The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-09-15
RHEA DOWNS WALKER.
A Joint Discussion in Which
the General is used up
by Democracy's Gal
liant Soii.
lebanon Sews)

VI The attraction was the discussion between
d Judge Rhea and General Walker, the op
posing candidates for Congress in th
district. Judge Ayers adjourned Court Al
eleven o'clock and gave up the Cour
a Room to the speakers. The discussion
Q was opened by Judge Rhea in a speech Of
e an hour and fifty minuets, in which he
J., thoroughly renovated the Generals polit-
e ical record. He began by saying that the
= first time he ever met his distinguished
= opponent was in democratic convention
in the city Of Lynchburg OF which conven-
ton the General, who was then a demo-
crat, was permanent chairman; and that
the speech made by the General before
that convention was strong appeal for
the principles Of democracy in which the
General was then firm believer and had
advocated for more than thirty years ofthe
prime Of his life; and that said speech was
bitter denunciation of the doctrine of
the Republican party, whose candidate the
General now is. He said that the General
at that time, which was only few years
ago, was growing old and had fought, bled
and died in the Democratic party; that the
Republican party whose praises he now
sings is the same Republican party be
then so bitterly denounced; and turning
his face full towards the General, who had |
almnot moifad -, HE nba. h. a.
General, why aid you changer" He said,
the General had not only changed from
the Democratic party to the Republican
party, but that he had changed on all the
great political issues Of the day; that he
could change oftener than the moon; that
four years ago he was a free silver man,
was elected to Congress OH free silver
platform, and voted in that Congress for
free coinage at the ratio Of l6 to !; that
two years thereafter, he voted in the re-
publican convention at st. Louis for the
free coinage of silver on one day, and on
the next day allowed his name to 60 before c
said convention as candidate for vice.
president on a platform declaring for the c
gold standard He said, therefore, that e
the General evidently must have changed
his mind on the silver question, "between o.
two days" He then read from a letter W
written by theGeneral a few years ago to a
paper in which he said "the "
south was solid against protection and
he other false doctrines of the Republic II
IAN party" He said the General had br
,eeu in Congress four years and had made n'
record there; that record belonged to -
he people, and they were entitled to know
that he had been doing for them; if he th
ad been working for their interest, they wi
'ould send him back, if not, they would oe
end somebody else. ~
The Judge then took up the Generals is
ecOrd in Congress, and while we have not
ne time nor space to follow him in detail, re
lfice is to say that what he did for that WI
,cord was enough. He showed that about az az
he only thing the General had ever made fra
speech on in Congress was on contest
ection cases to turn out democrats and me
,at republicans; that he had voted for Gil
I'd advocated the unseating Of Demo- :
attic members of Congress from Virginia Ke
ho were declared by some Of the Repub- we
IAN Congressman from the North to have
zen honestly elected, aDd who by the
ties of the Republican Congressman were
lowed to retain their seats in Congress,
spite the vigorous efforts of "'fhe Battle
Jared Confederate General" to the con- -
,ry. That in one case, and that from ou
rginia, the General, who was chairman /
the committee on elections failing to bur
d anything that lie could call fraud in this
g election of the democrat whom he +
lght to unseat, recommended to Con- .e''
ess and voted that he be turned out of -
seat, because, he said, the election law octe
der which the gentlemen had been cas-
cted was unconstitutional. He said L
It the General in his zeal for his fayorite tax
rk, that of unseatng Democrats in lou
ngress, and in his bitterness towards ~
rginia and the South, had lost sight of d,v
fact that be was elected under the very fun,
ne law which he voted to declare uncon- =
Iutiona in order to unseat a Democrat w
o had been elected under it, that the IA
iton Of the General therefore was that
election law was constitutional for the
ction of Republicans, but unconstitu-
nal when Democrat happened to be
cted under it. "0h Consistency CT
ly "Thou art Jewell" The Judge r
n showed how the General voted on the in Il
erent measures before going to Con. NJ
So, asking him why he voted for this H.
why he did not vote for that until he IL
lie it SO hot for him that the General in
desperation arose and said he objected Am
he Judge addressing his speech to him, J.,
that he wanted him to speak to the piac
wd, to which the Judge replied, 81 am d.
ressiDg the crowd, but | will address CoeI
too, General, when / am asking you M
stions." He discussed the Stamp Act man
wing how that the tax was doubled on Ill
lcco and other articles used by the 80. ~!
man; that tax levied on every check, IT.
}, order, deed, etc.; how that the poor Poun
ice of the Peace, who gets only 80 stills