Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1896-10-07

lions, ana IL not sGOppeu ny tue
yirtuous, uprising of an indig-
nant people st the polls will cause
more bloodshed than the war through
which we have lately passed.
The Duty of the Hour.
The flood of last week has given our
city a great problem to solve. 1t can
not be solved by ordinary people, it
cannot be solved by city council
alone. but it must be solved by engi
neers. We have stream made up
about the centre of our city of two
tolerably long branches, held in by
rather abrupt hills and draining
water shed of several miles each.
There is very little room for the water
to spread, but unfortunately the level
ground near the streams banks was
attractive to persons who wished to
build cheaply, SO they crowded their
buildings down to the waters edge,
stream with them. The present flood
would hardly have been carried off
without damaging property if it had
met with no obstruction. But when
ever water rises it gathers debris which
soon forms dams, and causes oyerfiows.
In the present instance this occurred,
and in addition dam on each branch
of the creek burst and assisted the
already badly swollen stream in it's
destruction. 1t is patent that no dams
should ever again be allowed on either
of these branches. they are always
a menace to property below them end
they serve in the present case no use
full purpose, they were only there for
ornament. Taking it for granted that
these dams will never be replaced,
what is to be done with the stream
itself -? Is it to be ordered deepened,
or left as it is? This is the engineer
ing problem before the council and it
is one which onght to be taken hold of
firmly, fearlessly, advisedly and
promptly. We are too apt to forget
even so dearly bought an experience
as that of the night of the Goth of Sept.
last, yet all other matters except the
ltemporaryreplacing of the street sur
faces and the opening of Lewis creek
channel pale before the Importance Of
the question of the manner of treating
the channel of Lewis creek, and our
council should look into it at once.
"And Thereby Hangs A Tale.''
The NeaDs of this city has drawn
largely on it's Imagination when it as
serts that Democratic bulIdozing tao
tics, ''were tried at first in Staunton
in most offensive way" There never
was any bulldozing tried in Staunton
by the Democrats and the Meas can
cite no instance of it. There has new
er been a Democratic corporation or
firm in this city which has had its en-
ployees sign "calls'' for conventions,
nor in any other way by coercion
sought to control voters, and we defy
the Neaos or any one else to give any
real case of such offensive tactics
The Democrats have not assailed the
motives of the men who have left the
party and gone like Aaron and his
followers to worshipping a golden calf.
The great party which remains after
they have departed is not abusing any
body. The party lives and will live
without that little portion of it's make
up, which distinguishes more emphat-
ically than any other, the monkey
from the man, commonly call.d by
scientists and professors, caudal APP
pendage, and perte6rae ezongatus, by
common people, that is by Rryanites,
TAIL. Generally, the dog, it is said,
wags the tail, and not the tail the dog.
but as the tail is in no wise essential
to the general health and we'll being
of the dog, that animal often gets on
as well and sometimes better when
shorn of this mem Der than before. The
present Democratic party being com
posed principally according to pluto
cratic statements, of cars. very low
bred ours, dogs, very loud mouthed
dogs, the body polite of such crea
ture would necessarily have been
made with tail, and SO it was created |
"every one after his kind"
Having therefore naturally been
born with a tail, an occurrence for
which it was in no wise responsible, it |
carried about with it for many years
this useless appendage but always with |
more or less personal inconvenience |
and annoyance. The blessed thing
was constantly giving trouble, and
was continually IN the way. The dog
never got into any kind of business but |
he found it in his way or went through
a door, or gate but it was caught lag /
ging behind and hurt. The weight |
amounted to little it is true, but that
tail was the butt and plaything of all
evil minded and designing persons.
At last about the End of September
1896, certain very Willy Doctor, Mark
Hanna, shut door on this tail, in a
room ia Indianapolis, and held it there
whilst he, with large pair of Coupon
Clipper Scissors, cut it entirely off
The big mastiff gave a yeIp at the first
incision. but the operation was per-
formed SO skillfqlly that little or no
pain was felt and the wound healed by
first intention.
The released tail danced and hoped
about in apparent glee, and after it
had, according to the Doctors idea,
sufficiently enjoyed its freedom, the
great surgeon who had released it
rom it's captivity took it up and by
,ne of those dextrous operations known
II surgery as migrating, fastened it on
% another dog, where it now grace !