Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-08-21

asked no compensation and no office
The high positions of elector pending
the Kemper campaign, and as elector n
large during the last campaign, wer'
conferred upon him without solicitation
and by the acclamation of his party
nor has he ever in all his life been {
seeker of office. Nor has be spent thu
quiet of his days since the war in thu!
refusing political preferment and in
the simple discharge of those larger du
tt bove referred to imposed upon hin
By Is fellow-citizens."
THE PRIDE OF THE PEOPLE.
ssHis life has been far from a selfish
one. 1t has not been spent simply in
devotion to his profession-in which
however. he has earned for himself 8
name which, by the universal recogni.
tion of his brethren, places him in the
lfront rank of the profession not only OF
his own section, but of the State-and
in the accumulation of property, nor in
the literary pursuits to which his devo-
ton is SO well known. Not single
public enterprise, industrial or charita
| BILE, has been started or perfected in his
town to which he has not been one OF
| if not the largest contributors"
u Personal APPEARANCE. ~
Col. Holiday is man of fine appear
ance. He is about six feet in height,
straight, and finely formed. His pres
ence at once inspires confidence and re-
spect.
He is graceful speaker, and his COM
positions show both logical arrangement
and scholarly care. His speech at Assem-
bly, Hall, in this city, during the last
campaign, was declared by many gen.
tlemen qualified by literary attachments
and ripe judgement to give opinion one
of the most valuable and statesmanlike
productions of the day.
The Colonel has been twice married,
and is now widower, without chill
dren.
PUBLIC DEBT VIEWS.
Colonel Holiday, in his letters on the
public debt, written year ago and late
ly reproduced and endorsed by him,
says:
''As to the State debt, am opposed to
reputation. I would not have such a
stigma cast upon my State any more
than l would upon my private fame.
But whilst am thus opposed to repudia-
ton, for the same general reason I am
in favor of some speedy settlement of the
uCOt uOuOIdOlG W our oLdl6 duu SdUISIdC-
tory to the creditors.
''This is important, and pressingly so; !;
because the debt is increasing by reason
of interest, and because believe so soon
as we indicate willingness and ability
to pay the interest promptly our bonds
will at once go to par, and capital and
population flow into our borders. And
never till then. Neither is coming to
a bankrupt ordishonest Commonwealth.
"And for this same general reason I
OF course do not wish. any more than
any one else, heavy taxes for they too,
prevent the advent of capital and labor
to our midst. And whilst am. as the
Constitution requires, in favor of uni
form rate, am in favor of seeking new
subject instead of heaping burdens upon
the landed interest, out of which, at
last, all our wealth and prosperity must
grow. =.
1--WE all have hope that this will be
done. The State has improved much
considering her many trials, done won
ders since the war-and a bright future
is before as if we are true to ourselves
and to her."
GENERAL JAMES A. WALKER, NOMINEE
FOR LIEUTENANT-GOvERN
General James A. Walker, of Pulaski,
was born near Mount Sidney, in the
county of Augusta, on the 9th ofAugust,
1888. After receiving the best elemental
ry education that the schools of the
neighborhood afforded, he entered the
Virginia Military institute in 1S4S. Here
he remained until the spring of 1852, and
was in the graduating class of that year,
when he took offence at some reproving
remark made to him in the lecture room
bu StOnouo1I ToobcOp (tboy, foccor\
and angry words took place between the
two. Young Walker. feeling that he had
been grievously wronged and outraged
by Jackson, sent him challenge to fight
a duel.
sTONEWALI. JACKSON CHALLENED.
1t is related of Jackson, by one with
whom he consulted ON the occasion, that
Notwithstanding he was grave profes-
sor and the challenger a mere boy, he
for considerable time, debated in his
sing a serious wish that it were possible,
in the nature of things, for him to do
so.
Walkers rebellion in the lecture room
was offence grave enough at an institu-
ton where such strict discipline is MAIN
tanned as at the Virginia Military Insti-
tute, but the sending of the challenge to
one of the principal officers was offence
too great to be overlooked or forgiven
Though Walker stood high in his class
and was popular with all who knew his
honest heart and chivalric qualities, he
was court-martialed and dismissed from
the institution.
WALKER AND JACKSON.
In after years, when Jackson and
Walker met as officers in the field,
and the former saw his old pupil in
the front of every fight, always
prompt, always ready, he freely
blOtted from his remembrance all
thought of the occurrence at the Insti
tute, and pushed him for promotion
whenever there was an opportunity so
to do. No officer in the army stood
higher in the esteem of Jackson than
Walker.
Leaving the Institute, Walker accept
ed a position in the engineer corps then
engaged in locating the line of the Cow
ington and Ohio (now Chesapeake and
Ohio) railroad, from the mouth of the
Big Sandy river to Charleston, Kanaw-
ha CO., and in this rough and unexciting
life spent eighteen months. Then he
| resigned and returned to his old home
in Augusta county, and shortly after
Val us COulHleuCeu IedUluS law III Cn0
office of Col. John B. Baldwin, at
Staunton. He read with Col. Baldwin
for only few months and at the session
of 1854'55 took ticket at the Law
School of the University of Virginia.
At the end of the year, seeing a good
opening at Newbern, Pulaski county,
he removed thither and established him
self in the practice of the profession he
| had chosen. In 1860 he had risen to q
high rank at the bar, and was honored
by the people of his county with the
position of Commemorative Attorney,
which he continued to fill until the
spring OF 1868, when he resigned
WAR RECORD.
AT the breaking out of the war Walk.
er was captain of a fine volunteer COM
pany of infantry, called the "Pulaski
Guards" 1t was among the first to ten
der its services to the Governor. Ir
April, 1861, his company was ordered
to Richmond, and went into camp al
the Fair Grounds. There it underwent