Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-07-25
Hon. J. Randolph Tucker.
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Hon. J. Randolph Tucker.
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AS faithful sentinel you have not
failed to warn our people that it won't do
to nominate this gentleman for Congress
if we would bring out the full strength of
our district for Cleveland, Hendricks and
Reform in November.
Will you grant me the use of your col
umns while I endeav0r briefly, yet little
more in detail than you have done, to
show why it is that Mr.. Tucker is not
only not entitled to the nomination. but
that if conferred, it would be, to quote
Mr.. Websuer's words on a memorable &C.
casion, "a nomination not fit to be
made.
About a year ago, the Democracy of
Virginia assembled by Convention at
Lynchburg, and after most mature con-
sideration and comparison OF views and
opinions from all parts of the State,
framed platform upon which to place its
candidates in the then approaching life
AID death struggle with MahOneism.
That convention and that platform gave
forth no uncertain sound upon the ques-
tions of Tariff and Internal Revenue.
What was Mr.. fuckers first act on get
ting to Congress after that Convention 1t
was to throw his whole weight, as we'll as
vote against Mr.. Randall of Pennsylvania,
and in favor of MIR. Carlisle of Kentucky.
for Speaker of the House.
Did he in this represent his district or
did he only represent his own personal
preference ? If there is any thing certain.
any thing that ought to have been certain
ly known to man occupying his relation
of representative, it was that nineteen
out of every twenty democrats, not only
IN his district but throughout the whole
State, infinitely preferred Mr.. Randall to
Mr.. Carlisle. Why should they not What
the comparative claims of the two men
upon the a.,..ue, the affectfoons> ana
the confidence of Virginia and the whole
South ? AS to Randall. upon many occa-
sions, but especially on one memorable oc-
casion in the darkest days of recOnstruc.
ton they had seen him conduct, almost
slngle-handed, one of the gallantest
battles with the combined forces of radi.
calism that was ever fought on the floor of
Congress. For one day and two whole
nights without intermisSion, without ad-
journment, without moment of sleep,
without time to take needed food except
at his desk. did this fearless Tribune of
the people wage his war with the embit-
tered hosts of sectional hate In their mad
efforts to fasten upon the South the odious
force bill. Bringing to his aid all the re-
sources of a matchleSs parliamentary
skill, all the tactics of born parliament
tary leader, he hurled them against the
adversary and conquered success. 1t was
scene such as has not often been wit
| messed in Congress. 1t was indeed most
gallant fight for constitutional liberty,
noble championship of the down-trodden
South when they had none other to fight
their battle. And they have never forgot
| ten it and never will. For three success
sive Congresses they have delighted to be-
stow upon him the highest Office a Con-
| gresham can aspire TO, and in dignity the
| third If not the second Office in the Re-
public. And they eagerly hoped to do it
again. But in this they were frustrated
| by their representative. Now what, in
comparison Of this, had Mr.. Carlisle ever
| done for Virginia or the South ? Mr.. Car
isle Why the people of Virginia hardly
knew him by name. will assume to say
that If MIR. Tucker were to poll his dis
| trict he would not find one man IN ten who,
| at the beginning of this past Congress
could have told him what State Mr.. Car
! isle came from. They knew no more of
| him than they did of Mr.. Henry Waiter
| son, the cranky editor of q Western news
paper, perhaps not so much. But Mr..
| Tucker liked Mr.. Carlisle and he preferred
| him to Mr.. Randall and so he voted for
| him, parting company as he so often. in
deed generally did. from his Virginia col
leagues and joining his Kentucky and
Western friends. s
| Well, although the people of Virginia
felt grieved at this still they trusted no
us look in what condition of parties and
| of the country this Congress first met. A
mighty popular revolution had taken
place, hurting the Republican majority
| from the popular branch of Congress and
| installing a Democratic majority of more
than seventy. Ohio recaptured, New York
seating Cleveland in the governors chair
by nearly two hundred thousand majority,
with many other like triumphs of the
democratic and popular demand for re-
form of the government and return to
! honest methods.
| Now to what task did MIR. Speaker Car
isles Committee of the Ways and Means
| first and last address its labors? To the
introduction of frebrand into our DEM
ocratic Congress- tariff-reform bill-a
| horizontal 20 per cent. reduction of all
revenue duties? Was this a reform of an
unequal, unrighteous tariff as all admit
the present TARIFF On the contrary was
| 1t not saying to the Republicans. "Your
tariff is all right IN principle-its free list,
it's various imposts are all right--only we
think it little too high. we want to cut
down the one hundred million surplus rev.
enue and so we are on a still hunt for
| war taxes to cut them down and SO we
| 90 for reduced tariff" "War taxesI"
| Why the revenues of this government
| have been raised from imposts from the
| foundation of the republic-whereas the
Internal revenue iniquity is the very spawn
of an internecine war. Mr.. Secretary
Chase, Lincoln's first Treasury minister,
when early in the war being urged to
adopt this system replied: "Never! the
American people will never endure an
excise tax" and yet hardly had six months
elapsed when the pressure for the sinews
| of war had BECOME SO exigent that he
| yielded under protest and adopted it con-
| feSSedly as war measure, war neceSsi-
| ty. And now we see Democratic Com
mittee of Ways and Means nineteen years
after the close of the war. passing over
this war tax and the whole abominable
system. and by solemn vote in CAUCUS en-
acting that the repeal of the odious sys-
tem-nay not It's repeal, hut any modifca-
tion of it in two or three of its features,
shall be postponed and subordinated to
and made dependent upon prior adop-
ton of the Morrison bill, .sor The passage
of a tariff-reform BILL" And Mr.. Tucker
was amongst them and of them. Now,
if Mr.. Tucker misrepresented nine
out of every ten Democrats of Vir-
ginia on his tarif-reform bill, or
touching the tariff in any shape or form
during this Congress, I make bold to
say without fear of contradiction that as
to this internal revenue matter, he mis-
represented ninety-nina out of every hun
dred Democrats, not only of his district,
but of all Virginia.
And to what good purpose was 1t all ,
What sort of wisdom or common sense IS
1t when there stood hostile Senate to
block it and hostile President to veto all
their actions. And when this was pressed
home upon them, they boldly avowed they