The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-10-09
Tnckar al MI. Sidney.

Mr.. Tucker delivered characteristic
harangue at NJ t. Sidney on last Saturday
night, the Sd nst.. to what may be termed
q fair sized au dience. including the Spring
/ Hill Band an Democratic club, which
were brought over to make racket fol
him, and &c oddly number of Republicans
who came to gether to enjoy Mr.. f. IS ludi-
crous express 5ions and laugh at his ridicu-
lous antics. ;and they were most aSsuredly
splendidlyeI Itertained (; the famous clowns.
Mike Lipms III and John LoWloW. suffered
total eclip Sc.
/ When we arrived on the ground, Mr..
Tucker hat already begun his speech and
was denol lncing the Republican party.
with Mr.. Elaine at its head, as a den of
rogues ant swindlers, and appealing with
the fery0r and eloquence of which he is
master, to the ex-COnfederate element to
stand by I Jim and the Democratic party.
He consm ned probably an hour in nisrep-
resentlng and abusing Mr.. Blaine and Re-
pubhcans generally. and the most ardent
and earn ,st efforts to arouse the passions
and RESI- ntments of the old soldiers
against he Republican party for it's war
measure and reconstruction acts. but did
NOT mel ton once in all that time that he
is the S; tme John Randolph Tucker whoin
1860 an d 81. went all over the State making
the sal ne imprisoned appeals to their
prelud ces, and was more responsible for
their d ardshlps and sufferings than all the
old sol lierS within the sound of his voice
lie omplained bitterly that the increase
OF ma jerial wealth was proportiOnaly so
much greater at the North than at the
South but failed to state that he himself
is dot 1g all in his power to keep prosperity
away from us as witness his recent re-
marx III regard to the FirmStOneS and
Long dale.
lie said he was not for free trade. but
for tariff for revenue only.'' and went
throl lgh great deal of sophistry to prove
That the laborer'S wages are all consumed
by t ne present high tariff, in the face of
the llVlng TACT that wages are now much
higl Ter. and everything the wage Garner
nee Is or buys, except tobacco and whiskey.
are now very much cheaper than they ever
were under free-trade.
lie contradlcted himself in several in
| stances, particularly in his description of
! the workings OF the "Infernal'' Revenue
system. He first explained that this rev
evenue is all paid by the consumer, and
thea said the people of Virginia pay 81
uoo&n0 on tobacco, thereby making each
man. woman and child. in the State
''chsaw or smoke about SO lbs. or in the
| aggregate some twelve OF thirteen million
lie said he had been mainly instrumental
IN the seduction of the tax ON tobacco.
But ne knew there was no one present to
confront him with the congressional re-
cord which refuteS the assertion.
lie spoke OF the western land grants as
great Republican swindle, but failed to
state that by these same land grants the
Great American Desert had been oblit-
Grated from the face Of the Continent
and III its stead there had sprung up, as if |
by magic, hundreds Of populous and |
thriving towns, and in that land where |
only few short years ago the wild and |
untutored savage. the buffalo, and the |
grizzly bear We're wont to roam at will, |
there now exists q great and fourishing
empire, dotted all over with the comfort I
able homes of millions of happy and pros
porous families. In short, that by that
magnificent stroke on the part of the Re
puDllcan party the desert had been liter
ally transformed into "a land flowing with
milk and honey
He opposes the Blair Educational Bill
because it is u miserable Yankee measure
and designed to drive out of our schools
all the textbooks whose authors are south
ern men, and substitute those written by.
infamous Yankees, and to force upon the
south mixed schools, besides being uneon-
StltuGl0nal, and declared most yehemently
that no such mean Yankee device should
ever be fastened ON Virginia with his con-
sent. No one save Mr.. Tucker can see
any such features in the bill.
He opposed the Plero-pneumonia bill
because it was unconstitutional and would
create another bureau, and he did not
want any mean Yankee Republican going
around the country killing peoples cattle
without their consent, thereby admitting
what he did not intend to admit, that he
has no hopes of Democratic administra-
t1on in the near future. a
He voted against the appropriation for
the relief Of the Ohio and Mississippi
flood sufferers because it was unconsGitu-
tlenal. Thank God. that only three men
III eighty of the American House of Rep
resentativeS were afflicted with Mr.. Tuck
er's constitutional scruples.
He ridiculed the idea that he is afraid to
meet the Republican candidate in debate,
but gave no reason for his persistent re-
fusal to meet him in open discussion. The
reason is patent to any well informed man
who listens to his sophistries.
Mr.. Tucker closed a two and half or
three hour harangue without any other
results than having created a great deal of
amusement for everyone present. Chas.
Grattan, Esq. then took the stand and
abused Mr.. Blaine, Gen. Malone, At
torney-General Blair, Mr.. FAIR, and the
republican party generally, for half an
hour. The BourbOns and their little boys
whoOped and the band made racket, and
the audience dispersed, the Republicans
well satisfied with their evenings fun, and
the Democrats, well we hope they were
satisfied, too. w.
s ] |