The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-09-18
DEMOCRACY.
THE DEMOCRATIC MASS MEETING
LAST NIGHT IN FRONT OF
THE STATE CAPITOL.
by Hon. ID. e. Gid
dings, J.H. McLeary, j. III.
Robertson and dudley
G.. WOOten.

VI JIG young lueu democratic CIu
, OF Austin, there was large and Ell
thuSlastlc meeting last night in from
, of the capitol.
Hon. A. Z. Woodbridge presided
Mr.. Lambert secretary.
AS there were several speakers onl
limited notice can be given OF thei
several remarks.
Col. Glddings was the first speaker
lie alluded IN scathing terms to tn
fact that republican leaders sought t.
dodge the records. They were lik
quartermasters in defeated cause
anxious to destroy the evidences O
accountability. Blaine had been
school teacher and editor, which il
themselves were not such lucrativ
positions as to account for the I'M
mense fortune which Blaine had &C
quired, estimated at over million O
dollars.
Col. Giddings referred to charge.
made against Blaine on republican
testimony, showing that he had bar
tered his influence as speaker to Sc
cure the passage of a bill in congress:
for which service he received $1,000
and $500 more which he demanded
after the bill passed. The two checks
for these amounts had been produced
and Blaine'S endorsement of the
checks had never been and could not
be denied. These charges were es
tablished by republican, not demo
cratic evidence.
Col. Giddings ridiculed the idea oil
calling Blaine the "Plumed Knight
He was a conScript, and a conscripi
could not be termed a plumed knight
The character of Cleveland was
graphically drawn in contrast with
that of Blaine. Cleveland's oppo.
nents of prominence in New Y ork
were mainly those who had been
checkmated by Cleveland's political
honesty. Even Kelly, and the Tam
many party OF New York had en-
| dorsed the ticket, as he felt confident
they would.
Such men as Cleveland and Hen
bricks, the speaker argued, were
wanted in Office. The republicans
had been so long in power, and cover
ed up SO much official corruption that a
| change was necessary. Investigation
by the republicans, as he knew by his
own experience, had been a farce. 1t
was right for the people to have a
change, and to have the electric light
of scrutiny cast upon the workings of
every department of the government.
| Nothing could be done by inVestiga-
ton wit hout the aid of the heads of
departments. When the committee,
of which he (Col. g. was a member,
| traced the evidence of fraud and cor
ruption to particular ledger, and ap-
plication was made for the production
| of the books, the ledgers wanted
could not be found. In one case, Fred
Grant, who, as son of President Grant,
was called before the committee as a
witness, and was at the time on Gen.
Sheridan's staff, testified that, in furn-
ishing supplies for the Indians, two
packages had been landed and receipt
ed tor as the entire cargo of the steam
er. In another instance a large
amount of supplies were appropriated
for private speculation. Fred said he
had told his pa so, but nothing was
done about it.
Col. Giddings paid his respects to
Wash Jones, who, like Butler, was a
political widow, counting every posi-
BILE faction from which he could hope
for countenance and support.
The speaker concluded by abiding
to the state and national contests. He
had no doubt of the success of both
the state and national ticket, but our
aim should be to give both a grand
majority in Texas.
Col. Giddings' address was received
with marked favor, eliciting applause.
Ex-Attorney-General J. II. Nc
Leary, state elector, was introduced as
the next speaker, and spoke over an
hour and half, making powerful and
exhaustive arguments, covering all
the chief issues in the state and ma.
tional contest. 1t was truly grand
address, showing that the speaker had
earnestly prepared himself for his
work in the canvass, and that the
convention had made one of
in appointing him one of the chief
standard bearers of the party. He in
tended to do his work in the canvass,
he said, to the best of his ability,
though, as he humorously remarked,
he did not expect to canvass the en-
tire state, which would require him to
speak in every county, and to do that
he would have to take his meals in
some parts Of the state thousand
miles apart the same day.
Gen. McLeary's address was so COM
plete and covered so many points,
that it would take several columns of
THE STATESMAN and hours of time
more than the reporter has at COM
mand to notice even to limited ex-
cent itslmany important features.
Gen. McLear,1 was often humorous,
and at times eloquent as well as forci-
BILE in his remarks, frequently eliciting
applause and sometimes even from
some of the many colored people pres
ent, who, by the way, remained and
listened with marked attention to all
the speakers.
Abiding to Wash Jones, the speak
er said nobody would have the repub-
lican nomination, which had been
| thrown out of the window of the
Houston convention and picked
up by Wash Jones. For
his own part he preferred such open
out spoken men as Evans to such men
as Jones and Rector. Jones was a sly
old coon. The malcontents, however
seemed to want only some one fol
governor, not caring even whether
Flanagan ran for lieutenant-governoI
or not. He drew the contrast very
strongly in favor of Maj. Sayers
against Judge Rector, who insisted OF
| being known as an independent can
didate. AS for Col. Costing, the Colo.
mel was not as green as the term Cos
ling implies. The Colonel was nc
goose in politics, and had been the
soul of the republican party in thi:
district ever since he had to put Still
well Russell in prison. Costing deter
mined that Rector should carry off the
republican nomination, and finding ht
could do this declined to be candi-
date himself, and forced the burden
upon Rector. I don't know whether
Rector has accepted, but it makes NJ
difference whether he has or not. Al
to Rector's position about the tarif
on wool, AID the declaration that b,
wanted the tariff of 1867 restored, ant
that wool men were robbed, Gen. Mel
argued that the republicans and theiI
tariff commission were responsible
The republicans had the chance AM
failed to restore the tariff. VIII,
. didn't they let the tariff of 1867 re
, main and then there would be no oc
casion for reduction? The speake
|, was armed with the record from tn
J books to sustain his arguments b
, said at every point. He ridicule
Judge Rector's candidacy as an inde
pendent in the expectation of gettini
the votes of democrats on the tariff o
any other issue. The Judge, like Say
ers, it was true had fought in the con
federacy, but unlike Sayers had sol
, his democracy for mess of pottagt
> and had been a republican ever sine