Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1901-10-24
COL. HOGE
AT TAZEWELL
He Spoke to a Large and Enthusiastic
Audience
ABLE PRESENTATION OF ISSUES
For two and a Half Hours the Courthouse
was Packed With Interested Hearers,
While Col. HOge Exposed the
Hypocrisy of the Virginia
Democracy.
Democracy

Last Tuesday was very beautiful day
and there vas an unusually large crowd in
town. The most of the people had come
to town to hear Col. j. Hampton Hoge
speak. 1t had been announced that the
Democrats would have Senator C!aytor, of
Bedford, here to speak for them. For some
reason he did not put in an appearance
and COL Hoge had the day TO himself
At one O'Clock II. 6. Mccall called
the meeting in the courthouse to order
and requested Wm. c. Pendleton TO pre-
side over the meeting. He introduced j..
N. Harman, the Republican candidate for
the State Senate. Mr.. Harman, in plain
but telling speech of fifteen minutes, dis
cussed the suffrage question, and then in
troduced the chief speaker, Col. Hoge.
The room was then filed with the largest
crowd that has been seen there for many
years. Every seat was occupied and all
the available standing room was filled by
men eager 20 hear a discussion of the i'm
portant issues of the present campaign.
Very few persons left during the two and
half hours which Col. Hoge occupied
with bis speech, and only those who were
compelled to go on account Of their living
far away from the courthouse, and, per-
haps, few Democrats, who could not
stand the fearful arraigDment of their par
ty which the speaker was making. When
any person lett the room another came in
from the hallway to take his place.
The first part of Col Hoge's speech was
devoted to refutation of the false claims
of the Virginia Democracy that they have
been the creators of the public schools
and that they have settled the State debt.
Of course every intelligent man, Demo
crat or Republican, knows such claims are
false.
The next part of Col. Hoges speech was
a terrible indictment Of Democracy for its
mismanagement of the public affairs of the
State and the shame that has been brought
upon the Commonwealth by the corrupt
and dishonest election methods that have
been used to keep the Democratic party
in power. He then proceeded to discuss
the work of the Constitutional Convention
and the new suffrage plan of the Democ'
racy. The plan was discussed in detail,
and the speaker demonstrated very plainly
that it was the purpose of the Depocracy
to either disfranchise thousands of white
men or introduce a system of fraud that
would surpass anything that has hereto
fore been seen or known in Virginia.
In bis closing remarks Col. Hoge paid a
splendid tribute to Gen. Walker and a
beautiful eulogy to President Mckinley.
During this part of his speech the eyes OF
strong men, Democrats and Republicans,
became dim with tears. 1t was pro-
nounced one of the most beautiful things
ever heard in Tazewell or anywhere.
Col. Hoge's speech was fine effort ,and
recalled to many of the older men in the
audience the days when such men as Kid
dleberger, Wise, Paul and Others stood
upon the hustings and exposed the cor
ruption of the Virginia Democracy.
The speech of Col. Hoge made pro-
found impression upon his hearers, and
Tazewell county may be relied upon to
give him large majority.