Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1898-11-04
JN.HARMAN TALKS
''Wounded in The House of
My Friends"
ABIT OF POLITICAL HISTORY
An Article Of Interest to the Vot
ers Of the Ninth Congress-
lOnal District.

Harmau, appeared in his paper, the
Virginia Evangelist, Just one> year
ago. 1t makes interesting reading
just at this time.-Eds.
In 1879 when I came to Tazewell
county, perhaps not more than one
hundred men in the county voted
the Republican ticket. 1t was at
the birth of the present organization
of the Republican party in Tazewell
Ieyen voted the July ticket, when
some of our most prominent Repub-
licans voted the May ticket.
In 1888 the party made me its can
aldate for Commonwealth's Attor-
ney for Tazewell county, to which
position l was elected by hand
some majority. In 1887, after serv.
ing four years, 1 was re elected for
another term without opposition.
OF the 2nd term / served two years
and resigned for reasons satisfac-
tory to myself but against the pro-
test Of my party. For the houors
conferred upon me by my party l
am and will ever be grateful. /
have been honored beyond my de
servingfand shall ever hold in CRATE
full remembrance my many friends
who stood by mo during all these
many years. In every campaign up
to tw4years ago my party has called
me into service not only for days.
but for months.
have been sent all over my own
county to make speeches aud do
other campaign work which ir-
ed many sleepless nights and tire
some days. Have met number of
able speakers on the stump, in Taze-
we'll. Bland, Buchanan, Dickinson,
Russs&l, Smyth and believe in Wise
county also. Have attended every
State Convention but three and ev-
cry Congressional Convention but
two. All this have 1 done at my
own charges. Never did | receive
expense money but once.
For years l edited the Tazewell
Republican and other party papers
which did not pay running expenses
during any campaign, because of
the great number of copies sent out
gratis. The greater part of this ex-
ira expense being paid out of my
own pocket. 1 spent hundreds of
dollars in this way for the success of
my party because believed it was
my duty to my country, to my neigh
bor and to my self. So loyal was 1
to my party that spent time and
monev in running my paper in the
interest of a candidate for the legis-
lature, who was running against my
friend and brother, the late lament>
ed j. 81. WingO. The man whom
thus supported had fought me when
! ran for attorney for the Common
wealth some years before. Bnt /
stood by him because he was the
NOMINEES of my party.
Two years ago at Willow Bridge
in this county made my last polit-
ical speech. 1t was free silver
speech, and it was a Republican
speech when | made it. I think
perhaps it was the best political
speech ever made. remember it
better and eau repeat more of it
now than any speech of my life.
WerN called oil today to make a
political. speech, would repeat that one.
Whes ethe st. Louis convention
adopted gold platform iu 1896, no
man in the country could have been
more disappointed than myself. With
the light before me it would have been
dishonest for me to vote that ticket. I
could not do so and not be censured at
the bar OF my own conscience.
The Republicans OF the Ninth Virginia
district then nominated for Congress
How. Jamea A. Walker, the man for