The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-02-06


the rulings he has made, and the prece-
dent he has established.
Reed is already spoken of as the com
ing man for the Republican nomination
for President in 1892. Whether this will
prove passing burst of enthusiasm.
occasioned by the exciting events of
the past week, or will materialize into n
tangible and popular movement, time
alone can unfold.
POSTSCRIPT
How quick painful events sometimes
crowd one upon the other Only last
Friday, the distressing announcement
was made that Mr. Blaines eldest dauph-
ter, Mrs. Col. Coppinger, was seriously
ill at her fathers residence. The calm
of Sunday morning was broken, and all
hearts grieved to hear the sad intelli-
gence that the spirit of the lovely woman
had been called to Him who gave it. AS
''jocund day" tipped the eastern sky
and the gray mists scattered before the
rays of the morning orb, Death entered
again the palatial home of Mr. Blaine to
sever the ties of affection and add one
more of the family to the silent caravan
that moves on with ceaseless step, to
that bourne whence no traveller returns.
Surrounded by loving hearts, yet all un-
conscious of their presence, Mrs. Coppin-
ger passed from the associations and
scenes of her loves and pleasures, and
joys and sorrows, to the eternal world,
leaving an example of christian virtue
and fortitude to inspire and lead her
two little children and those near and
dear to her to that other life, where all
tears are wiped away and parting is no
more.
And scarcely had the sacred day
rounded out it's hours before another
terrible calamity was flashed out upon
stricken community and sympathiz-
ing country. The awful tragedy that
occurred on the morning of Monday, at
about the hour of the day, on Sunday,
that Mrs. Coppinger passed over the
river to rest under the shade of the trees,
in which the wife and daughter of Secre-
tary of the Navy Tracy lost their lives,
and the residence was consumed, told
the old story that 'misfortunes never
come single handed" In the quiet of
sleep and surrounded by all that wealth
could furnish, with no thought of dan
ger and no fear of destruction, as sud
den as an electric flash, the sleepers
were aroused, some to embrace instant
death, and others to be shocked into in
sensibility. These fearful vstations of
Providence, in the most prominent of
official and social circles, admonish all
whether high or low, that they are but
mortal, and that neither station nor
wealth is exempt from the destruction
that walketh at noonday or its stealthy
approach In the night.
The official circles at Washington have
been sorely invaded by disease and
death, and the country sends up it's ear
nest sympathy for the afflicted.
The first fruits of Speaker Reeds de-
termined purpose to crush out fillibus-
tering, were yielded Oh Monday. A vote
was reached ON the contested election
case Of Smith, Republican, against
Jackson, Democrat, the sitting member,
from West Virginia, and it resulted in
166 for seating Smith, and none against
the Democrats not voting. The Re
publicans had a quorum of their own
men, and it was not necessary to count
any of those present and not voting.
This case is where s'twe" was construed
to mean twelve" by Gov. Wilson, and
by SO counting it, when it was clearly
intended for ''tWo." Jackson was de-
clared elected aud commissioned by the
Governor Mr.. Smith was promptly
stopped.
Reed possesses, it seems, the power of
working miracles. He has caused the
dumb to speak, the deaf to hear and the
lame and halt to leap like the hart. One
hundred and sixty-two Democrats sit
immovable and speechless in their seats
when their names are called. The mo-
ment the speaker announces quorum
present, by counting dozen or so Of
these deaf and dnmb members, they
will spring to their feet and shoot off
their mouths at a terrible rate, illus
trating the marvellous influence of q
simple sentence from the chair.
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