Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1896-10-07
Non. Jas. /. Gordon Speaks.

Non. Jas. L. Gordon Speaks.
/ On Saturday night last Hon. Jas. L. Cor
don of N. Y, brother of our townsman, A. C
Gordon, delivered an address at Odd Fellow.
Hall in this city in behalf of Bryan an
Sewall and silver. The fact of his intention
to speak was not well known, as many of the
bills were not posted until P. M. The hall
however, was well filled and those who came
were rewarded with the finest speech that has
been delivered in this city during the cam
paign," and one of the finest political addresses
to which it has ever been our good fortune to
listen. Mr.. Gordon is peculiarly gifted as an
orator. His voice is melodious, clear and
strong His sentences are always finished
and his graceful figure, Classic face and dignity
of manner, charm an audience, whilst on
this occasion the logic of his discourse. the
strong points he made, the flashing of new
ideas all through his speech, held the closest
attention, impaired delight at all times, and
throughout elected the heartiest applause
He began by giving history of the demon
itization of silver, showing that it was done
by combined effort of the money power, in
which the National Banks played the most
conspicuous part. He read circular issued
| to the banks by their New York masters
| about two years ago ordering panic, by the
withdrawal of their note issue and a contrac-
ton of currency, that silver might be killed as
| a money, and asserted that if Mckinley is
elected the death of silver will take place at
| that time, and it will remain Dead until the
people throw off its cerements Of the tomb,
and again breathe into it the breath of life.
The bankers ara its enemies, and will destroy
it, that they may grind the sweat and blood
and life if need be, from the toilers, whom
| these monied lords have made their slaves.
He paid beautiful tribute to Hon. John
W. Daniel, than whom, he said, no truer or
Drawer advocate of the peoples rights, or the
great cause of the toilers who seek emancipa-
ton from the slavary of plutocratic power,
has ever battled upon Virginia soil. Boldly
had he stood for her peoples freedom, as he
had shed his blood upon her battle fields, and
long may he live to protect those rights. But
when he shall have passed beyond that river
| whosej waters have mirrored no returning
form, the hills of Virginia have no granite
| too enduring, and no marble too spotless to
| commemorate the loyalty of his devotion and
| the splendor of his advocacy, of all that per-
| tanned to the advancement of his people, and
the glory of Virginia.
He paid his respects to the Hon. w. Bourke
Cochran whom he held up to the audience in
! = ridiculous, but true lght-to the sunlight,
| of past days, which shone In upon his manly
person, when out at the elbows, his neither
garments like the last rose of summer, .all
faded and gone" the democratic party had
| taken him up and honored him. Now his
environment had changed and he had turned
| upon his friends Of by gone days, and like the
asp was stinging the bosom that had warmed
| it into life He recalled the fact that in Vir-
ginia there were some whose kind treatment
| by the Democratic party had escaped their
memory when of all times the party most
needs their services. He also recalled the fact
| that the country had a democratic president
| in the shape Of Grover Cleveland. for whose
election he said God forgive him for having
worked. He also recalled the fact that we had
| democratic congress for about two years,
but, when we had it and the Presidency it
| was mnch he said, like Yank who had sud-
| denly come on a Reb toward the close of the
| war. The Reb was sitting in the fence corner
| eating away on an ear of corn, when the
| Yank came down on him with his gun and
| said, NOW Johnny I've got you" YES"
| said Johnny hardly looking up, and never
stopping his gnawing on his ear of corn land
| a hell of git, you've got
He said he was no hero worshipper, for
| then were none spotless save that one to
| whom the wise men of the East came to do
homage, but he, Mr.. Gordon, believed that
with the times came men, and with oppres-
sion come liberators, and that our great stand
ard bearer was no accidental creation, but
| the work of hands higher and mightier than
| these poor hands of ours He denied that he
or the people who were following VIM. J.
Bryan were anarchists, or that as Bourke
Cochran had stated there was any intention
of destroying ''the social order of this coun-
| try" either by reorganization" of the
| supreme court, which Bourke Cochran had
said was one of the declarations of the Chica-
go platform. or in any other way. The word
| ''reorganize' Mr.. Gordon said was not in that
platform nor any thing like it, and the state
ment of Mr.. Cochran that it was, was decep-
| ton a fraud, and counterfeit of truth
He had gone he said to listen to the speech
of Mr.. Cochran made in New York in reply
to that of Mr.. Bryan. Probably no such gath
ering had ever before occurred in this coun-
try. In that great amphitheatre, lit by the
glare of ten thousand electric lights, inspired
by martial music were gathered the youth
and beauty. and wealth, and refinement of
Americas greatest city, ablaze with jewels
and robed in Partisan silks, making a scene
and an assemblage second to none the world
has ever seen, save it be that which gathered
in the great Hall of William Rufus, which
| had resounded with acclamations at the in
auguratlon of thirty kings, when Burke held
up before the English people the thigh
| crimes and misdemeanors'' of Warren Hast
ings. But said he with all the ponp and
parade, the gilded surroundings the lavish
outpour of money, and the particularly high
cast of the performance. the impeachment fell
fiat, the speech was tame, and the most
ardent friends of the undertaking saw mis-
take had been made. There were only three
small ideas in the whole Of it, the residue was
abuse of the Western farmer and the South
ern slaye owner whom he (Cockran) asserted
had formed combin alton to cheat the labor
ing man out of his wages.
| Mr.. Gordon commended the boldness and
fearlessness of the utterances of Mr.. Bryan
and the boon the country would enjoy when
once it had a president disinthralled from the
influences of Wall street. His speech lasted
for about two hours and was drunk in and
applauded as its remarkable merit entitled it
to be.
Mrs. Kate G. Kilby, of Norfolk, we'll known
in Staunton, where she has resided for several
years and Mr.. ]. Frank West, also well known
in this city, were married on the 10Th ultimo,
| in Philadelphia.