The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-06
HARRISON AT RICHMOND.
The Ex-President Made Speech at tn


Exposition Grounds Last Night.
Richmond, Va, Oct 5-Ex- President
Benjamin Harrison spoke here to about
6,000 people TOT night. The meeting was
held in the Auditorium building ut the
exposition grounds, where Mr.. Bryan adj
dressed from $4,000 to $4,000 few weeks
ago. Not quite half the seats were taken,
and the audience was about equally di-
vided between the two races. On the
stage were many OF tic leading Republi-
cans and gold Democrats and also u
sprink.ing of silver Democrats. Gen.
Harrison's wife was present. She was
ladies.
The ex-President was loudly applauded
when he made his appearance upon the
stage. City Chairman n. j. Young called
the gathering to order and introduced
Hon. l.. l.. Lewis Republican nominee
for Congress, to preside. Judge Lewis
made no Speech but in few words pre-
sented Gen. Morrison. The speaker was
in good voice. The rival applause for
Mckinley and Bryan interrupted him sew
eral times. There were a few disorderly
persons present and the apolice arrested
some of these and pulled them out of the
building. Once the lights went out and
the building was in darkness for five
minutes, during which Gen. Harrison sus-
pended his remarks. AS the General pro-
ceeded and warmed up he received better
attention, His complimentary references
to Virginia and the South were all most
literally applauded.
Gen. Harrison in beginning his address
said:
Ladies' and gentlemen: will thank
you to be as quiet as possible, as desire
to speak to you in quiet, dispassionate
way Of some things that are of great in
terest to me. and 1 hope are of interest to
you. have come here at the request of
Virginia friends to speak on questions
now agitating us all. Virginia is not the
enemy's country to me. 1t is my ances-.
trail home and it's citizens are my fellow
citizens believe that Virginia has us
large number of great and good men
under ground as any State. I have never
said that she had no good men above
ground. There was time when the North
and South were arrayed against each
other in battle line That time is now
only memory. We all are again one
united loyal people. This great State and
all those States that participated in the
civil war have sworn allegiance to the flag
and constitution, and Virginia stands as
firmly and united for their defense as any
State in the Federal Union.
More than that, not only do her cit
zens, but the Confederate soldiers stand
now for the old flag of Washington. If
it shall be the sad fate of this country to
be involved in war, if any foreign flag at
tempts to trample upon our flag, Indiana
and Virginia will charge together, and
what shall stay that onslaught? The
memory of Gettysburg and Appomattox
| will force us not to stop until we are on
the inside of the breastworks of the enc
my. We are here to claim for our States
| the rights which the federal constitution
gave them. We are here to say that the
constitutional powers of our national
| Government shall not be trampled upon.
l regret to notice the recent assault upon
our just constitutional powers. The in
cident refer to is the great Chicago riot.
Men in defiance of law, in organized
bodies, went through the streets with fire
and sword, destroying property, stopping
railroads, blocking the mails and pre-
venting commerce. These acts had their
origin in railroad strikes and were the
work of men under the red flag of an
archy. Mr.. Cleveland felt it his duty to
open the way of the mails. 1t was as
plainly his duty as any duty which de-
wolves upon the President of the United
States. He was the instrument, ''as COM
mander of the army and navy, to restore
traffic and the movement of trains The
courts were appealed to and writ of in.
junction granted to enforce the law.
Violation of the order of the court result
ed In contempt proceedings and punish
ment of the offenders, which was right.
| These courts proceeded on q line that was
legal, that was upheld by the constitu-
ton, and yet the President and the SUI
preme court are denounced in the Chicago
platform" bryan cheers.)
| The speaker then referred to Senator
10 al mad L.. r. I
to the Chicago platform when he had in
the Senate fathered resolution endors-
ing President Cleveland for sending
troops to Chicago. He held that the up
| holding of the constitution and law was
| the most important OF all duties of citi-
zens. He argued that the Chicago plat
form meant to change the supreme court
body so rs to accomplish the ends of
| anarchy. He said that Virginians had
| just as much at stake in the preservation
| of the law as the people of any other
State and urged them to vote to prevent
| 1T from being despoiled. The second oues.
tion that Gen. Harrison discussed was
| the money question. He had exhausted
over half of his time in speaking of the
| Importance of maintaining law and order.
His arguments against free silver were
| along the line of these he has used I'm
| other speeches. In closing he advocated
protection to American industries Pro
lection would be n great boon to the
South, he said. He mentioned Mckinley
only once, and that was his final appeal
for Law and order; sound money, protec.
ton and Mckinley"
AT the close the General was vocifer-
| ously cheered and many people rushed
forward to shake his hand.