Year: 1870

this place. The meeting was called u
order by Mr. A. c. Moore, on whost
motion DR.. Barnes was appointed chair
man, who introduced the orator of the
evening.


Mr.. Farnsworth commenced by say
ing that he arose to speak with much
Embarrassment. The position that be
occupied was an anomalous one, and
that in advance of Stale Convention
and the adoption of platform, he felt
delicacy in attempting to give his
views on the political issues of the day
but as the early bird was said to catch
the worm, he thought that the sooner
the campaign was commenced in
earnest, the more certain would be the
Republican party of success. organi,
zation was the precursor of victory, aud
the party could not afford to dispense
with it.


After a very handsome compliment to
the Republican as the party of progress,
he left the subject of politics, and en-
tered into personal description of the
causes of the failure of the Legislature
TO repeal the Capital bill, charging Mr..
Davis with having betrayed his con-
stituents by his vote, and accusing him
of having received bribe therefor.
This portion of bis speech was marked
by bitter personal assaults and de-
nunciations, in which the Conservative
came in for large share. Bat it would
take up too much Of your space to give
anything like correct summary of his
remarks on this subject.


Passing again to The arena of politics,
he said that there was no hope for the
future prosperity of West Virginia but
with the Republican party-that all The
happiness, the liberty, the prosperity
which We now enjoy, was due wholly To
them. That the free schools was q sys-
TEN inaugurated and sustained solely
by the Republicans, and that so soon as
the Democratic party obtained power,
they would wipe it out. Democracy
was always opposed to the people ac-
quiring intelligence-they were opposed
TO education, and to anything which
tended to lift up the down .trodden and
help the helpless.


The gentleman then turned his atten-
tion to the "let ups" and in language
not 10 be mistaken he denounced them
all as traitors TO the cause of Republi-
canism-that the result of The last fall
elections proved that to he a "let up
was 10 De co-worker with Democracy,
aud that wherever the party was divided
on this question the "let ups" were de.
ieated by the Democracy. The gentle
man had once been a Democrat, but he
now had no sympathy with that treason
able organization. That, when the first
gun of rebellion was fired, he threw
himself on the side of the Government
and the men who battled to maintain
it, and that with them he expected to
"sink or swim-suryive or perish" He
was no "let up" He would scorn to
be. He would rather always remain in
obscurity than TO accept any favors
from such party. The only principle
now left Democracy was 10 beat. He
believed in the pure old Democracy of
other days, but the new.fangled doc
trines of today were as pernicious as
those of 1861. The rebels had made
their election when they took mp arms
against the Government which had pro-
tected them, and he, for Que, was trilling
10 gire them the benefit of that choice. They
had renouDced their allegiance to the
Government and forfeited all rights
under it, and he was in favor of holding
them to it He would not trust them
with the power of franohise-he was
afraid of them-and appealed to all
lovers of Republicanism and of our
State to beware of warming the viper
which would certainly sting them to
death. No party should be trusted
with power who are not, like CRsar's
wife, above suspicion, and they (the
rebels) had once proved traitors and
might do 80 again.


Besides, continued he, if we let them
up, IRE must 60 down! Both cannot be
on top! and he for one, was in favor OF
having the loyal men, who fought and
saved our glorious little State, remain
ing on top. The spirit of the rebellion
was not crushed, as was seen in the op-
position which the Democrats made to
The wise measures ofreconstruction of de.
sised by Congress. The snake was
scotched-but not killed-aud if the
TT bells once got to vote, that would br
the death-knell of Republicsnism in
this State. They ask US to vote 10 re-
lieve them, but not one of them would
ever vote for Republican.


Aud yet, certain gentlemen ask us to
take treason to our bosoms and make it
rac Ia
odious. Never would be use his inlu.
ence or his vote TO secure to any rebel
and traitor any position whatever; !;
and be was much surprised to see Gov
erner Stevenson appointing Democrats
to offices of honor and trust. 1t was
an outrage on the loyal men of the
State that such men should be permit
ted to hold position, and Governor Ste
venson would have to answer for it.


After referring again to the action Of
Mr.. Davis in rather setere terms, he cali
ed attention to the wonderful progress
made in the last ten years, and alluding
to the speech of Revels, the negro Sem
stor, called his election "the triumph of
the age" He then paid q glowing trib-
ute to the loyalty, intelligence and pat.
riotism of our "colored citizens" and
assured his audience that there was no
fears that the negro would not vote
with them; that if they, (the white Re-
pu6licans,) steod as true as the black
Republicans, allwould be well.


The gentleman then referred 10 his
personal experience during the war, and
the prosecutions, the dangers, the hard.
ships and the losses be suffered were
pictured forth in the most glowing cob
ors, and with handsome peroration TO
the loyalty of himself he again fell
back to the capital question and de-
nounced Governor Stevenson in the
most usmeasured terms, calling him a
traitor to the best interests of the State
and insinuating very broadly that some
undue measures had been used TO pre-
vent his calling an extra session of the
Legislature and having the Capital re-
moved at once from Charleston. He
announced that had he been Governor
an extra session would long since have
haan hal1 ha fhA Efat "a