Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1892-08-15

to please themselves. 1t was upon the
assurance Of the constitution that con-
grcss should not interfere with the elcc-
tions unless a state was in such posi-
tion as not to be able to carry them on
by itself, that North Carolina ratified
the constitution. How can it be said
that the Southern States, as prosperous
as they are, can need this yoke and be
further disgraced and degraded as they
have already been Ivy our oppressors!
There is but one wav to stop this and
that is by the people rising up i'll their
might and saying by their ballots that
it must not be done. say that the man
in the South who votes for such meas
ure doesn't deserve to live among south
ern people. don't purpose to stir up
bad blood, but feel Inundated and dis
graced as one who lives in a country
that is about to be troddcn under loot,
and raise my voice for the people.
can understand how there can be differ
cnCes on politics and free silver and the
tariff, but for the life of me | can't see
how there can be on questions involving
the liberty of the people. Yet evenin the
South this is two-sided question and
you find people who are willing to have
this law passed. Now say te you old
soldiers who have risked your lives and
laced the mouths of cannons for your
liberty, are you willing to give up your
rights. (Crics of never! nevernO
"Some say it was a good thing that
tie South was beaten in the war, but |
say no. If we had such men as Davis and
Lee at the head of our government now
we would have the best government on
earth. one for, of and by the people. We
were forced at last to lay down our
arms and were promised that we could
as before but when we tried it we were
oppressed all the more. 1t seems as il
they are determined to crush us out and
put the heel of oppression on our heads.
Senator Teller, of Colorado, who by the
way is a republican, said when congress
reassembled that he had read the force
bill through twenty times and that it
was the most infamous measure that had
ever passed the threshold of congress-
| Judge Merrimon concluded amid the
cheers of the crowd. W. w. Stringfcld
who followed him, introduced a strik-
ingly dramatic incident into his speech.
After paying a glorious tribute to 1.-THE
united soldiery of the Confederacy to
whom belongs all glory" he graspcd a
large United States flag and wrapping
It around his head and shoulders ex-
claimed:
81 fought this flag for four years, but
want to say right now. as Confeder
ate officer, although am Sc years old
that it the United States government is
assailcd from any quarter of the globe
I'll fight for it anywhere. My grand
father followed this flag in the revolu
ton, my father fought for it in 1912 and
my brother in the Mexican war, and al
though fought for four years the mer
who carried it am now ready to fol-
low it anywhere.
and" added Major Stringheld, after
a pause, 1.-THE man that says won't is a
| liar"
j. NJ. Gudger of the Rough and Ready
guard, warned the old soldiers against
making the force bill a possibility, and
Gen. X. b. Vance, though avoiding poll
tics, made one of his whole soued
speeches which go right to the heart o
the old soldiers. He eulogized the brave
men who fell, in an earnest. touching
manner and paid high tribute to thos,
who are left. AS to North Carolina h,
said her soldiers had been in every battle
that had ever been fought in the United
States and that her soldiers had gotter
the name of Tar heel because they stucl
to battle fields so well. Gen. Theodor,
Davidson, wearing his old moth eater
army coat OF Confederate grey wa
greeted with cheers when he appeared il
response to the popular call and made ;
fine speech lasting five minutes. Gen
Davidson explained the states refusal t.
let the veterans have tents, to whicl
Col. Ray had referred, by saving tina
the tents were not the states propert.
and it had no right to lend them
Capt. Matt Atkinson also spoke.