Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-10-30
THE REPUBLICAN GIMP.

| NIFTY OF TAKING IT; WHEN 1T WAS TENDER
ED, rY,sHIsKs THE CONTEXT.
| The Republican camp was in council Mon
| day and procured the Court house for tht1
performances. The rank and file were SLOW
coming in. The audience was slim when MIR
8. Brown Allen came in with N;r. r. b. Berk
eley. of Farmville. and Mr.. w. S. Lurty, tn
candidate for Attorney General. After awhile
the house was filled to the extent Of abou
three hundred negroes in the gallery and two
hundred white men on the main floor, forty Oh
more of whom were democrats.
| Mr.. s. Drawn Allen opened the ball, by say
| ing he was performing the duties of Mr.. W. E
| Craig, the County Chairman, VITO was absent
and that he would. be.ure introducing Mr.
Berkeley, give the result of his observat ons o.
| the caLvass generally for he had been around
through the State and everywhere he was ask
ed, what is the matter with Republicans IN
Augusta?" To which Mr.. w. II. Pey ton re-
| sponded, Nothing, but the Valley Virginlan.'.
MIR. Allen, continuing, said he had just return
ed from a canvass of six days and six nights In
Rockbridge and all was right there, and that
"the Republicans at several precincts would
mob Jim Frazier if the opportunity offered"
He claimed the State as safe for Malone by ten
thousand majority, If the b 'llots the Republi-
cans put in the box were counted lie then
introduced Mr.. II. B. Berkeley, of Farmvii1e.
Mr.. Berkeley com menced by referring to the
refreshing feeling with which he greeted the
Republican of the Valley. AS usual and on
the same old line, he talked about the ostra-
cism he had suffered herein Stanton and else
where because of his political associations He
hammered away awhile about the telegram he
sent Captain Mckinney congratulating him on
L. 90. Goxv nd h,y,fy Na
largely on their social and friendly relations.
BE then proceeded with more personal mat
tiers, for the Introduction of which be seemed
to perceive necessity for apology This time
it was his appearance In the conference of the
kickers against Malone held recently in Rich
mond, and then scored the democratic and
assistant democratic papers because, what he
had said in that conference had NOT been pub
Berkeley all the time. and his in, portarce in
the field of politics.
Coming down as he said TO business his pa
laver of sweet words for the erripg Republicans
and the poor deluded democrats was thrown
in all the wav through his harangue which sp-
pealed In almost every sentence TO the preju-
dices and ignorance of the negroes not to say
to worse motives on his part; thus contradict
ing his honeyed words as he charged that the
democrats were responsible for the course of
slavery" and that RepubIicansm lifted the
blight from the country. Then he made fling
at his own people of the East, when be said, ''If
the negroes were taken from Eastern Virginia
the white people would starve."
Mr. Berkeley brought in the debt question,
but, as fluent as he is in the command OF words,
left it in muddled condition. ana yet to be
settled by Malone and the Republican party.
The tariff and public schools came 10 also for
his treatment, and it WIS evident his sophist-
ry and deceptive harss words. instead of his
oily tender of discussion, was the line he had
really proposed to follow In his performances
as demagogue. His attempt to introduce the
Episcopal Church into his tumble Of politics
fell fiat as the point he made in that connec-
ton was obscure.
Mr.. W. S. Lurty, the Republican candidate
for Attorney General. was then introduced.
He commenced with high flashy reference to
Mr.. Berkeley and bis ancestry. the Berkeleys
Of the colony, and could not pass thu ostracism
which the speaker here to day had eaconnter
ed for his course in politics. be then launch
ed off into denunciation of Judge Jno. T. aar.
ris, who was here to day outside of the Court
honse speaking to democrats. He said he had
invited Harris to meet him in discussion. but
be (Harris) Shared nos do it. He reflected on
Harris manhood during the war, which, he
said, was 1.-THE rich mans war anu the poor
mans fight" and now he again challenged
Harris to meet him now and in this place. He
said he had made fifty speeches, ard over the
ridge democrats were nocking to his side. He
wanted to see the books at Richmond and at
lie Asylums, and then spoke of cVij things
going on at the Asylums He contiaue to in
.roduce Judge Harris name and public life. |
renewing his challenge for discussion About
his time 1t was announced at the door that
Harris was, coming in to accept his offer for
discussion and there was pause in the mean
lime, Lurty sitting down. He arose and said,
ST eft him come in. If no other way he (Lurty)
would open window and bring him In that
way," He rantet and said, Harris dared not
meet him-his coming in. was sham." 10
connection with these declarations, he referred
TO Judge Harris and any other democratic
speaker in the matter of discussion, and said,
Il let them come" and Lay on McDuf, and
damned be he who first cries. hold, enough"
Ofcourse during all this time the excitement
was intense, as the people outside OF the Court
house knew Judge Harris had heard of Mr.
Lurty's talk and that he was going in. The
Court house was soon packed with peoples
scores standing up on the seats and benches,
and Mr.. Allen, the Chairman of the Republic
,an meeting, standing on the dssk of the
Judges bench with hat in hand waving and
nuqzaing as the phases in the scene seemed 70
ayor his side of the matter. Mr.. Allen vain
y tried to obtain order as Judge Harris as
,ended the stand At this point, lodge Harris
turned to the excited crowd, and In few dis
passionate words secured silence, and then
~ tol
MIN on the outside. He said in the speech
which he had just made he had not called MIR
Lurty's name, or made any reference to him
and If he had done SO, 1t would have been in a
manner, adding that Mr.. Lurty was
i ON his town. He then said he had been
challenged by Mr.. Lurty to meet him at that
lime. He was present for the purpose and
asked for Mr. Lynn, Chairman of the Demo-
cratic Committee, TO come forward and ar
range for the discus sion About that time
Mr.. Lurty. speaking to Judge Harris in a loud
voice, said, "he CLurty) had challenged Harris
that morning in n;arrisonburg and before
leaving for Staunton to a joint discussion and
Harris declined" Harris replied, saying he
supposed Lurty was speaking plsyfully and
he (Harris) had replied under that npression.
Mr.. Lynn appeared soon after Judge Harris
called for him. and he and Mr.. Allen had a
the time excitement aud yell
ing going on. The terms proposed by either
side were not satisfactory to the other. Mr..
Lynn says, that he said to Mr.. Allen, he
would accept any terms for Judge Harris, even
to giving Lurty, who had challenged. the clos
ing speech, and putting the opening on Har-
ris If the Republican side would agree to go
out on the Court Green where there were
seven hundred or more people who could not
get in the Court house." This Mr.. Allen re-
fused. When stating his position in the mat
ter and introducing foreign circumstances TO
govern his action, the crowd wera not dis
posed 10 listen to Mr.. Allen, and Mr.. Edward
Echos mounted the stand and appealed to
Democrats to hear Mr.. Allen, and some quiet
was again obtained.
Mr.. Allen, in stating the terms they offered.
which req uired Judge Harris to open, cited in
stances which had occurred between Senator
Danie and himself and Judge Harris and
himself IN other parts of the State, AMI said
Harris had told him that he was rot well and
did not care for discussion. Harris promptly
replied THANK God L am well now" He then