West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-05-09

Ii
these thin board walks, probably
reckoning that what they have
will last couple of hundred years
or SO yet.
AS to the water, it seems a sort
of diluted soupy solution, oozing
up from the prehistoric vegetable
deposits below, for as we have been
geologically enlightened, this mag
nificent Kanawha Bottom, where
on Charleston now sits, and pro-
poses soon to rule the State, was
once an immense basin, or huge
earthen "dug-out," as it were, which
old Time, in the course of the ages,
has filled up with all manner of
alluvial nastiness; and that this
has been in soak so long without
changing the water, accounts for
the fact that the further you go
down, the nastier the water. How
ever, when the top of this alluvi-
UNI dries out a little, it produces
splendid cabbages, pumpkins, corn
and beans, which Charlestonians
seem to like much better than
water. Indeed, we don't remem-
Der to have seen anybody drink
any water while here, and the
Council may be ignorant of its
use. We think we noticed a half
dozen saloons to one we'll, and
might safely estimate dozen beer
spigots to one water hydrant.
What the city most needs is
LESS WHISKY AND MORE WATER.
This double reform could be
speedily and proftably accom-
plished by abolishing the saloons,
and then by throwing a dam
across the mouth of the gorge in
the heights back of the city, front
ing Elk river, make basin for a
pure mountain lake, to be kept
full of pure, clean water pumped
from the Elk, and conducted to the
thirsty throughout the city. We
hear this talked of, this exchang-
ing of saloons for ater-works, and
gladly improve this opportunity of
blooming the two-fold enterprise
We have much to say yet of
Charleston and Charleston institu-
tons, and propose to have our "say
out" if it takes all summer; but
we must interrupt ourself now to
say that Tuesday evening, May
/, we ran 80 miles further up the
c. & O, to Coal Valley, and heard a
trio of Democratic speeches by
RANDALL, KENNA AND YATES.
See there, will you? Hon. Sam
Randall, of Pennsylvania, the "sus
pect" Speaker of the next House,
our young political athelete, the
beardtess Kenna, who at two leaps
cleared all the chasms between the
County Court and United States
Senate, and West Virginia's At
torney General, Mr.. Watts, who
didn't invent the steam engine
nor write our best hymns, but who
stands now at the States legal
wheel and has an eye on the polit
ical wheels as we'll with all these
to be heard, who wouldn't 60 so
miles up beautiful valley, espec-
tally with the assurance of picking
up score of FREEMAN subscri-
bers?
Well, Mr.. Randall talked a Lit.
tie on Tariff, a little more about
Capitalization, touched on the &c
velopment of the great mineral
wealth of the Kanawha Valley,
and wound up with some ortho-
dox taffy for Mr.. Snyder.
MIR. Kenna made much better
and more popular speech than Mr..
Randall. He touched little on
many points in a free and easy,
rambling sort Of way, making hap
ply hits to the delight of the
"boys" everywhere he went.
He paid high compliment 70
Judge Brown, as a noble type of the
honest and upright citizen Chris
tian. gentleman, but as he was SO
unfortunate as not to be Demo
crat, he thought the people ought
to vote for Mr.. Snyder.
Mr.. Watts discussed the assess
ment question chiefly, defending
the administration against Re
publican assaults; and had he
omitted the closing anecdote, we are
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