National Republican., 1883-08-28
v1ne1NIA poL1T1cAL HISTORY.
The Home OF Ex-senator Lewis Speaks.

The Home OF Ex-senator Lewis Speaks.
At the county convention of the readjuster
party of Rockingham county, Virginia, that
staunch republican ox-United States senator,
John +. Lewis presided. The committee on
resolutions appointed by him presented the
following as the respective records of the two
parties now struggling for the mastery in tho
Old Dominion:
ResOived, That we. the readlusters Of Rocking
ham county, being among the first IN the state 70
declare the great principles uf the liberal read
Juster party, III convention assembled, do, In view
oi It's brilliant record realilrm our fealty 10 that
parry and commend IL to the people us the only
parry pledged, by Its acts in the past to wise lib
eral, and honest administration Of our state gov,
ernment in tue future; that after many fierce and
bitter conflicts we can with patriotic pride declare
that by the wise aud benitCent policy of the re-
adiuster party our public obligations have been
settled on an honest and equitable basis, thereby
relieving the people Of millions of dollars Of
unjust, corrupt, and fraudulent demands, aud
what musthave proved crushing burden to
every industry; that ii has rescued from de-
sruction the free school system, opened the doors
OF the school houses to every child in the state,
and in three years OF rule 1t has more than
doubled the number of schools, the number of
teachers, and number of scholars; that by an
honest application OF the money levied for free
school purposes 1t Is annually paying TO tho
schools double the amount they received under
bourbon-iunder rule, and is rapidly returning TO
the school children of the state 81 of which
funderism had robbed them: that 1t found an
empty and bankrupt treasury, the state pen
sioner on the iayors OF banks, brokers, and money
changers that II hos restored the credit Of the
state, paid of her floating Indebtedness and has
ample means i'll the treasury to meet all current
demands; that IL has relieved our charitable and
literary institutions of the burdcnsome indebted
ness In which bOurbon-fundCr mismanagement
had involved them; that IL found the peniten-
tarybringing the state in debt s50,OO0 annually,
and by prudent and economical management IL
has made II source of large revenue to the state
treasury that il has, lessened our taxes
that it has repealed obnoxious laws On
our statute books and inaugurated II
legislative policy, haying for It's object
tion to special aud class legislation; that Is has
turned the tide of capital and emigration TO our
borders instead of repeling it, aud has given hope
and encouragement " our citizens to remain in
our midst instead of seeking homes In distant
states that 1t has done more to iberallZe national
sentiment ana to destroy sectional feeling than all
other agencies combined that 1t has done more
to advance the material interests of Virginia than
any party that has had control of her affairs in
the history of the state; that II has restored to
Virginia the prestige and power which, until in
recent years, she held in the federal union that
1t has restored 10 every citizen of the common
wealth the right 10 "a free and unrestricted ballot,
the right preservative of all rights"
Resolved, That we invoke our people to remem-
Der that all of these good results were achieved In
the face OF the iercest and most determined OPP
position from the bOurbon-funder party-a party
whose only creed is q lust of power; whose every
action Is directed by political and personal hatred
and whose only argument is villitication and
abuse; u party that dares not point to u single
act ofits own to commend 1t to popular favor, but
by pretending to acQuesce in the achievements
of readjustment seeks TO regain the power from
which an Indignant and outraged people hurled
1t; party that, during its control of the state
government, by its gross mismanagement of pub.
lie affairs, brought the Commonwealth in debt
SlOOO,OOO per annum; that found full state treas
ury and left 1t empty, and the state in debt to
every bank from which she could borrow money
TO meet the daily expenses of government; that
wasted millions of the states interests in rail
way and other claims; that allowed the un-
fortunate insane of our state to suffer and
die in the common jails; that surrendered the
control of the state treasury TO foreigners and
aliens, and battered away the sovereign right of
the people TO control their own revenues; that
suffered our charitable institutions to become
almost hopeessly involved in debt; that throug h
its tavorlte device. the tax receivable coupon,
robbed the schools of $780, 900; that restricted
the right of suffrage by placing price on the
ballot; that now pretending to acquicsce In the
debt settlement we find its most potent allies, the
railways, endeavoring to defeat that settlement
and to revert the state to the control OF the cou-
pom mongers and bourbon funder brokers; that
declaring against monopolies, 1t selects as It's
leader the president of railroad that through its
connections is now waging in the courts n relent-
less warfare against the debt settlement and the
expressed sovereign will of the Virginia people
that hypocritichlly calling itself the democratic
party and insOlently boastlng Of its pure democ
racy 1t selects as one of its candidates for high
office, as its champion and leader, Williams q
Wickham, the most radical republican in the
franchising clauses of the constitution, thus show
ing that its sham democracy is only used as cloal
to deceive the people and TO enable 1t to rsgair
pelf and power.