Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-09-27


|flce, Wilson stopped, looked up, and
said, 'Is this the saloon?y At this
point Captain Blair stepped out Of his
door and said to Wilson: "Do you
want. to see me?" B. w. Terry answer
led, s.You have his communication y
Wilson repeated It saying. You have
my ;cQmmpnicati0p, AT this point
Captain RoheEf oypekett, With otheEs,
stepped out and said: ssCome In Blair;
you can't have any fuss here, /" and took
IChptain Blair back into his office.
Wilson, Terry, and myself then pro,
ceeded to the saloon, which is about
forty yards beyond Blair,s Office. The
above statement is perfectly correct.
{Given under my hands this 18th Sep
tember, 1881. A. M. JOHNSON.
Wilson remained here till 8 O'Clock
r. M. next day; then left for Salem,
Saying he would return in few days
with other letters written to him by
Blair, Fulkeson, and Malone.
There has been q fum0r here for some
time that Captain Blair said in some of
Ibis speeches in Eastern Virginia that
he did not say that "honor won't buy q
breakfast" but said '.Funder honor
won't buy break fast" This rumor
has been published, I understand, in
the Richmond Wing and other papers
I here give you . paper on that subject
that will speak for itself. WYTHE.
WYTHEvILLE, September 10, 1881.
We have heard rumors several times
heretofore that Captain F. 8. Blair had
denied that he ever used the expires
sion "Honor won't buy break fast. "
while the denial was only based on ru-
NOR we did not feel called upon to af-
firm the truth of the report which
charged him with having used the LAM
guage attributed to him by US, but
within the past week we have seen the
charge denied in the Richmond Whag,l
the Wytheville Dispdtch, ard in al
printed circular posted in public places.
and We feel called upon to speak In or
der that the public may not be deceived ]
and in order to vIndicate ourselves. I'M
the month of August, 1879. in joint
discussion at Tazewell Courthouse bel
tween Colonel r. e. Withers and JOhD|
w. Daniel on one side, and Captain|
Blair, General Malone, and John p.
Massey on the other, Captain Blair !
who opened the discussion, in the
course Of his speech said: "They talk
Ito you about honor, honor. Fellow
citizens, what is honor? Honor won'tl
buy you q breakfast" To this speech
Colonel Withers replied in fitting termsE
of rebuke, quoting Falstaff's WE'LL
known utterances on the value of hon-I
or: "Can honor set leg? No. Orr
an arm? No. Or take away the grief
of q wound? No. Honor hath no!
skill in surgery then? No. What is|
honor? A Word? What is that word
honor? Air. A trim reckoning. WhoI
hath it? He that died o. Wednesday.
Does he feel it? No. Doth he hear it q
No. It is insensible then 2. Yes, to the|
dead. But will it not live with the liv.
ing? No. Why? Detraction will not|
suffer it. Therefore, I'll none of it,
Honor is mere 'scuctheon; and sol
ends my catechism."
There was large audience assembled
at this discussion-perhaps as many as|
seven hundred-and many doubtless
remember 1t. Besides the speakers as
engaged in this discussion there were
present Mr. A. A. Phlegar and General
j. A. Walker.
Two days afterwards, at Bland Court.
house, there was joint discussion be-
tween Captain Blair and Mr.. Massey
on one side, and John w. Daniel and
General Walker on the other. Captain
Blair again opened the discussion, and
in the course of his speech used this
language: "They talk to you about
honor, honor, honor, and State credit !;
they tell you about the traditions of
your State. Why, fellow citizens, what
is honor? What are the traditions of
your State worth? Honor won't buy q
breakfast; the traditions of your State
and State credit won't buy your wife q
GOWN"
To this speech General Walker re-
plied, and after expressing the surprise
and modification which he felt at hear
ing gentleman who claimed to be q
leader of his party and q political teach
Ter in Virginia utter such sentiments be-
fore Virginia audience. he turned to
Captain Blair and asked him il he were
willing to carry out his teachings to
their legitimate conclusions, and said,
in substance: Go with me to the town
of Lexington, where sleeps the dust of
Lee and Jackson; stand by the graves
of those heroes whom the world de-
flights to homer, and tell the pilgrims
buy breakfast" Go with me to Hol-
lywood cemetery and stand with me in
the midst of the graves of thirty thou
sand Confederate dead who sleep there
IBID them rise from their narrow cell
and stand again In serried ranks, with
Jeb Stuart and Pickett at their head,
READY to die for the cause they loved
and lost, and tell them ''honor won't
buy breakfast" Go home, call up
your son-the bright, manly boy, who
looks to you for guidance and instruc-
8tion-place your hand on his head, and
Etell him. my son, listen to the words
eaof your father. AS you grow up to man.
hood you will hear men pirate of honor.
My son, listen not to them. Only fools
regard honor. Honor is but q sounding
brass and tinkling cymbal. Honor
will not buy you q breakfast. There
fore have none Of It," Call up your lit
tie flaxen-hailed daughter, twine hel
ringlets around your fingers, look into
her pure and innocent face, and tell
her, my daughter, honor won't buy
you gown. Shame will buy you silks
and diamonds and jewels. Therefore
shame is better than honor" Go with
me to Monticello, and stand by the
granite shaft which marks the grave OF
Thomas Jefferson read inscribed there
on these words: Thomas Jefferson, the
author of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence, of the Statute of Religious Free.
dom in Virginia, and the Founder Of
the University of Virginia.; and, il
your tongue does not cleave to the roof
of your mouth, say in the presence ol
those memories "honor won't buy 9
breakfast" and when your race is run
and you, sir, come to lie at the foot OF
the hill, on the shaft which marks your
last resting place we will inscribe
Frank 8, Blair, the Champion of fore.
ible readjustment In Virginia, and the
author of that sublime and ennoblina
sentiment Honor won't buy q break
fast. :" There were present at this dis
cussion, besides the speakers above
named, Colonel Withers, A. A. Phlegar
General William Malone, and three OF
four hundred people. The Circuit Court
being in session, large number of the
lawyers from the adjoining counties
were also present. The denial is sought
to be modified by saying that Captain
Blair said .sFunder honor won't buy .
break kfast." The word Funder was NOT
used In that connection; nor was ths
Expression qualllled or modified In any
way whatever, but the language wa