The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-09-28

oence-the only sure foundation for
the perpetuation of this great demo-
cratic republic.
Miss Edna Hammond. daughter of
Capt. Eugene Hammond, of the
Third National Bank of Cumberland.
was introduced and presented with a
gold medal offered by the Times for
the best poem by any of the school
children. The poem, "DOna 0eouim"
was then read, and is quite fine pro.
ductIOn.
After the exercises the children
were taken to the market-hOuse and
served with luncheon. The stalls
were all neatly covered and filled
with wooden plates. containing sand
witches and fruit cake. They were
all sent home in the afternoon, each
wearing tag, which stated the de.
pot and time at which their trains
left.
The afternoon was devoted to liter
ary exercises in the Academy of
Music. The programme opened with
prayer by the Rev. ]. George Butler.
The first address was by Hon. H. w.
Hoffman. after which came an his
torical address by Mr.. Geo. L. Wei
lington and a poem by Hon. John l..
skThomas. of Baltimore.
Judge II. w. Hoffman said in the
course Of his grafton: "Allegany's
first settlers were men at once brave
and sturdy. honest and industrious.
frugal and hospitable. They were
an order.loving. law-abiding, God.
fearing people. Hence we find that
among their first acts and provisions
for their future government and wei.
fare were those for the church, the
school and The court.
1.-THE lands of which they came
into possession were, perhaps. at the
time the least inviting, the most un.
promising to be found in the State.
They were lands which proffered no
rich returns to the sower and the
reaper. The unpoetical name of the
stream which forms the eastern boun.
Diary of the county would seem to be
alike suggestive and descriptive of
its topography. With its many cloud
capped mountains and its COMPARE.
| lively few sun.kissed valleys; with
its deep sunken gorges and their rock
crowned summit /; with the ranges of
the Alleghanies. lifting their tower
ing and mist-veiled forms in serried
ranks. as if frowning upon intrusion
and repelling familiarity; with it's
then remoteness from the highways
of trade and travel. 1t was a land
which offered but scanty induce.
ments for rapid settlement or for the
speedy garnering of wealth.
1.-THE actualities of a Frostburg. a
Homecoming. and in fact of the entire
Georges Creek Valley. with their
kteeming thousands of intelligent and
hardy sons of toll, who have been
employed for we'll nigh half a GEN.
fury in unbarring her treasure doors
of hidden wealth and pouring the
long concealed wealth of her hills in
steadily.increasing volume into the
lap of commerce, was beyond their
widest dreams. OF Deer Park. as
the summer capital of the republic,
and of Oakland and Mountain Lake,
her twin sisters and rivals. forming
triple coronet of beauty and adjoining
the crests of her Alleghanies. they
had neither day dream nor night
vision"
Mr.. G.. L. Wellington made an ex-
haustive address on the pioneers of
the county. the building of the Ches-
apeake and Ohio canal and the Balti
more and Ohio Railroad, the growth
of manufactures. the development of
mines and the gradual progress of
the entire county. Among other
things he said: "In 1855 Thomas
Beall of Samuel located the town of
Cumberland on two tracts of land
known, respectively. as Walnut
Bottom and Lime Stone Rock He
laid out town west of Willis creek
and gave it the title of Washington
town. Two years later the inhabi-
tants of the place petitioned the Leg.
islature for authority to establish a
town and for the privilege of calling
1t after the old northumberland.
"The land west of Cumberland be-
gan to be rapidly taken up after this
time. A large tract was surveyed,
divided into military lots and award
ed az bounty land to the soldiers of
the revolution by authority of act of
the Legislature in 1888. Settlers had
previously occupied portion of this
land, and these were permitted to
purchase their holdings at nominal
price. From the report of the COM
missioners having the matter in
$500 001