Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-07-27
LOCAL.
AUGUSTUS OPPORTUNITY !!

AUGUSTUS OPPORTUNITY !!
HOW THE GREAT EXPOSITION
AT RICHMOND MAY BENE-
FIT HER.
WHAT Is IN STORE FOR AUGUSTA IF SHE
IS REPREsENTED-WHAT GEN. LEE
THOUGHT ABOUT IT-BUT THE SUPER
YIsoRs DO NOT RESPOND TO THE AC-
TION OF THE MEETING.
&C., &C., sc.
A solid, representative body of Augusta
farmers gathered in the court room on
Monday to hear an address from President
Ashton Starke of the Richmond EXPOSE
ton, upon the advantages of that great
enterprise. Mr.. Starke is young man.
apparently not over thirty-fve, Is the
originator of the great effort for Virginia of
which he is the head, and is fine speaker,
fluent, practical and eloquent. He gave
his. audience genuine surprise when he
lUlQ Gutm tudU u0 QCoiICO ~ w NO duOCA-
stood in advance that he nor the EXPOSE
ton asked help from Augusta of any
character, either in money or exhibits.
The Exposition was already success, its
arrangements had insured the attendance
of 500. 900 visitors. its entire space for ex-
h1bits was already taken up, and If any
room could be given Augusta at all, it
could only be done by cutting Off some of
the U. S. Government space and letting
the county have small part of that.
whom had some how or other come with
the idea that the Exposition was asking
for help, instead of Offering it to others,
was surprise and put the speaker on
pretty firm ground.
A LOCAL OFFER.
The meeting was called to order by
Jddge Grattan, on whose motion Mr.. j
A. Patterson. Jr., of Waynesboro, one of
the most progressive and successful citi-
zens of the county, was called to preside.
Mr.. Patterson on taking the chair, said
we are here to offer you an opportunity to
put Augusta county where she justly be-
longs-at the head of the list of all the
counties of the State that are to be repre-
sented in the Exposition. There you can
show the resources of your county in mini
allure and make such showing that visit
ing the Exposition you can say with pride,
this is the exhibit of Augusta, and Au-
gusta is ma county. We have such grain,
stock, vegetables, fruit. lumber and min
erals that we need fear the competition of
no county in the State. Our Board of
Supervisors has not as yet seen it's way
clear to making an appropriation that the
county may be represented, but am here
to-day to say to you on behalf of myself
aud Col. John H. Crawford and Sheriff
Z. R. N. Speck, the other two Augusta
representatives in the District Fair, that
if you have no appropriation from your
Board, and therefore have no organized
plan of representation in, or agent at the
Exposition, we will see that what exhibits
you send to our District fair in Septem-
Der are sent to the Exposition Gf you desire
it) free of cost to you, and that they will
be safely returned. We are all deeply con-
cerned that for the credit as we'll as for the
profit of our county, she shall not 60 unre-
presented, and Messrs. Crawford and
Speck, who have shown much interest in
this matter, will actively cooperate with
me and 1 with them, to see that there shall
be no failure.
WHAT MIR. sTARKE SAID.
Mr.. Starke said it was with peculiar
pleasure he exercised this privilege OF
| speaking to the people Of Augusta; first,
because be was inspired by the conscious
ness of making an honest effort for the
UNFOLDING of the hands of Virginia; and
second, because he had been Informed thai
the people of Augusta were as anxious tt
take their place and rank in the line Of
progress, as the people of any county thai
had yet answered to the roll CALL
| SHALL THE VALLEY BE ABSENT?
| He appeared here through no persona
interest. He had left his personal inter
ests to sutherland they bad suffered-tt
do this one thing for Virginia. This ont
thing, in which he hoped the State would
have the support of every one of its people
| But few days ago as he stood before thu
immense Exposition building at Rich.
mond. covering 1000 square feet, be wa
prompted to name the three great arms O
the building. And he did name them
| Tidewater, Piedmont and the Great Val
| ley of Virginia. The other two are there
| will the great Valley be absent? No, she
will not be, for Rockbridge and Botetour
| will be there. But will Augusta be lief
| at home? Does any one tell me that this
| great county with its fertile soil, its ex
cellent population, its great schools, it,
magnificent products, its refined civiliza
ton, all contributing to make the sweetes
home in the wide world, will stay behind
WHAT GOOD THERE IS IN IT?
| You will ask what are we doing In thu
Exposition and how you are to be benefit
ed by it. So much has been published ir
the papers-and no papers have done more
for the Exposition than those Of Stauntor
that it Is hard to tell you anything you
haven't read. But it is really not needed
for me to suggest where you can be prof
ted. Think for yourselvesl 1t is pit
business question. Think what it would
be to attract the world to your county
| You have great natural curiosity here
| in the Weyer's Cave. Suppose you made
| a miniature fac-simile of Weyer's Cave
with its stylactites and grottoes and put
inside OF it samples of your minerals
wheat, corn. lumber. fruits. all glittering
under the blaze of our electric lights. Is
there any man could pass that without
saying how beautiful or any man from
Augusta who could pass it without a feel.
inc of nrida in a county that made the