Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-10-08
Stauutorg SpecluseS.
Local Department..
The Speech of Col. Jas. HI. Skinner to
the Cleveland and Hendricks Work.
tngmen's Legion.

Eh&hnemrS Legion.
By invitation of the Clevelend and Hendricks
Workingmens Legion of this city, Col. Jas. FL.
Skinner delivered an able speech in their Hall
on last Friday night
He commenced by saying that he had just
read an account of the grand ovation and |
hearty welcome given to Grover Cleveland by |
the citizens of Baffalo-his home-who knew
him best and honored him most, and endorsed
him as an able, honest, and incorruptbie pupilc |
servant. whose election to the Presidency would |
be a blessing to the whole country. We are
now engaged in an important and vital contest |
in which we have the same old antagonist to |
meet who will retain power, if possible, "by |
hook or by crook" The Republicans have al
ways been our enemies, and they distrust, or af-
feet to distrust us, and assert that it would not
be safe to entrust us with the COVE rnment of |
the country. The people of the South have, |
since the war. done all that is consistent with |
honor to demonstrate their loyalty, but seem
ingly in vain.
We have voted for Northern men whose |
loyalty was above suspicion, and even voted
for Republican-Horac Greeey-for Presi- |
dent. We have voted in succession for Horace
Greedy, an able and honest Republican; for |
Samuel j. Tilden. an able statesman and dis
tinguished reformer; for Gen. Hancock, no. |
will vote for Gov. Cleveland, an able, honest, |
and incorruptible public servant; and yet the |
Republicans ailcge that it would not be safe to |
entrust the Democratic party with power. The
hope of the success the Republican party is
based upon an ignorant suffrage in the South
and corrupted suffrage in the North. Tilden
was elected by a majority of the electoral vote,
and by majority of a quarter of million of
the popular vote, and yet he was cheated out of
it; but he is more honored in his privacy than
the mar who was declared to be elected.
We are blamed for maintaining a solid South
We are compelled to do SO for the sake of all
we hold dear. A million Of men in the South
who are untitled to exercise it properly, Fave
been invested with the right of suffrage. The
rights of the whites of the South should be
guarded by the whites, and, in the circum-
stances in which they are placed, the whites are
compelled, by every consideration of patriot
ism and enlightened self-entrust, to stand
shoulder to shoulder in the protection of
their rights and liberties. We should be ruled
by white men elected by white men, and not
by white men elected by colored men, At his
home at Mentor in 1880, Garfield expressed his
views of about freedom unaccompanied by wis
dom.
Col Skinner expressed the opinion that the
people of the North, if they properly under
which we are surrounded, would throw their
unjust prejudices to the winds
In abiding to the corrupt modes of influence
ing the elections adopted by the Republican
party, he referred to the banquet of congratula.
ton given to Dorsey for having purchased the |
vote of Indiana, by the use of what they face |
tiously called SOAP" thus giving the name of
cleansing agent to the corrupt practice, the |
Chinese call the smallpox pearl" and the |
pustules heavenly blossoms" He would like |
to see those rot in the penitentiary who engage |
in debauching suffrage. Tilden said it was me-
cessary to have a majority of two-thrds at the
beginning ofa canvass to ensure a majority at
the election, so influential is the use of "soap'
and the corrupt agencies Of the numerous Of
fice-holders
They have converted our government into
plutocracy, in which money is the ruling power.
He quoted Murat Halstead, a prominent Re-
publican, as saying that they would elect
Blaine by the same means that they secured |
the vote of Indiana and Maine, by purchase, |
and that they would certainly do SO, for they |
could not afford to be defeated.
Col. Skinner then referred to Gov. Cleveland
saying that he had studied his career with a
great deal of care, and, after tracing his life
from boy of ID years of age when a store-boy |
serving at only $50 year, through ali the of |
fetal positions he has filled with such marked |
distinction, he said that he had uniformly look
ed to the interests of the peoplelhe served, and
not to his own individual interests. That he
was man of ability, honesty, and courage
that he made good Mayor, and good Gov
ernor, and would make good President There
was no act of his public life that was not con-
sistent with his duty. He read and comment
ed forcibly on the letter of Cleveland to his
brother which We published some weeks ago,
as indicating the true character of the man,
solicitous alone for the public welfare. He
thought it was with Cleveland, as with Solo,
mon, that wisdom and knowledge had been
given to him that he might rule we'll and wise
ly.
Between the letter of Cleveland to his broth
er, and those of Blaine to his "dear friend
Fisher well preserved by Mulligan, the
contrast is very striking.
Col. Skinner gave his views upon the subject
ofcivil-service reform. He said he was in fa-
vor of a divorce of administrative offices from
politics. He was opposed to office holders MAX
ing political machines of the offices they held.
They should be confined strictly to the perform
ance of the duties of their offices, and should
not neglecJ the official duties incumbent upon
them to perform to become political canvass
ers.
He said he would turn out of Office, first, those
who had used their offices as political ma
Chimes and then those who are unfit to hold
them, and that, as an old darkie said, would be
about "three-thirds" of Them
He alluded briefly to the unjust operation of
the present tariff, showing that it inflicted a
very great wrong upon the people in taxing
them annually to the amount of SlO0 co., COO
more than the necessities OF the government
require. The whole expenses of the govern
ment during the most expensive year of Buch-
anan's administration was S72,000000, sum
much less than is wrongfully and uselessly tax
en- from the people every year by the preeent
tariff Virginia is now paying into the Federal
treasury at the rate of three millions q year
more than is necessary, and when she puts
four millions into the Treasury, she puts ten
millions into the pockets of protected manu-
factureTs.
Col. Skinner concluded by exhorting his au-
dience not only TO work and to vote in this
election, but to persist in their efforts in all
subseq nent contests whatever fate should be-
fall them, and that he was himself resolved to
fight on and to fight ever, and that he would
vote os long as he should be able to drag himself
to the polls. That's the spirit that will win.
Be sure TO vote.
CLEVELAND & HENDRICKS CLUB AT CRAIGs-
-vrLLE.-On Friday night, the 3rd instant,