The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-08-28

VI d piotoCtlVc tdIlil. ludG has elevated
our labor, and well paid labor is the
mightiest factor in nation s growth. Our
Democratic friends declare the tariff to be
anew subject Far from it. Itdates back
yonder i'll the last century, and it's benefi-
! cent effects We're more or less pronounced
| until 1916, when it was strangled by the
free-trade Democracy. You older men
canrememher how the fire in your furnaces
| went out and all your manufactures
ceased. Then it was that whilst pro-
ducing nothing you were compelled to
lspay dearerlthan ever for the necessities of
life. Your fatted cattle sold for $2l
your cows for SIG: your horses for $40
The home market, the grandest of all. had
been destroyed; the reward of your labor
was carried across the sea to build up the
Industries of Europe, and you toiled and
shaved here while the difficulties multiplied
with the years. And you are asked to go
back to that condition again. You are
asked to check the onward march of Vir-
ginia and send her to the rear. What are
you offered in return for this sacrifice :?
The privilege of handing this government
over to Cleveland, Hendricks and Reform
You remember that this was about the
same cry as in 1876. Then it was Tilden,
Hendricks and Reform, and before the
canvass was over Reform had caught the
ticket in cypher alley. This Democratic
shibboleth was we'll Illustrated by the speak
er in an anecdote: On the mountains that
divide West Virginia.from the old State
line lived an old hunter whose pride in
life was pack of hounds, his special pet
being the leader of the pack. u One day the
hounds got on ebear trail, and .s,soon the
leader was far ahead Of his fellows, giving
bruin a solitary chase. The old hunter
followed as rapidly as he could, and before
he had gone great ways met man Of
whom he inquired. Have you seen any
thing of bear and dog, and how was the
race 20 ''Oh, yes, was the reply, Il met
them just a little farther on, and the dog
was gaining on the bear rapidly.' The
old man went on and met with another
neighbor. ''How goes the chase ?' he
asked. Splendid the bear was just in
advance of the dog and it was nip and
tuck, but the dog was gaining The old
fellow hurried on and soon met another
friend. GLOW goes the chase 70 he ex-
claimed. 1T was the finest I ever saw.
The dog was in front with his tail between
his legs, and the bar was reaching for
him at every jump" That will be the
way with the Democratic party. You
mark the prediction Reform will capture
that ticket before November next, Just as
it did in '76
Look over the history of this country for
twenty years, said the speaker, and you
will see the argument for protection fully
Illustrated. Go to our mountains and you
will find it there. Every time you open
new mine you lay the foundation of vii
lage. and in every village you will find the
happy homes Of American workmen. And
in that village will be found a home market
for the farm products, and every farmer
round about will reap the benefit. Pro-
lection does not foster monopolies, but it
does remove the workingman from compe-
titi0n with the wage-earners of Europe
whose weekly pittance has been described
to you. Where the laborer of Europe gets
fifty or seventy-fve cents, the laborer of
America gets one and two dollars. So
long as the Republican party is in power
it does not intend that the men who toll
in the workshop and on the farm shall ever
be brought to the degraded standard of
their fellows in the old country. This
government is strong enough to elevate
its workmen to a higher plane good
enough to assure them happy homes good
enough to make their children educated
and intelligent men and women good
enough to rear itself head and shoulders
above the nations of the earth. And yet
with all this before us, we are told to
abolish the tariff and make every manu-
featured article cheaper. Even if the
claim were true even if prices were re-
duced, would rather pay a dollar more
for my boots and see happy homes about
me, than walk around in cheap French
kid with poverty and wretchedness on ev-
cry side.
/ see, said the speaker, men before me
who are laboring men, and will ask them
why they vote the Democratic ticket and
pause for reply. mo reply Camel The
laboring man can give you a reason for
voting the Republican ticket. Not one
only, but many. One will suffice, however,
now. He will tell you the Republican
party gave the people of Virginia the
grandest system of public schools the old
State ever knew. Under Democratic rule
the poor children who were educated at
all, were entered as charity pupils at the
schools, and their teachers had to certify
that they were pa1tpers. l thank God that
the boys and girls will never again feel so
deep humiliation will never again haye
their cheeks crimson with shame at the
thought of such degradation. I
Gen. Colts peroration was magnificent
burst of eloquence that thrilled the audi
ence and sent them off into the widest
ginians to redeem thea old State, and the
effect was electrical.
We have given but mere skeleton of
these two speeches, and far from justice
has been done them. 1t is no exaggera-
tion to say that their equals have not been
heard in Staunton since the war.
AS Gen. Golf took his seat, calls were
made for
MAJOR j. F. DEZENDORF,
who was on the stage. In response, he
said that those who had preceded him had
left nothing for him to say. save and ex-
cept that he heartily endorsed every SEN
tence Of the speeches, and every line Of
the platform. Heendqrsea the candidates,
and wanted every man to go to the polls
next November and vote for Blaine and