Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-09-26
sTAUNToN SPECTATOR AND ADVERTISER.

ABLE SPEECH OF HON. JNO.
". DANIEL.
HE SPEAKS TWO HOURS AND THIRTY
J FIVE MINUTES TO A LARGE AU-
DIENCE.
His peech was Able, Eloquent, and
Convincing.
On Monday at o'clock P. NJ, Hon. John
w. Daniel made an able, eloquent and con-
yincing speech of two hours and thirty-five
minutes duration to an audience that filled
the Courthouse whilst others were prevented
from entering for the want of room. When
it was learned that he would not arrive here
till near 3 o'clock, we feared that he would
not have a large audience as so many would
have to leave for their homes before that
hour, but such was not the case, and more
were present than could get into the Court
mouse, anu lllS Iotcutu dtlcullNcly
and with deep interest throughout his long
speech, and would have done SO for a greater
length of time 1t was both in matter and
manner one of the best and most satisfactory
speeches we ever heard from the political
rostrum. 1t was dignihed and statesmanlike,
able, logical, and with portions truly eloquent.
In the limited space at our command, we
cannot attempt report, but will be COM
PEELED to confine our notice of this great
speech to simply giving the outlines of it.
He was briefly introduced by Hon. A. G..
Gordon, Chairman of the Democratic County
Committee.
| SPEECH OF Hon. JOHN W. DANIEL.
Fellow-citizens, he commenced by saying,
"Man proposes, but God disposes." He was
prevented from being here at the Augusta
Court by the death of his little son, and was
prevented from getting here earlier on this
occasion, by the death of the grandmother OF
that little boy whose funeral he attended on
Sunday If he had consulted his personal
feelings, he would have remained at his home
| but he came here to speak in behalf of
great cause and the election of a man worthy
of that cause.
The depressed condition of the country, he
said, was not local to the State, the South, or
the nation, but all the nations of Europe have
suffered the same The hard times are not
chargeable to any party. The boom period
and our improvident action might explain the
cause in Virginia and then nature had not
been so bountiful as usual and the failure OF
the fruit crop, these contributed some to
produce that effect The Democrats did not
cause the hard times and it could not, but it
was the hard times that summoned the Demo-
cratic party to power, and they have done
great deal for the benefit of the country. From
| 1861 to 1882 years-Republicanis domi-
mated the country, and during that long time
the Democrats could not legislate. The Demo
Gratis have only been in power one year, and
| they have put down the brakes and have
planted the seeds of prosperity that will in
due time yield golden harvest.
| In 1860 under Democratic rule more people
owned their homes property was more
equally divided, and we had neither dudes,
tramps, nor beggars. Under Republican rule
business was changed, corporations and COM
binations were formed. In 1884 there was
rift in the cloud and there was 500, 900 in
| the treasury, but every dollar of that has
"gone where the woodbine twineth," and TO
| that "bourne whence no pecuniary traveller
ever returns, and in its place deficit stood,
| and revenues were falling off. In 1889 there
were ten thousand failures and the auction
bell was playing Hail Columbia throughout
the whole country. Congress cannot act
quickly on the tariff bill. 1t was as large as
the Bible, with as many articles as there are
verses in the Bible. You can only judge of
speed by comparison, and the Democrats
completed their tariff bill in less time than
the Republicans did theirs. The Democrats
have beaten all the presidents.
Moses was forty years in the wilderness,
but some old soldier said if Stonewall jack
son had been in command of the lsraelites, he
would have put them through in three days.
DR.. Draper the historian, formerly of
Hampden-Sidney and afterwards of New
York, has said that since the fall of the
Roman empire no such problems had ever
been presented to the human race as that of
harmoniZing the heterogeneous conditions of
the American people. The diversified climates,
soils, occupations and races invoked every ele
ment of wise and conciliatory states manship
In 1894 the Democrats have effected peaceful
revolution, without drawing a sword or the
shedding of a single drop of blood, have
dealt with questions, which IN other times
and less intelligent direction, would have
famed forth into civil war. The wonder IS
not that Democracy has not done better under
circumstances of deep-seated differences and
such widespread evaporation, but that it has
done so much and so we'll.
In comparison it would be easy for France
or England because Of homogeneous popula-
ton and similarity of interests, but in this
country it is as if all European nations were
in convention. The interests of New England,
the-West, and the South, which are diverse
have to be adjusted and reconciled. It is the
most difficult problem the world has ever had
to deal with.
In 1860 the tariff was behind the causes
which brought about the war of the States.-
In 1894, it was settled without bloodshed. 1t
was solved peacefully, and such could not
have been done anywhere else.
The Democratic tariff aims to be just to all.
1t is not perfectly satisfactory to him nor to
any other one man, and no tariff can be. 1t
is lower than the Morrison bill and lower
than the Mills bill. Taxes have been re-
duced and strikes are now ceasing. and the
dove of peace with the olive branch has re-
turned.
The Democrats have saved large sums by
| abolishing 600 offices, and the leaven of
economy is beginning to get IN its work, and
millions are saved. Bounties have been
abolished.
The Republicans boosted that they gave free
sugar and a free breakfast table. This is one
of those gift horses whose mouth you should
not look into, for you would find it had 49,,
100000 teeth plugged with gold filched from
the pockets of the people. Under the Nc
Kinley bill the people paid two cents tax on
every pound of sugar, and this they called
free sugar.
| The differences with the President, the
House, and the Senate, were on only four
1items-sugar, income tax, coal, and iron. In
the Mckinley bill the tax on refined sugar