The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-09-20
Politics in ROCKINGHAM.

Last Monday week Sells Circus exhibited
in Harrisonburg, and drew to the town
between 1000 and 10000 people. Once q
month is about as often as the average
country citizen cares about sparing day
from the regular duties of life, and conse-
quently last Monday, County Court day
did not witness the usual crowd which or
dinarily assemblies on such occasions. Not
even the announcement that political
discussion would take place served to
break the traditional rule that governs
the movements of. that matter-of fact
people. Gen. Field and Mr.. Massey had
been handbilled to speak for the Bour-
bons and Mr.. w. E. Sims for the Coali-
ton, yet the prospect of a rich entertain
ment did not have the effect to cause the
neglect of the pillow and the farm work to
to hear the promised disputation. and not
more than half the usual attendance was
present. When it was learned that Mr..
Sims had not arrived. and there would be
no joint discussion. marked Indifference
pervaded the people, as it was very appa-
rent there was no anxiety to listen to Mr..
Massey OF Gen. Field in dry discussion
of the issues between the two parties.
At the ringing of the bell, about noon,
a small number of people filed into the
courthouse preceded by the speakers. The
want of interest manifested, caused the
bell to be rung vigorously time and again,
and then not more than two hundred peo-
pie, if so many, answered to the repeated
calls, a number of whom were OF the oppO-
site party. DR.. Moffett introduced ex-
Attorney General Field as the first speak
er. After some preliminary remarks he
proceeded with his set speech, which con-
sisted in a declaration of acquiescence in
the Riddleberger settlement of the debt
question, labored assault on President
Arthur, a muddle on the tariff question ;
q lamentation over the proposed re-appor-
tiOnment of the Congressional districts
and demand for the entire abolition OF
the internal revenue tax. He went way
back to the times of Jefferson and Hamil-
ton and the two theories of government
they promulgated, to get at the present
status of parties, claiming that the Dem
ocratic organization was the greatest party
that had ever existed. In drawing par
allel between the Hamilton theory and
that of Jefferson, he forgot to state that
the Jeffersonan had been effectually tried
and failed-that to it, was distinctly trace
able all the..ills to which the people have
been subjected to, and that we are now
living under the practical operation of the
Hamiltonian idea Of government. To it
may be aScribed Il preserved Union, the
enforcement of the laws and constitution
of the Nation, and the marvellous pros
perity which attends the country.
In preparing himself to arraign President
Arthur he assumed that the Republican
party was divided into two factions the
stalwart wing headed by Chester A. Al
thur and the ''half Breeds marshalled by
James G.. Blaine. With the latter, Gen.
Field and the Democracy had no contro-
versy. 1t was the stalwarts against whom
he directed his anathemas, because the pa
tronage of the administration had been
given to aid the Liberals in Virginia to
break Bourbon power. and to restore to
the people the rights Of which they had
been robbed through Bourbon treachery.
Gen. Field did not seem to be aware of the
fact that the Republican.party was never
more united than it is to-day-that stall
warts and half-breeds, were designations
of the past, and that in every State in the
Union there prevails a purpose to bring
the whole force of the party to the patri-
otto work of defeating Bourbonism in the
States this fall, and in the nation next fall.
His criticisms of President Arthur were
in part based on ISLANDERS uttered years
ago, and which the people of the country
passed on and condemned in 1880. To
resurrect all these old campaign carnards
and re-introduce this effete and exploded
stuff, illustrates how poor indeed were the
resources OF the speaker, and to what
straights Bourbon orators are driven to
make up speech for the campaign. To
kill time and consume the hour and half
allotted to him, he supplemented these
threadbare statements with bitter and
disgraceful reference to the assassin's bull
let by which Mr.. Arthur had been made
President, claiming that not avote had been
cast for him for President by the people.
He condescended to admit that he held the
high office under the laws of the country,
inferentially conceding that every vote
cast for President and Vice President was
a vote for the Vice President to become
President in the contingency of the Presi-
dency being vacated from any cause
There was not an intelligent man in Gen.
Fields audience who was capable of rising
above the lowest partizan plane, that did
not experience feeling Of disgust that
gentleman Of his standing should indulge
in such strain of malicious ribaldry and
contemplate criticism. 1t was beneath
the ambition of the most protiigate dema-
gogue, and was a reflection on the intelli-
gence of the people whom he addressed,
and to their credit it was received with
the profoundest silence-not a response OF
any kind, except suppressed sentiment OF
ulSS bIl(tU buC uCCCoDlOlCo VI PdlUy dilu
the desperation of bad cause should have
inspired such aresort.
In referring to the tariff question he
spoke very contemptibly of the ignorance
of those who charged that the Democratic
party and Jno. Randolph Tucker were for
free-trade, asserting that the National
Democracy in their platform, and the
State Democracy, in it's recent utterance
at Lynchburg on this subject, were for a
tariff for revenue with incidental protec-
tion. Was Mr.. Field ignorant of the re-
solve of the last Democratic National
Convention, which announced for tariff
for revenue only, and that even the Demo-
cratic Presidential candidate, after having
endorsed the platform, had to kick it aside
in order to conciliate the protective sellti-
ment in his party in the States of New
Jersey and New York? Or did he mis-
state history, and presume on the igno-
rance of his hearers, in order to deceive
the people into the belief that the Demo-