Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-04-12

AN HOUR WITH AN OLD PAPER-PoLI
TICS-THE SC4OOLS-sO L D E RING
BUSINESS MEN-PERsoNAL NOTICES,
&C., &C., sc.
Just over on the hill, looked up to by the
editorial window Of this valuable and pop
ular journal, there are lot of boys flying
their kites. 1t is of the grandfathers OF
these chaps, the great grandfathers of many
of them, that We are getting out this
screed, and yet if any of these young gen.
tlemen were called in and told this, they
would be impatient of the interruption,
so little does a grandfather weigh in com.
parison to a red and white piece of paper,
with string to it. 1t is disheartening.
and we turn to the files of the ssAugusta
Democrat" from which we are copying,
with a feeling of arrangement towards
posterity. The Democrat was printed
you will observe was thirty two years
ago-just generation. It was edited by
VincieLt A. Geiger. who was gallent
Lieutenant in the Mexican war and who
died, we think, years afterwards on the
Pacific coast. That he should have gone
to the war is not surprising for we see, in
looking oyer his columns, that there were
only eight advertisers, and we should think
an editor with Only that number would
hardly careimuch where he went. Among
the editorial notices we find a grateful no.
tice for present Of a pair of socks, from
which we infer that pound parties TO the fra
ternity were not the fashion a generation
ago. The local news in the 'Democrat'
is scarce. for in those days the ''local col
umn'' was unknown, and the papers were
chiefly devoted to politics, of which the
readers must have had a surfeit, and
which besides saturating the editorials
Stopped over into columns of communica-
lions from private pens.
POLITICS.
James K. Polk was inaugurated in that
year and politics were high. The Wings
were chatting under removal from Office,
and the community was further disturbed
by the questions OF white and mixed basis
which came before the State convention Of
1850. Calls appeared for various persons
to go to the legislature, among them
Chapman Johnson, Nathaniel Masse,
john Baldwin, Geo. Seawr!ght, j. A.
Poage and Erasmus Stribling. The first
two were elected that year. Mr.. Stribling
being their only competitor. When ex-
President Tyler and wife passed through
going to the Springs in August there Was
a public reception by the Democrats, at
which Chesley Kinney introduced the dis
tinguished visitor, D. W. Patterson wei
coined him and VIM. II. Harman presen
ted Mrs. T. with bouquet of flowers say
ing, "Here are some flowers presented to
you by the Democratic ladies Of Staun-
TONI At the close of tie President S re-
ply three cheers were given for Tyler and
Texas 7 he Spectator, ~ the Wing organ,
ridiculed the reception, saying there were
not a hundred people present, and the re-
suit was a spirited warfare between ii
and the Democrat as to whether there
were that number Or one hundred and
fifty-a difference Of vital Importance. A
Democratic meeting at the Courthouse in
that year to approve OF the annexation OF
Texas, was presided oyer by Jacob Baylor
and the resolutions we're prepared by DR.,
w. w. Roberts, DIR. Clement R. Harris,
Capt. Geo. Baylor and V. E. Geiger. The
Democrats were III the minority in the
county, but were continually worrying the
Wings with sudden nominations calcula-
ted to distract their party. A meeting Ill
the Washington Tavern nominated Geo.
Baylor and Porterfeld A. Helsllell for tie
legislature, but the gentlemen named de-
clined.
The names Of the active Democrats OF
the county will probably be found in the
fhllowing list of ''those prominent gentle
men who would take subscription to the
Democrat" at the places named: Middle
brook, Jno. Randolph; Waynesboro, Geo.
Baylor, Jr.; Greenville, b. f. Graham;
New Hope, Dr.. W. R. Roberts; Mt. Sid
ney, Jonathan Miller; Churchvllle, w. j..
Waldern; Fishersville, S. B. Brown; Mt.
= Meridian, Zachariah Johnson; Mt. Solon,
DR.. g. R. Harris; Naked Creek, Capt.
Thomas Burke; Mt. Crawford, p. A.
Clarke; Long Glade, Washington Swlnk;
and out of the county, Jacob Hevener, at
Hevener's store; James B. Smith at Fair
field and H. c. Wilson at Harrisonburg.
But when the Fourth of July or Twenty
Second of February came, the political diff
ferepces seemed to melt away at the din
ner table. At a celebration Of the Fourth
at Craigsville, where Rev. Mr. Payne was
orator. and James Pitman read the declara
ton, Wings and Democrats were toasted
at Waynesboro. where Capt. Geo. Baylor
commanded the infantry and 1t. IL. I'll
Peck, the cavalry, Henry Clay, James <
Polk and Andrew jackson, the last just
dead, were toasted with equal fervor, anC
at Greenyille, where r. I. Patterson
toasted the Hon. A. Fl. II. Stuart, r
Turk toasted Henry Clay, James M. Lilly
toasted Mclean Of Ohio, and W. W
Price toasted VIM. G. Rives, the fol
lowing toast, offered by MI. Apple. Wal
drunk With equal unanimity, ''May TIT
pregnated clouds of James K. Polk rail
over Henry Clay, now, hereafter and for
ever" The Wings were tainted in thos
days with being "Exquisites,'' and $50
ciety of Bloods.''
A meeting at the Court House to suita
bly, notice the death Of Andrew jackson
was presided over by Michael Garbe
Chairman with John Lewis Peyton Secre
tary.
THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
In As the city government was Wn
Ruff, Mayor R. S. Brooke, Recorder; A
S. Hall, Chamberlain Aldermen, A.
Hall, VIM. Eagon, G. Il. Lewis, B. 7
Points, F. 7. Geiger and NJ. Gushing