Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-08-29
THE CONGRESSIONAL CANVASS
o'FERRAL1 AND PAUL MEET.


hour in reply. The introduction of Col. OFFER
rail- as the standard bearer of the old Democra-
cy of the Seventh District was greeted with
vociferous applause. The Courthouse was
crowded, and prominently in the front Of the
rostrum were the claquers of Paul who had
come with him from Harrisonburg. The late
hour at which the discussion closed and the
turbulency Of the crowd, which prevented any
consecutive arguments, forces us togivea mere
brief notice of the speeches.
COL. o'FERRALL
expressed his pride in being the standard
bearer of the Democratic party of this district.
and whilst in his hands the banner of the par.
ty should receive no stain. The present cam
paign he regarded as the most important since
that of 1859. and he wanted to discuss its issues
upon the basis of figures and facts. He recited
the great victories OF the Democrats in Vir-
ginia in the years 1859, 1873, and 1876 when Paul
was raising his stentOrian voice for Democracy !;
quoted him as saying at Harrisonburg that
"Tilden had been elected to the Presidency,
and by the gods we will put him in" Now he
found him calling himself ian Arthur admin
istration man"-Arthur, who is q Stalwart of
the Stalwarts among Republicans. AT this
point he was interrupted by loud cries, hur-
rahs &C., to which he replied by saying that
he "cared nothing for those clsquers from
Rockingham, of whom q photograph to- day
would show the same men the next time he
spoke at Harrisonburg."
He referred to Paul's claims in 1880 as to being
Democrat, and found him in 1882 attempting
to lead one wing of the Readtuster party into
the Republican camp. Paul had said at Parnas-
sus, in this county, that he was Democrat,
and, if elected, would vote as Democrat; but
when he got to Congress he voted every time
with the Republicans. What had Arthur done
for the South that could account for this change
in his heretofore Democratic friend? He de-
nounced the Republican party as proscriptive
and antagonistic to the interests of the South
1t had been SO ever since the war, and had SO
continued, and was SO to-day, and yet Malone
and Paul were to-day found acting with it in all
its measures Of oppression and hatred to the
South Here he cited their action on the bill
to remove the disqualifcations of Confederate
soldiers. and to putting Confederates on the
police force in the District Of Columbia. He
also showed up Paul's record on the tobacco
tax repeal BILL and on the election contested
cases, with telling effect. A Republican was to
be told from Democrat by his acts, and judged
by these he pronounced Paul a Republican.
The question Of the REIMBURSEMENT of the State
debt was no longer in politics and could only
be settled by the Courts. and original Readjus-
ters must decide between the Democratic party
and the Republican party.
On the question of the tariff he was opposed
to the present system, which was prejudicial to
the poor man and in favor of the rich-in favor
of monopolies as against the laboring interests
of the country. 1t enIiches the rich man and
Expresses the poor man. He did not care how
high the the tariff was SO that it was uniform
not discriminative in favor of any class of peo-
pie.
HON. JOHN PAUL
was introduced by Mr.. w. E. Craig as the Goa
litionist candidate for Congress from this dis
trict. Paul said:-
He felt sure that, from the courteous manner
of Col. O'Ferrall, the canvass between them
would be pleasantly conducted; yet he had
| rather been inclined to infer from what he had
seen in the papers that ''gore would be shed''
in the contest. In this he thought his oppo-
| nent had been misrepresented. ITO this fling.
made by Capt. Paul we have only to say, that
he has sadly gone out of his mission to attack
what he calls, in his self-conceit, newspaper
scribblers," fer we have always given him a
fair hearing and fair report of his remarks;
| If he thinks otherwise, his redress is in his
own hands, and he can use it as he pleases.-
ED. SPECTATOR
in rebuttal Of the charges made by Col.
O'Ferrall he consumed the whole of his hour
and half; and yet, 1t seemed to us, in vain,
and in a manner SO unusual to his customary
calmness that really was surprising. One re-
mark was particularly striking, and did not
seem to take well with his Republican follow
ers present: that was. that the Readjusters
had captured all of the Republicans and had
"taken them all in" Immense applause.)
He had not, in 1880, been elected by those
who now support O'Ferrall and yet they now
presume to blame him for supporting Keller
(Republican) for Speaker Of Congress over
| Randall Democrat). He voted for Keifer be-
| cause he was with the administration, and
| Arthur was a friend of his party. In reply to
| the charges Of Col O'Ferrall as to his votes in
| the contested election cases. he entered into an
elaborate defense, which consumed most of his
| time, but did not seem to convince any one
that he had been controlled BY Democrat prin-
ciples, or even policy. He claimed that Arthur
had done more for the South by doing nothing
| than all previous Presidents had done by doing
all they did. lin some respects good po1nt.l
| He declared himself an Arthur Admin1stra-
ton man, because he had n lot one policy in favor
| of one part of the country and another in favor
| of another.
he Claimed Inat Lne heaOJuSCer party was
| not at an end, but its mission was just begun.
| II was the promoter and sustainer of the free
| schools, and claimed the support of all on that
ground alone
He strongly favored a protective tariff, and
| attempted to show how 1t protects American
labor against European. Tor as he said, English
labor, but it was an effort, and was SO recog-
| nized by the crowd present.
His argument was for free education, free ball
| lot free vote, and fair count, but was against
| free trade, which no freeman in America
asks for.
The half.hour rejoinders were SO much
interrupted by questions from the audi
ence that they cannot be reported intelligibly !;
but they were Of a character to sustain the
reputation of both gentlemen on the stump,
and guarantee to our people hereafter a free
and full discussion Of the issues in this pres
| ent most important canvass,