Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-09-18
sneakins in Rockingham.
SPEECHES BY GEN. Jas. G. FIELD AND JOHN
MASSEY,

4
SPEECHES BY GEN. Jas. G. FIELD AND JOHN z.
MASSEY.
| yesterday was County court day in Rocking
ham. and as appointments had been mace lor
| Gen. Jas. G. Field and John E. Massey, OF
| Albemarle, on the part of the Democratic par
1 ty, and for Col. w E. Sims, of Pittsylvanla, on
| the part of the Coalition Republican party, TO
| speak there on that day. many persons assem-
| bled with the expectation of hearing discus
| sion, but were disappointed, inasmuch as Sims
| failed to meet his appointment, and other
| Observation-Disclosures and Blair-who hao
| oeen telegraphed for, slso failed to put IN an
| appearance-co considering, no doubt that dis
| erection was the better part of valor"
| After the adjournment of the Court about IL
| O'Clock, at the ringing of the bell the court
| room was soon filed with a large audience OF
| substantial citizens, when DIR. S. IL. MoHett an
| nounced that the meeting would be addressed
! by Gen. Field aud Rev. John f. Massey. He
| then introduced Gen. Field, who spoke for an
| hour and half, during which time he COM
| mended the close attention of the audience
| His speech was plain, practical, sensible and
| patriotic, such as could not fail to make a good
| Impression upon the minds of sensible and rea-
| sOnable people. lie addressed himself to the
| reason, and not to the passions and prejudices
| of the audience.
| He said he was almost a stranger i'll Rock
| ingham, though he was neighbor, as his home
was in an adjoining county just over the
| mountain-Albemarle-th cradle and grave Of
his ancestors for 200 years. He was stranger,
because his life had been quiet, professional,
and rural. He was not candidate for office
| His interests were identified with those whom
he addressed, to whom he wished to talk plain
ly and intelligently, and to reason with them
as persons having common interest He ap-
peared as the representative of the grandest
party that ever existed-the great Democratic
party. He would abuse no one, for he had lived
| long enough to learn that ''a soft answer turn
| eth away wrath"
Here tofore Democrats were divided on The
State debt settlement, but there is no such
question now to divide them. He accepted the
| debt settlement final, and his party is
| pledged to its fnality. He does not wish to
| fight a dead issue, and he does notwish a witch
| of Endor to raise the dead body Of readjust-
| ment.
| There are now but two parties-the Demo-
cratic and Republican. The Republican purity
| is divided into, Two wings-the stalwarts led
| by Arthur, aud the half breeds led by Blaine,
| Is there anything in Arthur to commend him
| to us? How did he become President? He
! never received q single vote for that Office. In
| the language OF Judge Edmunds, he drew the
first prize in the LOTTERY Dissatisfaction"
| What was his character? He was collector
| of customs in the city of New York, and Pres
| ident Hayes removed him from office and as
signed as his reason for doing so that he want
| ed the dutiesof the office honestly discharged
The people should turn him out of Office for the
same reason that influenced Hayes to do so.
|
dent, and for what he is still doing, he deserves
to be impeacEed. For using the revenues and
patronage of the government to defeat the Will
| of the people and to perpetuate his own power,
he deserves to be impeached. 1t strikes at the
basis principle OF free government. Arthur
has agreed to turn over to Gen. Malone the
patronage of the Federal Government as far as
Virginia is concerned, and that, too, when Ma
| hone claimed TO be better Democrat than
] Ben. Hill. The Washington Republican says
| that Malone is a better Republican than
Blaine. Malone is the most remarkable man
| he ever knew--he is a better Democrat than
Ben. HILL and better Republican than James
| G. Blaine.
The issue here now is between Democracy
and Stalwart Republicanism. The issue has
been made and We must meet it.
| Some say they support Arta ur because he is
| in favor of protective tariff. Ask them
what they mean by protective tariff and
| they are unable to say. He asked Pat Nc
! Caull that question, and he was dumb as
| an oyster. They say Ran. Tucker and the
Democratic party are free-traders. If it We're
not for their Ignorance he would say they
| were liars.
| The Federal Government requires revenue
| of $500, 1900 600 year. This is raised by duties
on imports and by internal revenue taxation.
The Democratic party is in favor of aboishing
| the Internal revenue system.
The Democratic party wanted the revenue
raised exclusively by cuties Imports, and
wanted the duties so levied as to yield just the
amount OF revenue required, and so that it
would not protect one class at the expense OF
another, but protect all branches of industry
alike. He quoted Webster as saying that ag-
ricuIture, commerce, and manufactures should
go together-that when you protect one, you
should protect all. He also quoted remark
of a judge OF the Supreme Court of the United
States that it was robbery to collect more than
the necessities of tie government required.
He quoted the remark of q man in Iowa, az
stated to the tariff commissioners. that under
the operation of the present tariff it required
is bushels of wheat in Iowa to buy as much as
! 10 bushels would buy without the tariff, and
the same he said, was true here;
I He said the motto-"I am for Author, because
Arthur is for me,' is the motto OF the pirate Oh
i the sea and the rob0er on the land.
Malone bargained to give Arthur s out o
. the 10 congressman from Virginia, in which
there is q Democratic majority of 10000. We
? are entitled to one Representative Tor every
l 10000 of population. Malone proposed to dc
! this outrage by redistricting the State, and tC
effect his purpose he gave to thisEdistrict o
5 1877 ,e00 the same representation that he gave
r his own CT only matchmaking men here on.
ly equal to two men there-and the men here
were mostly white, whilst there they were
, mostly black.
Malone destroyed individual independence
10y requiring delegates to pledge themselves tc
do whatever caucus might dictate.
He said the blacks had the same rights az
the whites and would be protected in them.
At the conclusion of Gen. Fields speech, DIR
Mot1ett Introduced Mr.. Massey, who spoke fol-
an hour in his inclsive and impressive STYLE
After expressing his thanks to the voters o
Rockingham for the support they gave him
when a candidate. he said that "a great dea
that he would have said, had been so well sale
by Gen. Field that he would endorse Fields
speech and commence his where Field. hao
| lGib Oh. ne saIu Gl1dJ Ut Cuulu NOT say VIII
Paul that he had fought wild beasts al Ephesus
but that wild beasts had fought him.
When the debt question was an issue, the
Democrats charged that the readjusters were
going into the Republican party. He and 9th
err re&djusters denied it. Now an opportunity
: is offered to determine who told the truth AS
for himself he Was Democrat new as he was
and as he claimed to be, When readjuster.
The Readiuster Convention that nominated
the Presidential electoral ticket was the only
body ever assembled that was authorized tt
pledge the Readjusters and that body pledged
them to the support Of the Democratic party
+ To that pledge he was faithful, but where now
stand Mayo, Lamb, John $. Wise, and Others
On the Readjusters electoral ticket. Who arr
the traitors?
After speaking of the debt question as set
tied and of Mahones exaction of pledges, anC
of the camp-followers who did no lighting bu
feast upon the spoils, he concluded by saying