Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-28
Local
THE SPEAKING MONDAY.

THE SPEAKING MONDAY.
COL. SKINNER AND CAPT. RIDDLEBER-
GERINA FOUR HOURS DISCUSSION
SOUND ARGUMENTS AND CLEVER DOD.
GEs-AN EXCITING BUT COURTEOUS
DEBATE.
&C., &C., &C.
The crowd began to gather in the court
house last Monday, long before the court
e had taken recess. Before the bell had
stopped ringing all the eligible seats had
been taken and before Col. Skinner had
occupied ten minutes of his first hour and
q half every seat below was filled. the
standing room was all occupied and the
galleries were packed with interested lis
teners. Col. Skinner made an admirable
speech, brisJling with facts and figures, a
calm, logical and unanswerable arraign-
ment of the Readjuster party and its allies;
lust such speech as aroused old Shenan-
doah two weeks ago and went so far to
Establish in the faith, the Democrats Of
that old Tenth Legion county and reclaim
the erriEg ones. We have the Colonel on
record on that occasion and will not fol-
low him closely in this discussion.
His opponent in this discussion, Capt.
H. H. Riddleberger, was seated at his
right and referring to him when he CON-
menced, he congratulated himself on
meeting the gentleman Familiarity known
as the "Game cock of the Valley" He
would, however, rather be the means OF
moving some of his Readjuster friends
than to achieve any other triumph. hence
his speech would not be so much to his
Conservative Democratic friends; but he
would say to them, be firm in the faith, be
strong and lose no effort to accomplish that
final victory which awaited them on the
Sth of November.
AN EARNEST APPEAL.
He would not, he said, forget him
self SO far as to say any thing that
would wound the feelings of his Readjus-
ter friends, but would in all kindness en-
deavor to point out to them the error of
their way for he believed the most Of them
were honest in the views they entertained
and if he smote them it would be in kind
ness. What reason did they have to de-
part from the faith of the Conservative
Democracy which in every period OF their
struggles they had run to for safety and
found it. DID they have no debt but the
State debt? There was $50 900, 900 OF the
National debt Virginia's share and he
showed the mastery manner in which it
had been handled and reduced by the De
mocracy and they should in consideration
of their future welfare strengthen tina t
party by every means in their power.
THE LEADERS ARRAIGNED.
His arraignment of Malone. the great
leader of the party, was merciless, and his
exposure of the two conventions that made
and endorsed the common ticket as shown
by quotations from Massie i'll the one case
and the Valley "Virgiuian" in the other
was so scathing, that it brought down the
house with applause.
In referring to the record of Mr.. Riddle
berger, he spoke of his having been at the
head of the Hancock electoral ticket last
fall, and but few months afterwards
coming before a Republican caucus seek
ing an office at their hands. Are you,
addressing the gentleman) Republican
or Democrat? A voce-a Republican.
Did they ask you by what name they
should call you? and did you make answer
as the love-sick girl to her poetic
Call me Daphne, call me ChOrS,
Call me Lalage or Doris,
Gail me, call me, only thine.
And it seems they did call you theirs.
Pursuing further the inconsistencies OF
the party, he referred to their nominating
upon their county ticket with two Demo-
cratic Readjusters, Mr.. jacob Yost' Re
publican who had said in his paper that
the Readjusters were the vilest defamers
of the Republican party, and wished to DO
nothing more than readjust the Republl-
cans out of Office and readjust themselves
in. (Great applause.) He had to say
some very disagreeable things. TOUT he
said them in the kindest SPIRIT OF this
-smost INSCRIPTIONS wing of the Demo-
cratic party.'7 which IN the spirit of for
piveness had nominated the man who had
thus spoken of them. They were ''all
things to all menu that by all means they
might win office. After showing up the
scheme of the Republicans. which was
only to break up the Democracy with the
Readjuster party. which they would spit
upon when they had served their purpose,
the speaker passed on to
TO THE CAPITATIoN TAX QUESTION.
Is there. ne said, appearing to the gale
vfes. an honest coiored man in this audi
o,.oe who is not willing 10 pay one dollar
tn the support of this government! cries
uNof ro,,, I tlorght not. Are you will
i,a IN lot the worthless fellow at yoaf side
who will not help YOU support this govern
ment tie vonr vote? & yoice-"No, not a
bit Of it.'' II you had nice lou Oh cl'ioh-
ems and pigs and some miserable thie''
white or black, comes at night ana 'ahe'
them. don't YOU want to see the rascai
soundly thrashed? A voioe-Y es-and 90
Won want that fellow to tie your vote!
oNol No! Loud applause from the whites.
WHAT FOREIGN CAPITALIST SAY.
The sneaker here read letter from an
English corporator of large nanufactur-
ing company in an adjoining county. in
which he stated that it was only after
visit TO the State and careful canvass by
a representative of the company, ard after
aecertaining that the people OF Virginia
were in favor of paying their debts that
thew had decided TO invest their capital
here He wrote further that nothing kept
English capital from flowing into Virginia
Init the uncertainty of the State on the
debit question. and he showed the colored
people how their interests would be ad-
yanced by encouraging this capital to seek