The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1902-07-30
AS strong as Gibraltar.


Fifth District Democratic Con.
gressional Convention, at Hunt.
ington, July 17th:
On the extreme southwestern
coast of the peninsula of Spain,
rising sheer from a sandy plain to
the height of over fourteen hum
dred feet, is an isolated mountain
of almost solid granite. Standing
at the entrance of the Mediterran-
can sea, it appears a great giant
keeping guard over the inland wat
ters of the eastern hemisphere.
Separated by miles of sandy plain
from the Andalusian mountains, it
seems lone sentinel posted at the
outskirts of the world. In fact, the
ancients knew it as one of the Pill
lars of Hurcules and the western
landmark of creation. This
smonntain has for centuries been a
landmark to the nations, and was
known to the earliest navigators
the Pnoeneoians.
For more than twelve centuries
it has been strategic point for
nations at war. 1t was first forti-
fed by the Saracens in the early
dawn of the eighth century of the
Christian era, and was by them
held uninterruptably for more than
six hundred years The gallant
Ferdinand III, of CASTLE, captured
it from the Moors, and it was again
taken in less than third of a GEN.
tury by the frey followers of Mo.
BANNED. Next, Spain became its
owner, and for three hundred years
held it against all her numerous
foes. Two centuries ago the Prov
ess of the soldiery of the tight lit
tie isle" wrested this great fortress
from the naughty Don, and since
that time England has successfully
resisted all efforts to effect it's cap
ture.
Never doing things by halves,
Britain has SO fortified this fortress
that it is now as nearly impregna-
BILE as any fortress built by human
hands can be made. Almost the
entire rock-for in fact. it is a gil
ant rock-bristles with artillery.
Its bare surface, practically devoid
of foliage of any kind, and present
ing host repelling and repellant
appearance. is broken by hooks and
crsnnies, from each and all of which
peep forth the messengers of death.
Small coves there are, which pro-
duce grsss and shrubs, and in them
is secreted the machinery of offense
and defence. Every spot from
which a gun can be trained is occu-
pied by cannon, which oftimes
quantity creep out from the most
secluded hooks among geraniums
and other Towering plants, while
huge deposits of shot and shell are
completely seoreted from the gaze
alike of friend and foe by the show
of most harmless and beautiful
sdornment of landscape gardening
From base to summit this huge
pile is honeycombed by natural
and artificial chambers, each of
which is the storage place for the
panoply of war. Everything that
is necessary to make this the
greatest fortress of the world is
here to be found, and England has
left nothing undone which will
contribute to perpetuating her own
ership of the great Gibraltar.
From both sea and land ap-
prcaches she is guarded by all that
the art of man can add to the stu.
pendous work of nature; and from
the time of the Saxon domfn-
alton of it no enemy has ap-
preached within the range of its
death. dealing instruments and
lived to tell the tale. Spain and
France, allied enemies of Britain,
with multiplied thousands of SOL
diers and all the machinery of seige
then knoTn to civilized warfare at
tempted for months to reduce the
defences hsld by but handful OF
zen But all in vain; it has with
stood alike the assaults of man and
the ravages of time.
Such is the character and
strength of her defences that now
the stoutest craft that plough the
sea cannot hope to live past her
batteries. The heaviest steel cruis-
ers would fall an easy prey to her
wonderful armament, and would
go to the bottom ere they had tra-
versed half the distance of her
awful front.
Truly, Gibraltar may be said to
be impregnable to the attacks of
any human foe!
| But L present you to-day a
stronger fortress than Gibraltar in
the bulwark of Democracy!
That is founded upon solid gran
lite; this upon the eternal princi-
Piles of civil and religious liberty
That is fortified with every known
implement of destruction; this is
fortified with all that is best of the
discovery of mankind for the pro.
tection, the support, the peace, the
happiness, the prosperity of hu-
manity! That is defended by men
loyal to king whom breath may
remove from the walks of life; this
is defended by men, each of whom
is king in his own right, the ad-