The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-09-17

of Messrs. Lee and Daniel on Saturday
last must have proven instructive, at least
in one respect. They served to show the
splendid courage of the Virginia chiyalry
when the enemy is absent. 1t came with
becoming grace from the representatives
of the manhood, the intelligence, the
wealth aud the character of the State, to |
abuse and malign their opponents whom
they had declined to face on the fair field !
of debate. In the presence of the pure
womanhood Of Augusta, it must have |
seemed peculiarly appropriate that these I
cultured gentlemen should run the whole |
scale of a-r,-whisper. hiss and howl it,
and handy its kindred epithets with flu |
ency which practice only could give. And
when it is remembered, too, that not a |
week before, those who stood as sponsors
for the Democratic candidate refused, on
behalf of their champion, fair division OF
time with s. Brown Allen, the full splen
dor of the knightbood of Fitzhugh Lee,
in his reference to the man he dared not
face, as the biggest liar in the Common
H.,
sure the statement was somewhat hypo |
thetical If Allen stated such and such a
thing, as the speaker had every reason to
believe he had, then the epithet applied.
The opportunity was given him to hear
exactly what Allen did say. 1t was not
| necessary that he should receive it second
hand. Nor is it at all probable that any
sensible man would have stated that the
election of Lee or any one else would close
every school house in the State Yet it
was upon this idea that Genl Lee based
his remark. and the conclusion was ire
sistible that he was simply seeking an ex-
| cuse, however slender it might be, to
strike an enemy in the back. And this is
the apostle of peace this the representa-
tive of reconciliation and brotherly love.
| God save the mark.
When Jno. w. Daniel spoke III Staunt0n
four years ago, his competitor was here to
meet him, and though in the discussion
Daniel friends admitted that he had more
| than met his match, his speech on
that occasion was infinitely more credita-
| Bile than that of Saturday last There was
no unmanly personal abuse then. His
opponent was present to hurl back any false
or foul charge he might make, and shorn
of his plumes as he was, he yet left the
crowd that heard him carrying the respect
of each listener, irrespective of party.
Not so on Saturday last. The manhood of
Augusta is not yet prepared to appreciate
the valor of him who, less than a year ago,
shrank from every polemic encounter with
his competitor, and now uses the splendid
gifts which are his to heap the foulest
abuse on one who is hundreds OF miles
away and whom he dares not meet. And
yet this is the man it is proposed to ele
vate to the Senate; this the embodiment
of Virglnia's worth and chivalry (?)
One would naturally suppose that speakers
so free to charge falsehood upon others,
would be especially guarded as to their
own statements, and cautiously keep within
the strict letter Of the truth. Reckless
ness breeds recklessness, however, and in
this case the rule applies with striking
emphasis. There were few assertions
made by either speaker that could not be
successfully controverted, did time and
opportunity permit. To only one will we
advert now. Each committed himself
point blank upon it, and as it is a plain
matter of record, each must have made his
statement deliberately and with full
knowledge of the facts. Fitz Lee stated
that the Democrats approved the Blair
Educational bill, under which Virginia
would have received a gift of 900,
and that its failure to pass was due to the
opposition of Sherman in the Senate and
Hiscock in the House, Republicans who
| declared that they were not willing the
fund should be distributed by the white
men of the South. Jno. Daniel averred
that of the ''36 Democrats in the Senate
tW0.thwds of them approved the bill, " and
that owing to the hostility of Sherman
and Hiscock it was delayed in reaching
the House, and placed so low on the cal
endar that it could not be considered.
! These are the deliberate statements of the
men whose tongues are ever ready to hurl
the lie when the object of their anathema
is out of range. They were made for the
purpose of deceiving the people into the
belief that to the hostility of Republicans,
in spite of the efforts of Democrats, was
due the failure of the Blair bill, measure
that would have been of such vast benefit
to Virginia.
We don't deal in epithet, but let the
record speak for itself. The Blair bill
was introduced by Republican, Senator
Blair of New Hampshire. in Republican
Senate. Its bitterest and most unrelent-
| ing opponent was THos. F. BAYARD of
Delaware. whose name was cheered in the
meeting on Saturday, now Secretary of
State under the Democratic President.
| The bill passed the Senate by vote OF
| thirty-three to eleven. Of the thirty
three who voted for it, twenty were Re-
publicans and thirteen Democrats. is 10
taco-thirds Of 1922 OF the eleven who
voted against it, nine were Democrats
Bayard being the first, and two were Re-
ALL
The bill went to a house that was Dem
ocratic by seventy odd majority on the
18th of April, 1884. There it remained for
three months, not a single Democrat turn
ing his hand in it's behalf. In July, Mr..
White of KY, a Republican, moved to
suspend the rules and take up the bill out
of its order. That motion could only pre-
vail.by unanimous consent. If one men,
Der objected it failed. One member did
object. Was it Hiscock? No. Was it
any Republican No. 1t was JNo. RAN
DOLPH TUCKER, the man who paraded
over Rockbridge with Fitzhugh Lee!
Who introduced him at Lexington and
whom he quotes and applauds on all occa-
sions. Since fuckers objection, there
has been a session of Congress, with the
Democrats still holding tremendous
majority in the House, and yet there has
not been euea1 q motion to consider the bill.
| These are facts which cannot be dis
puted and they stand out in utter condem-
| nation of Fitz Lee, Daniel and all who
seek To nervert and misranrasent tham