Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-09-30
The Republican Mass-Meeting

ton has there been anything to equal the
Republican mass.meeting Monday at the
court house. AS the bell rang crowd pour
ed into the house, of that character known to
ethnology as mixed, and soon every vacant
space was filed 1t was known before the
| convention assembled that there would be
passage at arms between the leaders of the
different factions, Mr.. S. Brown Allen and
| Hon. Jacob Yost. The meeting organized
with Heber Ker, Esq, as chairman, who In
stepping to the front greeted the assembly
with speech in which he held up Democrat
ic rascality, and ballot box stufing and fraud
ulent counting of election returns in char
acteristic manner. He informed the audience
that it was to have votes counted as cast that
was the leading object of the present fight.
As soon as he finished speaking, he an
nounced that nomination for secretary was
in order when Chas. Hall, colored poll
tioian OF not too enviable reputation caught
the chairman's eye and named W. S. Wood
son, of South River district, as secretary.
WOOdsOn is also person OF color lie
came. mOdestly forward and after some
moving of him around, he was finally locat-
ed over where the clerk sits during terms OF
Court. He conducted himself modeStly
throughout, but SO far as we could see per-
formed no function usually entrusted to a
secretary, the chairman doing all the read
ing.
A little spat occurred when Mr.. Yost
arose and moved that the candidates be
named from the floor. This was not part
of the "cut and dry" SO Mr.. Allen opposed
it. After wrangle Of some fifteen minutes
Mr.. Allen lin the interest of harmony" he
was very harmonious throughout, withdre W
all opposition and the candidates were thus
named But before this was done the chair
man demonstrated his desire for fair count
in one of the most amusing modes possible,
and this coup d -etat set everybody to laugh
ing. A vote on Mr.. Yost, substitute was
taken and as there was doubt on the viva
voce vote, the hands of the voters were
held up and the chairman proceeded to
count them. The Yost faction clearly had
this vote by nearly two to one, and seeing
their majority chcered during the.time the
counting was going on. But when the vote
was announced by the chairman as strange as
itmay seem, and it did seem strange. he could
find GA votes for Mr.. Aliens side, and only
50 for Mr.. Yost's. From this time until Mr.
Allen harmoniously adjusted the despite
bedIam seemed to break loose, but it Gained
after while and nominations began. Col
j. q. Cochran. whose ability as man OF
business, as ore raised between the handles
of the pillow, as man in full sympathy with
all that pertains to republicanism, as mar
with some dollar wheat, was placed in noml
nation by that rising young statesman Mr.,
Turner K. Hackman, and the Colonel would
have blushed had he been there to have heard
| how great man he really is. The voting
for him was a part of the cut and dry and il
was unanimous. The name of Mr.. q. W
Simms was then placed in nomination by
Mr.. Samuel Woods, but almost Immediate
ly withdrawn. Hon. Jacob Yost then nom.
mated Mr.. Jno. e. Fulton in speech ap.
propriate to that gentleman's virtues. and
stated in doing so that MI. Fulton could not
be present on account Of affection in his
family resulting in his being called to Balti-
more that day. Mr.. Fulton was unanimous
ly nominated, Mr.. q. II. COhron, then pres
ented the name of Mr.. d. s. Condor and he
was unanimously nominated. So far so
good.
Col J. G. Cochran, the republican nominee
for the Senate, came before the convention
and made his maiden speech. He said, Il
thank you gentlemen for this high honor, for
it is an honor to be nominated by such
body We want prosperity and confidence
and sound currency, we want free ballot
and a fair count, and honest election laws,
and we are going to have them ALL"
Mr.. Condor was called for. but did not
respond.
By this time the committee on resolution
reported which committee was as follows:
Beverly Manor-C. S. Shumate and Henry
Williams; South River-H. A. S. Hamilton
and Thompson Brown; Middle River-R. A.
Houff, John PaIkins; North River-Dr. u.
T. Robson, A. M. Horn; Pastures-Dr. R.
S. Hamilton and E. NJ. Rolin; Riverheads-
John Collins, W. H. Shields; Staunton-1st
ward-Addison Gregory. Hugh Murray;
Staunton-2nd ward-John Kiracofe, Willis
Carter, and which had been made out be-
fore the convention assembled. and which
showed some strange c0mmingling of names,
to wit: John Kiracofe and negro Willis
Carter, and Addison Gregory, and negro
Hugh Murray were the Staunton represen-
tation on the resolution committee. DR..
Geo. r. Robson was chairman of this body
which retired to read over some type writ
ten resolutions handed them, prepared by
Col. S. Brown Allen, Mr.. Heber Ker and
those Agnew followers, who were working
what was afterward termed the spoils side.
These resolutions were very harmless save
the third, which bound the mass meeting to
the action of the Lynchburg meeting which
deposed Col. Lamb as chairman and decid-
ed against holding State convention.
This third clause Mr.. Hackman moved to
strike out and insert one praising the Nc
Kinley Administration lauding the pros
porous times, and the action of the last re-
publican Congress Then came the fight.
This substitute was handed the chair and
Mr.. Hackman was recognized for that pur-
pose and came forward with his motion,
and attempted to speak to it. Then it was
that he was stopped by the howlings OF
those opposed and the din added to by those
who wanted him to speak. The chairman
motloned him to sit down and to stop speak
ing and raped with great vigor for order,
but the Hackman ghost would not down.
He would not be choked off He said he
had the sand to stay there till he was
heard and he believed the people had the
sand" to stay there until they heard him.
Then it was that the free ballot and fair
count speaker made the only ruling of the
kind ever made in the known world outside
the cline Kiln" club. He ruled that the
motion was not detachable. But Mr.. Hack
man would not be squelched by this newly
discovered parliamentary rule, so he stood,
the crowd screaming and bowling all the
time, and nobody knowing what any body
else was saying. MI. Hackman shook his
CORY locks, and by dint OF perseverance. at