Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-10-17
MEETING IN COLUMBIAN HALL

SPEECHES BY HON. R. E. BYRD OF WINCHESTER,
Hon. JOHN W. DANIEL, AND Hon. HARRY
| TUCKER
1t having been announced that Hon. r. E.
Byrd, of Winchester, would deliver a political
speech in the Columbian Hall at o'clock on
last Monday evening, an audience assembled
there at that hour, and though that large Hall
was too cold for comfort they remained inter
ested to the close of the meeting Knowing
that our space vas occupied and that we had
no room for report of his speech we took no
notes. The presence of Hon. John w. Daniel
and Hon. Harry Tucker was unexpected-the
| former was on his return from Harrisonburg
where he made a speech that day. and the
latter had just arrived from a canvassing
| tour
After music by the Black ford Band, Hon.
A. G. Gordon announced that Capt. Jas. Bum
gardner would preside and introduce the
speakers Capt Bumgardner then introduced
| Hon. r. E. Byrd, young, progressive, and
brilliant Democrat who had been appointed
State canyasser, and who had just come from
| the excitir 6 campaign in Hon. VIM. L. Viii
son sdistrict-the End W. Va. district.
Mr.. Byrd then delivered an able, eloquent.
and classic speech which would have done
credit to an older man. He did not appear as
the excuser or apologist, but as the champion
of the Democratic party, and well and ably did
he yindicate that party, showing the vast
amount Of good it had done in a short while
in remedying the gross evils of the Republ
can party.
at the close of Mr.. Byrds speech, calls were
made for Hon. John W. Daniel, when Capt
Jas. Bumgardner said that he did not intend
to introduce Mr.. Daniel-that Julius Cesar
did not need an introduction to his Tenth
Legion, nor Napoleon Bonaparte to his Old
Guard, nor Stonewall Jackson to the Stone
wall Brigade, nor John w. Daniel to the peo-
pie of Virginia.
Mr.. Daniel was hoarSe from speaking in
Harrisonburg and asked to be excused from
making speech, but he spoke briefly and
humorously and eloquenty. He said that he
had been swinging around the circle in Vir-
ginia, and that he had been in the other end
of this Congressional district, and reported all
we'll there for Tucker. He expressed the
opinion that the Democrats would certainly |
carry eight districts, and that there was a
hope that they would carry all ten.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Daniels remarks
calls were made for Tucker, who made brief |
and vigorous speech, in which he presented |
the issues between Yost and himself. He
said he did not believe that any man who
would vote for Yost would approve the plat !
form on which he stood-that Yost was for
returning to the Mckinley BILL for the con-
tinuance of tariff agitation to the injury of |
business, and was opposed to the income tax
which took the burden off the poor and put it
on those who were able to bear it. He (Tuck-
err thought that men should be taxed in pro-
portion to their ability to pay. The Demo
Gratis had reduced the pensions from 100000
900 to $780, 200, 600 and had thus already saved
to the government s30,OOO,00 When in
Congress Yost had voted for every pension
bill that came up, and would do the same if
sent back to Congress. Tucker said if the
Democrats of Augusta would give their usual
majority his reelection was certain.