National Republican., 1878-10-07
THE FIRST VIRGINIA DIsrRICr.

The Hon. GEORGE c. ROUND, Of Manassas,
having announced himself as an Independent
Republican candidate tor Congress. tho follow
ing brief sketch of his antecedents may not
be out of place at this time;
GEORGE C. ROUND is native of Wyoming
Valley, Pa. His father was for fifty years Meth.
odist preacher in Northern Pennsylvania and
Southern New York. Mr.. ROUND himself Is a
member Of that Church. and represented the
Virginia conference In the &c neral conference
at Baltimore in 1876 as a lay delegate. He
graduated at Wesleyan University, at Middle
town, Conn., in 1866 third in his class In
scholarship, and receiving the highest honors
in Mathematics and as q speaker and writer.
Mr.. ROUSp is emphatically a self-made man,
paying every dollar Of his college expenses
from his own labor at the time. In April,
1851, when the tocsin Of war sounded through
the land, In company with a large number Of
his fellow.students, Mr.. ROUND, then In his
junior year, threw aside his books, aud Joined
the First Connecticut Regiment, and for four
years aud half kept step to the music of the
Union In the ranks Of her defenders.
After he had served out his three years as a
private soldier, President LINCOLN commits.
stoned him - an officer In tho signal corps,
which. service he left In August, 1865, In time
to re-entsr his senior year in college. He
studied law at BinghamtOn, N. Y, and at the
Columbia Law School Of New York City, where
he was admitted to the bar in 1868. He came
Immediately to Virginia and settled at Ma.
nassas, and for ten years has been perfectly
enthusiastic over building up the waste
places aud developing the resources of Vir-
ginia, and 1t Is owing greatly To his marvel
lous energy and business-like mind that so
large and prosperous . village has sprung up
on the battle-desolated plains Of Manassas.
lie has been = member Of the council Of Ma
nssSas since its siucorporation, being annually re-
elected by an almost unanimous vote. In public
school matters be has been particularly active
Before the public school system went into
operation he started series Of free schools in
the county by donations solicited from the
North and from the PEABODY fund, and ever
since the reconstruction OF the State has served
rs member of the school board at Manassas
and he has, for many years, been vco.prcsi-
dent of the county School Board. He was one
Of the chief spirits of the recent Teachers In.
stitute for the eight counties Of Northern Vir-
gnia, held in August, at Manassas, which is
said TO have been the most successful gathering
OF the kind ever held iu Virginia. At that
institute Major w. THORNTON, the energetic
county superintendent, himself an ex-Con-
federate, and ths leader of the Conservative
party in his county, stated publicly that Mr..
RoUNp had been his " right.hand man" in the
| organization OF the public school system, which
has been carried into eject probably more per-
| ltCtly III tHat CDuuty tnhl III any Otltr away
from the popuous centres Of population.
Mr.. ROUND did not hide his political views
like many Republicans that have moved to
| Virginia, On the contrary, he was tho hrst
man TO stump the county for Republican prin-
Giples and, although for two or three years he
was very unpopular oil that account, yet to-
day there is not man in his county Of any
political faith who is personally more popular
| Prince William County is one of the strongest
Democratic counties Of the State, the Republi
eau vote being barely one-fourth OF the whole
| yet In 1873 Mr.. ROUSD was elected TO the Leg
stature as an Independent, carrying Manassas
his own home precinct, by good majority
over all opposition, although that precinct
usually gives a strong Conservative majority.
In the Legislature Mr.. ROUND served on the
Committee on Schools aud Colleges, and
| Superintendent RUFFNER had no more etii-
cieut aid In that committee or in the Leglsla
ture than he. lie served on the Committee on
Constitutional Amendments, and opposed th'
efforts to embarrass the exercise Of the right
Of suffrage, and assisted in defeating some o
the efforts made in that direction. lie was tn,
leader in the House of Delegates of the oppO
sition TO the Petersburg charter, and exposed
In two days speech, the atrocities of tha
anti i-Republcan measure SO glarngly that Gov
ernor KEMPER vetoed 1t.
For the past few years Mr.. ROUND has taker
little part in national politics, his last service
Ia that direction being on the State Centu,
Committee Of the Republican party IN lo7!
when NiTginiS was carried for GRANT.
| GESERAL BUTLER has tried 10 make all sorts 0
bargains with local candidates to help his owl
election That these oyertuTes are declined il sur,
| a hat cha IL lp.li nj "a.