Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-09-16

''let us have peace"-had been realized.
The election of Cleveland has done great
work in cementing the Union.
The Mahoneite platform was lies lies !!
He wonld rather vote for good Democrats
without any pledge or platform, than TO
vote for Mahoneite upon a platform of
scripture, written with a pen of celestial
gold, tipped with diamond from the gate of
heaven.
1t was the boast of the Republican ad-
ministration that it had a surplus of $95, 0O0,-
600 in the treasury. Such surplus was
good thing for the Republican oficeholders,
but it was bad thing for the people who
were taxed to raise that surplus.
In reference to the debt question he said
it would not down or die. In this connec-
ton he told the anecdote of the man who
went to hear minister preach at several
places in N. Y. City and Brooklyn, whose
text on each occasion was, ''Simon Peters
wife's mother lay sick of fever"-when
he felt forced to exclaim, sGood gracious,
is that old woman not dead YETI
The Republicans, he said, were response
bic for the passage of the Funding Bill
The Democrats repealed it, but the U. S.
Supreme Court decided that it was irrepeal-
able
| The Mahoneites claim that they sustain
ed the Public Schools by the passage of the
Riddleberger Bill, but this was not SO; for
it was the passage by the Democrats of the
Henkel Bill that kept the schools alives and
that was passed on March 3rd, 1879, year
before the Riddlcberger Bill was passed.
The management of the schools in 1883
was under the Mahoneite Administrations
Much had been said and no small amount
of Misrepresentation had been made con-
corning the schools when the funds were
under the control of that party in compar-
ison with their management in 1884 after
Democratic Legislature had been placed in
power. In 1884, 1000 scholars were en-
rolled, largely more than ever before. The
average attendance was $4,000 more
then the previous year by 1870 pupils.-
There were 216 more primary, and So more
graded schools. There were 1923 more in
the higher branches taught, showing an in
crease of five per cent, and 4S7 more school
houses erected than existed in 1888, and the
appropriations for school purposes in 1884,
exceeded those of 1888 by about two hum
dred thousand dollars.
The public debt was a matter for the peo-
pie to decide The Supreme Court decided
the Rlddleberger Bill to be constitutional,
but afterwards Stanley Matthews who had
delivered that opinion of the Court, chang
ed his opinion-hence the present trouble
about the debt. Virginia is sovereign in
relation to her debt. She has taken her
position and she will stand to it.
What, asked the Speaker, has become of
the Republican party in Virginia Malone,
Riddleberger, and Wise were recently
Democrats. When he met Wise in discus
sion a few years ago in Woodstock, he ex-
pressed the belief that Wise and other lead
ers of the protested Readjuster party were
going to the Republican party, when Wise
denied it with indignant emphasis, saying
'sthat he was born Democrat, was the son
of Democrat, was raised a Democrat, and
would die a Democrat" Maj. Daniel said
he supposed Wise was dead, as he was not
now Democrat. He then read portions of
Wise's famous letter in which, among other
hard things, he said that the Republicans
in Virginia were "apostates for the price of
their apostacy." Then, said the speaker,
after he had thus described the dirtiness of
the pool, he stood upon the bank and jamp-
ed in himself. The Republicans have been
swallowed by Malone.
The Mahoneites, acting upon the policy of
the thief who cries "Stop thief Stop
thief !! p charge that the Democrats have
stolen planks from their platform, when the
truth is that they have stolen about all that
is good in their platform from the Demo-
Gratis. The planks in reference to convict
labor, store orders, and the eight-hour law
are examples-the latter having been adopt
ed by the Democrats as long ago as 1858.
The Democrats organized labor COM
mittee-instituted Labor Bureau-abnl-
ished the contract labor system-establish-
ed the commissioner of agriculture, &c.
The Democrats have been at all times the
special friends of labor and the protectors
of the rights of laboring men.
In reference to the Blair bill Maj. Daniel
said, that if we were not here in the year
1885, he would think it's constitutionality
questionable, but constitutions grow, and
he thought it too late now to discuss its con-
stitutionality. The Democrats of Virginia
are in favor of that bill or better one
Two-thirds of the Democrats in the Senate
voted for it, but John Sherman was not
willing to trust the Southern States with
the distribution of the portion that would
fall to them.
Iu referring to the candidates, Maj, Daniel
said there was no use to speak for Lee-he
had spoken for himself. In reference to
Massey he said, that there was time when
he would have come from California, scaled
the Rocky Mountains, crossed the Great
American Desert, and swum the MISSISSIPPI
pi River to reach Virginia to vote against
Massey; but the grace of God and sound
Democracy can work many changes. At
that time he was in the party with Ma
hone, who had his candidates for the Legis-
lature sworn before they were elected to
stand by the caucus; who had committee
appointed to divide the spoils; whose pur
pose it was to have commissioner of sales
who would have q monopoly of the sales;
who designed to apportion the congressional
districts SO as to elect only two Democrats
and eight Republicans. But since he saw
that old man Massey refuse to be the slave
of Mahone-saw him assert his freedom
lay down his $4,000 salary, and renounce
the power that gave it to him, he would
come from California, scale the Rocky
Mountains, cross the Great American De-
sert, and swim the Mississippi River to get
| tn Virginia TO vote for Massey