Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1896-10-20
Saturdays spe aking.
Saturday last was an eventfaI d

Saturday last was an eseh1iu 10y
in politics in Charles Town. In the
afternoon Postmaster G neralWm.L.
Wilson made in the courthouse here
his first speech of the campaign OF
1896, before a large audience, COM
posed of probably more than one
half Republicans and the remainder
ladies and Bryan and Palmer Demo-
Gratis. No ono presided, and no one
introduced the speaker. When Mr..
Wilson arose to speak he vas re-
ceived with much enthusiasm. In
opening his speech he said:
Ct have regretted to be present
here this afternoon, because 1 have
not been asked to speak before these
people in this campaign, but 1 feel
that it is my duty to speak to my
people, the people of my native
county, and 1 have a right to be
heard. At the present time, as in
all my past life, L shall speak to them
honest words and my true and sim
cere convictions, and / believe it my
duty to speak to them because of the
important nature of the questions
upon which you are called to vote
and because of the relations / have
borne to my county in the past. For
fifty years, as man and boy, i have
possessed their confidence and have
enjoyed their friendship. And in
the presence of such an issue as this
1 should be untrue to them if 1 did
not attempt to mark out to my fellow
citizens the plain and vital points at
issue in this campaign, ever though
it be a thorny and lonely path. IN
a Democrat, and belong to the same
old Democratic party that my father
did. From my earliest youth the in
terest and principles of that party
have been my study. L have sought
out its great leaders and their princi-
pies 1 have studied them day and
night, and it is because 1 am a Dem
ocrat and because 1 have sought to
be true to Democratic principles that
L am here to-day"
Mr.. Wilson spoke for two hours,
in defence of the gold standard and
the Cleveland administration, and at
mention of the name of Bryan during
his address there was repeated en-
thusiastic applause.
At night Hon. Thos. F. Brantley,
of South Carolina, and Hon. Andrew
A. Lipscomb, ex-District Attorney
of the District of Columbia, and now
Elector upon the Bryan and Sewall
Democratic ticket in Virginia, ad-
dressed a large audience at the same
place.
Capt. George Baylor, former law
partner of Postmaster General VIII
son and an old Confederate comrade
of his, presided over the meeting and
introduced the speakers.
The courthouse yard was well
Illuminated, and the Charles Town
Cornet Band furnished music
Capt. Baylor introduced the speak
ers and said: L was in the army
with Mr.. Wilson, L have been his
friend from boyhood and witnessed
the ovation that u people gave him
two years ago in his last race for
Congress. II at that time any one
had pictured the scene we witnessed
this evening, when he addressed
a Republican audience, and had then
said that Wilson would be to-day
where he is now, they would have
exclaimed with the prophet OF old,
SIS thy servant 4 dog that he should
do this thing?"
Mr.. Brantley spoke for forty min
utes, ably discussing the economic
questions prevailing in this campaign.
He was followed by Mr. Lipscomb
in q speech of over an hour, in which
he undertook to answer the argu-
ments of Mr.. Wilson in the speech
delivered by that gentlemen here in
the afternoon. Mr.. Lipscomb is an
orator and DICTATOR of magnificent
power. His speech is regarded here
as the most eloquent delivered in this
campaign, and the enthusiasm man
ifested by the audience during its
deliverence was marked. He an
swered every argument advanced by
by Mr.. Wilson, and in a manner and
way peculiar to himself, with re-
markable power.
Elk Gov. VIM. H. Smith, of Ran
doIph county, Ala, for many years