Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1894-11-07

4 Big Day IN Charles TO,cn.

10 ACCOMMODATE louTln Ol thuoC WIN
wished to get into it. The announcement
that Gen. Fitz Lee would be here early at
,racted men from all parts of the county,
and when he stepped from the cars at , P.
m. he was greeted by an immense throng'
and among them FIVE hundred mounted
men-many Of them having ridden with him
in the sixties. The special committee to
meet him at the depot was composed OF
the following gentlemen: John NJ. Daniel,
chairman of executive committee, ). Z.
Holmes, of the State committee, r. \. Al
exander, of the congressional committee,
Col. B. ID. Gibson, Hon. Geo. R. Vending,
Hon. VIM. H. Travers, Col. Forrest W..
Brown, Capt. H. I. Miley and other
prominent Democrats. If he needed in
spiration beyond that of the motive for
coming, he got it from the cheerful faces
and strong voices Of the boys on horse back
aud the multi.udes Of men, women aud
children-the smiles, the huzzas, the way
ing Of haudkerchieis, etc. The general was
soon mounted on the magnificent horse Of
Col Siucletou-a son Of the "Sou OF Hi
moi" I.c.l of Jefferson Davis aud Of
Abraham Lincoln, who spent his energies IN
trying to bring about peace between the
sections during the war. The general once
mounted was at home" and inquired, Is
there another war % and the response was,
eyes. a war upon Dayton" At the court
house he had magnificent greeting. There
was music by two bands, the Charles Town
Cornet Band, and the Manning's School
House Band Hon. JnO NJ. Daniel, chair
man of the county executive committee,
called upon Hon. VIM. H. Travers to pre-
side. Amid the plaudits of the people Mr..
Travers arose, aud in words of incOmpara-
ole appropriateness and beauty OF express
sion introduced Gen. Lee
General Lee made several attempts to
speak before the enthusiastic cheers of his
audience subsidized sufficiently to enable him
to be heard. He then made an admirable
campaign speech, touching on all the i'm
portant issues, illustrating the points with
anecdotes, always effective, and generally
witty. For an hour and half he enchain-
ed his audience, now impressing upon them
the deep momentous struggle through which
they are passing, and that victory can only
be won by stern devotion to the right; now
convulsing them with some irresistibly fun
ny story or description driving home an ar
gument BY its appositeness. The applause
was frequent vnd tremendous cheer after
cheer from hundreds of voices drowning the
tones Of the speaker. Every mention Of
VIM. L. Wilson was greeted with the wild
est shouts, showing how loyal are the Dem
ocrats Of the second district to their candi-
date
After Gent Lee had closed his speech and
the bands played few strains, there was
calls for Vending repeated until that gen.
tleman emerged from the crowd and in
few terse, pithy sentences, strong forceful,
we'll rounded and finished off with all the
oratorical grace for which he Is so Justly cell
ebrated, drove home all the truths to which
we had been listening and added to them the
powerful argument that the eyes of all DEM
ocrats in the country from Maine to Florida
were turned TO the Democrats of the second
district Of West Virginia to see what we are
going TO do with VIM l.. Wilson. This he
said was the message which he had brought
with him from the South; on the answer de-
pended perhaps the fate Of the country, for
when Democracy dies this government dies.
Ere this is in print the question will have
been answered and the fate of the nation for
at least two years decided. This result will
prove our loyalty to our principles and our
fealty to the creates; and purest of our
statesmen, or be an eternal disgrace in the
ewes of the whole civilized world