Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1888-10-16
wIson--aof Joint Discussion.

The political joint discussion be-
tween Hon. VIM. L. Wilson, member
of Congress from this district and
Democratic candidate for reelection,
on the one side, and Hon. Nathan
Golf, member of Congress from the
1st district and Republican candidate
for Governor, on the other side, came
off at Martinsburg last Saturday. The
meeting was held in the rink building,
which accommodated al audience of
several thousand persons, probably
nearly equally divided between the
two great political parties. The dis
cussion was an able one, and in it the
brilliant oratorical powers of both
| speakers were exhibited to the best
advantage. Whilst, however,, Cen
eral Golf chose to avoid a direct dis
cussion of the tariff issue, and pre-
ferred to deal in pretty figures of
| speech devoid of argument, our schol-
arly and well-postcd Congressman
piled him with unanswerable facts and
challenged their denial.
During his speech Mr.. Wilson re-
marked that Mr.. Blaine is in favor of
the tax on whiskey, because, as he
says, whiskey will be higher in price
and fewer persons will use it. He
(Nir. WILSON, was in favor of n re-
| duction in the tariff on wool because
wooden goods would then be cheaper
and more persons could use Them
The Democratic party is the party of
the workingmen tits the party of the
masses, not of the classes. One
question l want General Golf to n
swcr: "If you abolish all the rev.
enue taxes and every tax except the
tariff, where will you get the money
to run the government? The Rcpub.
licans want TO abolish the tax on wills
key, on oleomargarine-the slippery
stuff on which my friend Flick, there,
Tpointing to him came so near slid
ing into Congress last time. But he
won't have oleomargarine this time,
and he won't get in, either. [Great
laughter and cheering. If they do
abolish the revenue taxes, where will
they get the money.to run the govern
ment? 1 ask General Golf to tell me.
Among other things in Gen. Goff's
| speech, he claimed that the Republic
can party had given this State the
free school system, and asserted that
goods cost less now than they did
under the Democratic tariff, and that
the farmer gets more than he did
then. He gave the prices for farm
products and stock, which were very
low.
West Virginia. said Mr.. Wilson,
had free schools in Berkeley and JEFF
| ferson before the Republican party
was born, and will have them after it
is dead. He quoted from the record
of q sale in Berkeley county to show
that the prices were larger, far larger,
had quoted them for the period be-
fore the wal when the Democratic
tariff was in force. The farmers
yelled as every item was read out
from the schedule, and some of them
said they would like to get the same
s-s1es now; HbS RGjpt hp maae b by the
facts from the scholar. . The pen was
mightier than the sword. Both a n
didates consumed their remaining
time in explanations, Gen. Golf.
charged that the Democratic party
was bossed by Grover 1 and his lieu
tenants, Brice, Barnum, German,
Scott and others, who are all rail-
road monopolists. In the midst of
this showing the audience cried from
all parts of the house. "Tariff,
tariff" Gen. Golf said his brother
Wilson was a dodger because he had
not told what England and other for
eign countries were buying from us.
He (Gen. Goff) was speaking of
woolen goods only. He still wanted
to know where the markets of the
world were for our wooden fabrics.-
Mr.. Wilson, in reply, said Gen. Golf
was a dodger from beginning to end.
He had lodged the whole tariff dis
cussion and gcneralized on the sub
ject so. that what he said amounted
to nothing. Mr.. Wilson in conclud-
ing his ten minutes talk read the
Deacon Foster confidential letter to
place the tariff where it belongs-in
the sole interest of the manufacture
ers, whose fat ought to be fried out.
8. s. Green. u nephew of Judge Green of the
Supreme Court of Appeals, is the Democratic
nominee for judge in tho 18th (Charlcston) cir
cult.
The Neersville Band, Shepherds
town Band: Independent Band Of
Loudoun County. Charlcstown Cor
net Band, q Band from Winchester,
and perhaps one or two others, will
attend the Barbecue on the 23d.
Look out for the decoration of your
buildings on the 23d. Let the fronts
of 1-o,,r bo,,cnc lo f,;rIx, b;1 :, +1,o