Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-04-27
MEETING OF THE CLEVELAND
DEMOCRATIC CLUB.
SPEECHES BY COL. JAS. H. SKINNER
And CAPT. JAS. BUMGARDNER.

eCuIlVe COnHlllIee, as IOllOWS.-
ce-Presidents-1st Ward, Dr. B. Black
ford, G. S. Ogg, A. H. Teabo and Thomas
Kivlighan; End, Ward, J. B. Lee Ernest
Nothnagle o. NJ. Goode and J. B. Burwell.
Executive Committee A. Burke, Chair
man, I. Witt, T. A. Dawson, J. W. Splitter,
w. L. Olivier Treasurer, and Roger B. Akin
son Assistant Secretary to the Club Secretary
Mr.. Geo. w. May.
On motion, the report was unanimously
adopted.
REMARKS BY COL. JAS. II. SKINNER.
Then calls were made for Col. Jas. H. Skin
ner to address the meeting, in response to
which he made, as he always does, good and
pointed speech. He commenced by saying
that he was about TO do one of the bravest acts
of his life-make speech without having
anything to say. He came to the meeting to
| show his interest, and had made no prepara-
| ton to make speech. He said that he sup
posed all present were of one mind, and it
| was the dearest wish of his heart to see Grover
| Cleveland once more inaugurated Pres
| ident. Like Saul in Israel, he towers head
| and shoulders above all others. Our interests
He is not seeking the nomination, and has
said that he has doubts and misgivings as to
the propriety of nominating him. But the
country needs him-as Cicero said, Cato does
not need Rome but Rome needs Cato. When
in office, he performed every duty and COM
piled faithfully with every promise. There
is no use to review his administration-he is
1,Yip in no of ba
But for the bad ambition of one, who has no
chance himself, there would be no difficulty
about the nomination and reelection of Cleve-
land. 1t is the duty of every Democrat to
support the nominee of the party.
Some have criticised Cleveland for issuing
his Tariff Reform Message when he did; but
he felt it his duty to do so, and therefore did
it, for he never shirks duty. Cleveland be-
leves that platform is made to stand on,
and not merely to get in on. He wished to
have the burden of taxation lifted from the
shoulders of the people, and as a result of his
policy the Democrats have a two-thirds ma
jority in the House of Representatives, and
for the first time since the war majority of
Democratic Congressman were elected in the
Northern States, and he had done more than
any one else to break down sectionalism.
The Platform demanded Civil Service Re
form, and Cleveland was true to the platform
and faithful in the execution of the Civil
Service Laws which his obligations required,
and he did reform the Civil Service of the
country.
In his refusal 70 remove the Postmaster in
New York, he had acted, Col Skinner said
as brave and wise man, and showed that
the Democrats were not mere spokesman.
That Postmaster was Republican, but he
was good officer and was not an offensive
partisan. In Virginia he did perfectly right
in turning out of office those Malone
had put in. He concluded by recommending
the Democrats to instruct their delegates to
the State Convention, for they know their
own minds and they wanted them represent |
ed
The sentiments expressed by the speaker
were frequently loudly applauded.
REMARKS BY CAPT. JAS BUMGARDNER.
AT the conclusion of Col. SINNERS speech, |
in response to calls Capt. Jas. Bumgardner |
made some striking remarks in his usual very |
earnest and emphatic manner.
He said he believed this was a Cleveland |
Club, and if so it must needs be Democratic |
Club, for Cleveland was the personiication of |
true and genuine Democracy. The Democrats |
should nominate the best Democrat, and that |
was Cleveland, and he would receive 100000 |
more votes than any other man. The ques-
ton is, who can carry New York? He could
not tell, and did not know who could, but we
would hold on to Cleveland till it was demon
strated that some one else could certainly carry
New York. He thought Cleveland could, but !
was not sure. Fourteen States have, up to this |
time, elected delegates to the National Con-
vention, and thirteen of them have elected |
Cleveland delegates. Nineteen-twentieths of |
the Democrats prefer Cleveland His admin |
istration was the only one since the war that |
the Southern States as equal in |
rights to other States.
We should, through our delegation say to
the Chicago Convention that if you nominate
Cleveland we, in this section, will have no diff
fculty in getting all the Democrats to go to
the polls-that you could not keep them away
with parks of artillery, squadrons of cavalry |
and regiments of infantry-that they would |
go over any barricade and every obstacle; but
if you nominate some one else we will do
what we can to elect him. but we will have to
organize committees, make speeches, and
work hard to get the voters to the polls
He was rapturously applauded during the
delivery of his speech.
CAPT. JOHN n. oPIE.
Some one called Capt. Opie and he took the
stand, but it was soon very evident that his
feelings were not in accord with those of the
audience. He said he was an admirer of
Cleveland because he had defended the South,
but he did not think Cleveland should be put
before the Democracy. He was not hero
worshiper and could not go into Mysteries over
Cleveland. He said he observed that it was
the bachelors and widowers who had nobody
to love that were SO much in love with Cleye-
land. Now there in Col SIX inner who has
never been married and now wants to marry
Cleveland. Colonel Skinner said the gentle
man was very much mistaken-that tt was
Ruth he wanted to marry. This brought down
the house.
The laudation of Cleveland by the previous
speakers did not seem to be pleasant to Captain
Opie. He said that he would not put Ctev-
land ahead of the Democracy. His order
would be, LIST the South, End The Democracy,
and 3rd Cleveland. Some were unable to I'M
derstand what he wished to say or why he
said anything. Some of the Greeks thought
Aristides was too much lauded for his strict
justice
c. 3. Lohr Discharged.
The preliminary trial. before Justice Arch
Kinney, of c. B. Lohr, who was brought here
from Washington, Indiana, under the charge
of having sold horse, Charlie" that be-