The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-12-11
straat Corner Notes.

street Corner Notes.
Whilst the Opera House is being re
modeled-and by the way it is going 10 y
one of the prettiest. cosiest theatres II
the Tuion-the Council should not forge
that a new roof is needed on the building
If the present frescoing had been Michae
Angeles own work, it would have beel
ruined. Fortunately any change IN TN
late aspect Of the ceiling could not fail t
be appreciated by all lovers Of art. Th'
disappearance Of square foot OF plaster
ing would have been grateful oasis to thu
eve. weary with it's effort to traverse
wild waste of supposed cherubs ana roses
the latter resembling the back door OF
paint shop where all the colors weretested
LII the new Opera House, however. we are
promised frescoing that will compare favor.
ably with any in the more prefentlous
metropolitan theatres. 1t would be use
less to undertake to put such work on the
ceiling as it now is, and it would be useless
to re-plaster the ceiling until it y secure
against water. The leaking roof has made
the plastering so rotten that i Will be
necessary to supply an entirely rev coat
ing. and before this Is done Substantial
tin roof should cover the building. The
present slate roof has proven a continual
expense, and even with all The money
spent on it, the water has soaked through
discoloring the walls and cracking the
ceiling clear across the hall. It would be
penny wise and pound foolishro continue
these constant outlays for repairs. Better
spend little more and be done with IL at
once. 1t would likewise be false economy
to attempt the new frescoing on the OLD
plastering which is just about ready &c
drop off now. Let'shave complete job
all around. The people want the hall liked
right, now that it has been undertaken IL
earnest, and they will be perfectly willing
| to 90 to a little extra expense, if necessary
| in order to save costs hereafter.
The petition sent into the City Council
last week, asking the appointment OF
committeeto inquire into the expectancy
| of erecting new gas works, has awakec
considerable interest among the consumers
of that ipxary. Whilst Richmond fur
nishes gas at 81 50 per 1,0oo. and proposes
soon to reduce il toSl.35: and Baltimore
even witli combibation among the gas
companies. pays only 81 80 for its illumi
walton, the Staduton people are forced t6
| 'ght up at 81 so per thousand They are
h. ginning to wantto know the reason why
tb w too ars not permitted to participate
in some of the pleasures of reduction
Sew ss1l years ago. when the subject OF
new works was being agitate6 in Rich
money, Fhiiadelphia firm offered to essab
lish a $50 900 plant, which they guaranteed
to sup Wy 100000 cubic feet per day at a
cost tn tt would not exceed AZ cents per
/ 900. a. I'd might he reduced to 81 cents
I'VE suppose consumes from l2'ooo
to $4,000 ver day. or say in round numbers,
4. SOC, 900 set ser year. If the gas couic
be made at emaa $l.OO per thousand net,
including interest and running expenses,
and the con ,umer could get it for $l.5o,
the investm. mt would be a paying one and
the people he relieved Of a large proper
ton of a most onereus tax. And then,
too, the list OF consumes would be greatly
increased. Only those sxibo cannot do
without it. or are so rich;th&t they don t
care for the expense. usessas at the present
high rates. There are Tew il staunton
who can afford to use it. but they keep on
paying the eN,rbitant price simply because
they have gotten accustomed to the eonve-
nience. or are SO situated that they cannot
substitute some other illuminator. We
hope the csmmittee appointed will prose-
cute the Investigation vigorously. The
subject is one of Importance TO large
proportion of our citizens and should not
be allowed to Humber in pigeon-hole.
81 don't like to give aid and comfort to
the enemy y aid a young Democrat the
other day, ''bat if am not verymuch mis-
taken the democratic triumph will be
short-lived- 1t will succeed in accom-
plishing btsftre four years, what the Re-
publicans have been trying to do for
twenty. The South will not be solid in
the next presidential election. The disin-
tegration will be brought about in this
way: The real strength Of the Democratic
party in Virginia in late years, and partic-
ularly in Virginia, has been the young men
the young mechanics especially. AS a
rule they are not office-seekers and have
voted and worked for the Democratic
party either because they conscientiously
favored it's policy, or because it was popu-
lar to align themselves against what they
looked upon as the negro party. They are
aware of their strength. They know If
they chose to act independently they can
hold the balance of power. They know
that they have given the control Of Vir-
ginia to the Democrats, and they justly re-
gard themselves as entitled to some OF
the emoluments as well as theycredit. AS
I said they are not office seekers, but when
they see fat Offices being distributed as
the result of their action, it is but natural
that they should consider. themselves as en-
titled to portion of the spOils. But they
won't get them. Look at the men proml-
nently spoken of for official positions all
over the State. Who are they? In nine
cases out of ten they are the broken down
aristocrats who have never made a success
of anything. They base their claims upon
the divine right of blood, or the lin
fluence" they can command from the rep
resentatiyes of the F. F. VS.. They don't
seem to realize that times have changed
since their fathers were installed in fat
places through the agencies they are now
seeking to employ, and am very much
afraid that from force of habit the old
programme will be followed. If it is,
then the Solid South will live in history
only. The scepter must depart from Judah.
The old idea of caste must perish. The
live, active, young, working business men
Of the South must control her destiny in
the future, and when they see that their
claims are not recognized, they will make
their power felt, even if they have to pull
doun tho cn111n, nc of% tho %n,-,,,1o kbax box,o