. We are not supporting the Democratic
nominees. nor the Cincinnati nominees. No! We
are the Readjuster party of Virginia."
Mr.. Ficklin-That amt the sort of De-
mocracy we got from old Father Richie
(great eheering). And so I've come over
here to get the pure article of Democracy.
A voice-You'll get it too.
Mr.. Ficklin-L will, and not have to 90 |
back to my people and say that you all
over here get your Democracy from the
"Whig." 1t will he the same |
old story next November like it was in the |
Polk eIacti1n We old Who's ovar the |