The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-07-27
Elaborate Preparations Made
for Celebration of His
torical Event.

WHEELING, wv. VA. July 81
One OF the most interesting fea-
lures of the celebration of the semi
centennial of the state will be
Founders Day" This will be an
occasion for the gathering In this city
OF the survivors Of the convention
which met here in 1851 and declared
! in favor Of division of the old state
and the formation OF new common7'
wealth. They were the veritabie fath-
ers of this splendid community of
counties comprising the State of West
Virginia and they are entitled to dis
tInguished recognition in the pros
ipective celebration OF the fftieth an
niversary of It's birth.
4 The suggestion for Founders
Day" said Col. John E. Day. secre-
Itary of the Send Centennial Commits
sion, came from the Hon. John W.
Mason. of Falmont one OF the menu
hers CT the commission. Il had some
correspondence with Judge Mason
with reference to the survivors of
the May and June conventions OF 1861
and he remarked that very few with
in his memory were living today, and
suggested that as many of them as
fcould he reached be invited to this
city during semi-centennial week and
n day he set apart for their special
entertainment and honor Measures
are now being taken to provide for
such an occasion by the Wheeling
Board OF Trades committee, which Is
n sufficient guarantee that the matter
will be well taken care of.
The importance of this feature of
the semi-centennIal celebration" add
ed Col. Day, cannot be exaggerated.
Naturally there are very few Of the
men who bore the brunt OF the strug-
gle of 1861 diving today, as most of
them were of mature years at that
time. Those who survive have not
long to tarry now, and 1t is important
that they he gathered together on this
occasion so that we may hear from
their own lips the story of those
strenuous days. They may not add
of that period. hut they will, without
doubt, impart new interest to many
things through the intimate character
Of their connection with them. Only
n few of the names of these persons
can be recalled at this moment. The
Hon. john ]. Davis. of Clarksburg;
DR.. w. Il. Grant, of Grafton; Alpheus
Garrison, OF Monongalia county; w.
T. Brown, OF Grafton; and Col. George
r. IatheIn, of Buckhannop.- There
are, no doubt. others which future
inquiry and investigation will disclose.
1t is a lamanetable fact that not a
single citizen of Wheeling or Ohio
county, who took part in the May and
June conventions, survives, although
their descendants are with us. They
made quite distinguished Iist, con-
tanning, as It does. such men as l. S.
DelaplaIn. ]. r.. StIfel. alfred Cald-
we'll. John MdLure, Jr., Andrew will
son, George Forbes, "A. j. Woods,
Thomas II. Logan, Daniel Lamb.
Chester D. Hubbard, S. H. Woodward.
James wv. Paxton. S. waterhouse, G..
L. Grammer. James S. Wheat, George
w. Norton, John r.. Hubbard, Will
liam B. Curtis. George Bowers Rob-
ert Crangle, James PAUL, John G.
Hoffman and Jacob Berger Many
years after the state was formed. and
Just previous to his death, the late
Hon. Daniel Lamb said that Cooking
back on what had been done he had
no regrets as TO the part ne took, and
that the action of the convention was
the inspiration of the best wisdom of
those days How eloquently have
the fifty years of the statehood Of
West Virginia fulfilled the hopes and
verified the faith, of its founders
Other men contributed largely of in
tiuence and noney to the cause of the
new state outside of these conven-
lions. First among his equals was
the late Hon. "A. w. Calrpbell, one of
the owners and editor of the Intelll-
gencer, whose pen was a fiery sword
In cutting the bonds that bound us to
the Old Dominion.
There are, no doubt, other suryty-
ors of the two conventions living
whose names have not been men
TONED in this article. ANY informa-
ton as to the present residence OF
such persons will be thankfully re-
ceived by Col. Day, the secretary of
the Semi+Centennial Commission,