Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-04-16
Mr.. TUCKER SPEAKS.
seOres Judge Mann in Bitire
Words. and Il is Resented by
Many in Northumberland.

Many in Northumberland. |
Hon. Harry StGeorge Tucker went
to Heathsville last Monday from Reed
vile, where he spoke on Saturday night.
While hisspeech as reported from Reed
vile was one not of issues but humorous.
sarcastic arraignment of his opponent,
We learn it was not quite so caustic as
the one at Heathsville. At Reedville
Mr.. Tucker attacked Judge Mann's
war record and his vote OH bank ex-
aminers. Both of these points were
omitted in the Heatbsville speech,
obviously because the camps of the
State had rebuked the attacks on Judge
Mann's Confederate service, and the
latter has fully answered his critics on
the bank examiner matter.
But the speaker ignored the other
points that have been fully answered by
Judge Mann, and went on to arraign his
opponent as the candidate of ..holy
communion between the churches,
some gentlemen from Washing ton and
the whiskey bosses. He also depicted a
wedding scene in church, Judge Mann
as the groom and w. r. Boss (Whiskey
Ring Boss) as the one giving this wo-
man (the church) to this man Judge
Mann; that he Henry StGeorge Tucker,
of Lexington, entered protest when
the preacher asked if any man had aught
to say against the holy bonds.
This depicting bordered upon sacrilege
and several people got up and retired
from the court room, among them a
prominent Baptist divine, who was SO
indignant that he could hardly be re-
strained from protesting to the speaker
against such sacrilege.
Mr.. Tucker was in charge of Messrs.
Martin Stringfellow, +. ]. Downing,
G. c. Baker and Dr. Lewis, and these
gentlemen with few others occupied
the stand. The body of the house (and
there was full house until the retiring
began) did not applaud the speaker, but
he received considerable applause from
the stand.
Mr.. Tucker is good speaker, quite
humorous and much of mimic, and he
produced considerable mirth at times.
He was, on this occasion, at disad-
vantage, as he must have seen his
audience was not in. sympathy with him
in his abuse of his opponent They had
come expecting to hear some issues
presented, but were disappointed.
Speaking of local option-local self
government, he said it would receive a
death-blow if Judge Mann was elected
He said he expected to be elected
Governor, but would not go in the
back-door by the kitchen by lodging
issues and making combinations. He said
that Judge Mann had the churches, the
Women's Christian Temperance Union,
the Blackstone Female Institute, the
Democratic leaders and the whisky-ring
bosses at his conference, and after the
communion" and with all these "wet
nurses" around him, had answered "me.
too, Tucker" Here murmurs of disap-
provalwent through the house. and macy
also wondered that if his opponent had all
these at his back where were the votes
to come from to elect Mr.. Tucker as he
claimed.
The speaker threatened, if his strength
held out, to disclose before the campaign
was over this alliance, this .holy COM
munion". He then denied that it was
the churches that brought Judge Mann
out, and claimed it was the whisky ring.
Here the speaker must have felt he
was going too far, for he said seriously
that he did not believe Judge Mann
would advocate that which was not
right, and on the next breath said that
any man would be a bold one to say that
Judge Mann would pursue the right
beyond the border of popularity.
In again charging that there was two
minutes of Judge Mann's life when he
did not stand by temperance, in the
vote on the taxing of Putnam cars
that sold liquor, the speaker ignored the
satisfactory reply of his opponent
through the newspapers, to the effect
that the bill was fathered by the
whisky leaders who also got in
an amendment that made it uncon-
stitutional; that it was not sup
ported by the temperance people at
all. The speaker failed to explain
that the N. & w. railroad was
not at all interested in the Pullman car
service.
Mr.. Tucker said he believed that to
the victor belonged the spoils. And yet
little later he said he would see that
the schools were removed from politics.
He spoke as if he would have the APP
pointment of school officials.
Unquestionably the speaker made
friends for Judge Mann, and re-
marks were heard that if Mr.. Tucker
made that speech many times in the
State he would be beaten four to one
instead of two to one as now estimated
| D0INGS In CONGRESS-