Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1900-11-06
Via Not Afraid to Meet Charges.


The Baltimore Sun of Friday contain.
ed the following interesting dispatch
from Washington in regard to Mr.. Lem
uel r. Via, the young gentleman who SC
ably addressed the people of this county
from the portico of the jail building ir
Charles Town last Saturday week:
Washington, Nov. 1.-Hon. L. r. Via
of the Geological Survey, and Attorney
Robert E. Mattingly returned here today
from Baltimore, where they addressed
several Democratic meetings last night,
On the same train which brought them
here was Daniel Grosvenor, brother of
Congressman Charles Grosvenor, of Ohio,
an auditor in the War Department, and
Attorney Rodgers, of this city.
Asthe 1atter-namedg gentleman board
ed the smoking car" said Mr.. Via in an
interview today, Mr.. Grosvenor said !:
IF there are any Democrats on this car
they had better get off right now before
the car starts. told Mr.. Grosvenor
that was a Democrat and that I didn't
propose leaving the car until it reached
Washington, whereupon Mr.. Grosvenor
began a TRADE of abuse against all Demo-
Gratis in general and myself in particular.
He wound up by saying that he would
not be in my shoes for all that 1 was
worth. Upon lnquiring as to the reason
why he made such statement, he said:
g 1 understand You are the man who
exposed the Bureauof Education when it
was sending out pro-English literature.
If that be true, Mr. Harris the Commits
sioner of Education, is to sue you for libel
as soon as the election is over. and the
Administration is to prosecute you on a
penal statute for having given informa-
ton to the press which you secured while
employed in the Government service.
When I asked him what his authority
was for making such a statement, he re-
piled; I am on the inner circles of the
Administration and know whereof
speak. And all those who are in the
confidence of those in authority know OF
the intention of the Administration to
prosecute you.
f" Mr.. Grosvenor then called upon Mr..
Rodgers. as a lawyer, to state whether or
not it was possible to maintain an action
against me for my activity IN giving out
information exposing the fraudulent prac-
tees of the Administration which l had
secured inadvertently. Mr.. Rodgers re-
piled that it was not only possible, but
that it would be done, and that I would
soon find myself behind prison bars.
&c informed these two gentleman that
l was prepared to meet their charges at
any time and that sull stand ready to
expose rottenuess in Government affairs
whenever it comes under my notice
Mr.. Matringly a leading attorney of
this city, corroborates Mr.. Was state
ments in their entirety.
Il Will be remembered that Mr.. Via.
through the Democratic Congressional
Committee, exposed the Bureau of Edu-
cation recently when caught in the act of
distributing pro-Butish literature among
the school teachers of the United States.
Mr.. Maurice Ginnevan, a Hampshire
county Republican to whom Chairman
Teter of the Republican Congressional
Committee wrote urging him to take an
active interest in the campaign, encloscs
the letter to the Hampshire Review and
says;
" want to say to you and Mr.. Teter
that he has struck the wrong man. Mr..
Scott says the trusts are good things
Mr.. Hanna says there are no trusts. 1
am against the trusts, against the Philip
pine murder, and therefore against the