The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-11

Gull palgn, WHICH mas Deen uelayeO Dy
unfortunate circumstances beyond the
reach Of mortal ken, took place last
evening at the old Opera house when
Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, the great Con-
federate chieftain and one of the most
renowned ex-governors of the common
wealth, made one of the best, ablest and
most digestive speeches on the existing
political condition of the country that
has ever been heard in this city.
General Lee was driven in a carriage
from the hotel to the Opera House by
Chairman E. R. Woodward, of the exec
utive committee, and other prominent
Democrats.
On the stage were the members of the
executive committee, William A. Glas.
cow, j. Allen Watts, Roy B. Smith, Hon.
M. G. Thomas, Col. r. II. Logan, Thos.
W. Miller. Col. John e. Penn and
others.
John M. Hart, on The part of the city
executive committee, introduced the
speaker to the large audience, which
filled every seat in the house, amid en-
thusiastic applause.
General Lee began his speech, which
lasted an hour and half, by saying
that from the days of Washington
when Alexander Hamilton favored a
strong paternal government and the
sage of Monticello. who founded the
great Democratic party, which always
had commended that the government
should be for the people and not the
people for the government, there had
always been two great political parties.
The Democratic party had always
believed that the people who are
least governed are best governed, and
the very word itself means the party
for the people.
We are now, he said to elect q gov
ernor and State government and one of
the most important legislatures that has
ever been selected in this State, among
whose other duties would be to elect
forty one judges. The convention that
selected O'Ferrall, Kent and Scott was
one of the greatest conventions on
record, and 1t was the duty OF all good
Democrats to help plant the banner car
ried by them on the ramparts of victory
The speaker here paid tribute to the
worth and fitness OF the Democratic
candidates, all Of whom were good men,
tried and true. he then asked: WHO
stands to resist the Democratic MONT.
nees? Where is the old enemy of De-
mocracy? Where is the G. o. p?
Where is the Republican party that
once had for it's leaders such men as
Wilson and Thad. Stevens, Sumner and
Chase, and later on by Blaine and Gar
field and by Cameron and Mahone?"
Whatever else may be said about them
they we're brainy and brave.
Where are they now? William Malone
is in Petersburg. His battle flag is
gone and his sword is hanging against
the wall. Cameron is at Chicago, John
Wise is in New York and poor Harry
Riddleberger is sleeping his last sleep
Look down over the field. what do you
see in their place as opponents of the
party? A little struggling force with
strange leaders, with strange banners,
bearing curious devices, accompanied by
such people as General Weaver, the
South hater, and the long haired states
man, Mrs. Lease.
The general then spoke of the record
of Weaver, the last years Populist can
didate, and of the support General (?)
Field received in his own county, Able
marie, where he got seventeen votes,
three from his own precinct He thor
oughly dissec.ed the former platform of
the Third party, which had been cut
down since last year to four planks, the
government warehouse and Womans
rights planks being taken out to make
it more palatable to Southern people.
The speaker then read extracts from
the State auditors reports, showing the
increase in the material prosperity of
Virei nia under Democratic rule, in gen
eral wealth, in appropriations to schools,
asyluns, the Confederate home. and in
the satisfactory settlement OF the vexa-
tious State debt question.
He referred to the letter of accept
ance of Candidate Cooke in humorous
way and spoke of Grover Cleveland as
the only. man in the country who had
the courage to throttle the money
power-a Liam who found the treasury
empty and left in it SlOO, 0OO 600 for Mr.
Harrison to begin his administration on
where Is that money now?" he asked;
where are the Hebrew children? where
now ia the good old Moses?" There
was not law on the statute books that
was not written there by a Republican
Congress and signed by Republican
President
he reviewed at length the financial
Legislation now pending in Congress
and then gave clear, plain, practical
and able exposition of the silver cues.
ton that Was easy to understand and at
the same time forcible and convincing.
He touched on the tariff, which he said
was the most important question before
Congress-, and dealt some hard blows st
the high prohibitive tariff of the Repub-
lican party, which was making paupers
and millionaires at fearful rapidity.
General Lee closed his able address,
which was listened to attentively
throughout the whole time by the large
audience, by ventilation OF the scan
dalous and expensive pension legisla-
ton. which was paying out over one
half the entire revenues OF the Govern
ment in pensions alone.