The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-08-28
TREMENDOUS MASS MEETING OF THE
DEMOCRACY OF THE DISTRICT.

| TREMENDOUS MASS MEE nv Of lIL
DEMOCRACY OF THE DISTRICT.
On Monday evening immense meeting Of the
Democracy OF the District assembled, in pursuance
Of public nolee to participate IN the dedication Of
the gigantic Hickory Pole just raised in front Of the
Globe Office Colonel c. X. GARDlSER, Of this city,
resided, and MIR. LUEp WAsHINeroH, JIG. ofteiated
as Secretary Of the meeting. The numbers present
have been yariousy estimated at from five TO SIX
thu usand persons and could not have fallen far short
Of the former II certainly was the largest meeting
ever held in the city of Washington and as there
was Wing meeting held the same evening at the
other end of the avenue, II IS fair to presume that
there were very few except Democrats present
On the arrival on the ground of the long line of The
Alex andra procession with their beautiful banners,
and including in their ranks company of forty or
fifty of the youthful Democrats of that ancient city,
the meeting was called to order by the President,
and after salute from the brass piece on the main
top, the exercises of the evening commenced with
the reading Of the following letter from Colonel Ro-
Bert LUCAS of Jefferson county, Virginia:
Com spRMe, Jefferson Co Va,
August ID, 1914.
DEAR SIR avail myself of the first eisure mo-
ment To acknowedg the receipt OF your favor OF the
9th ultimo handed me 10y Mr.. Hess few days
since aud also TO assure you that have very great
Measure in presenting, ! now dc, fer the accept
ance of "the Washington c Democrats" IN ac-
cordance with the suggestions therein made, " four
hickory poiesn which were put on board boat last
evening in charge OF our friend Mr. Hess who ex-
| pected 10 reach Georgetown III upe 10 uhloau them
| on Monday next.
thought il best to send four, making 225 feet IN
the rough which would allow of being nearly 300
feet high when raised; though you will probably use
pine or poplar for the top spires on account 81 heir
beg lighter and sitter, and ess liable to spring; and
it m ght be WELL also, to have four bars OF iron let
in and banded each Splice to strengthen the pole
| As you have been pleased To request an answer,
and have also made complimentary illusions TO my
State and myself it would seem to be expected OF
me to say something on the occasion, by way OF re-
| spouse; but Us politics out of my line, and my
! aspirations do not lead beyond the cutyatllng tn
| s II, | must be excused from doing more than TO
make NY acknow le1gments for the honor That has
been done me, in being called upon to furnish The
hickory pole TO be planted in the metropolis OF Tins
great Republic, upon which the star-spaDged ban
ner" floating above the names OF 4" Polk and Dali
las" and the " lone star" are to be borne as The
watchwori Of Democracy in the battle Of lo44, anu
t. mention the simple fact, that these hickory poles
are literally and emphatlcally OF Democratic growth.
hey grew upon the Democratic soil oil the " an
cent Dominion which never yet gave Federal
vote; and the identical lands too, upon which they
were felled have been out of the possession OF
the Democratic family which first took them up, de-
Tended and cultivated hem for upwards OF century
past; has this family, or any member oil II, ever
been known, at any time, since the first dawn oil
American independence, TO be otherwise than g de
voted 10 the Democratic creed" you are pleased
| to express IL.
! Wishing to Z" the Democrats of Washington city"
prosperity and success in all their undertakings,
remain, dear sir, your obedient servant,
ROBERT LUCAS.
! G. p. SENGsTACK, Esq
Correspg Secy Dem. Assn,
Washington city.
The letter was responded to by the most hearty
and deaening shouts from the mighty assembage,
giving an earnest of the spirit that has at length
been aroused among the democracy Of Washington.
Mr. CHARLES s. WALLACE was then introduced
to the meeting, and made the following eloquent re-
Spouse TO the letter of Col. Lucas
! FELLOW CITIZENS am not before you this even
ing, as you have heard, for the purpose of entering
into discussion Of political topics, but simply by
request and on behalf o! myself and you, and Of the
de moe ratio party Of the District of Columbia gene
rally to tender to the generous donor Of this tower
ing emblem of democracy our heartfelt thanks, and
To pledge ourselves to rally around II here in support
OF that cause, the primary and main principles of
which are the maintenance Of the rights of the peo
pie and the preservation Of our Union, and TO do
might in support and protection OF the constitution
which our opponents fam would trample under foot
| and destroy. We will here assemble in counc ] to
devise the means Of enabling TO hand that const-
tuition down to posterity IN the pure and undefled
condition in which 1t has been bequeahed us by it,
trainers who adopted 1t with wisdom and IN delibera
ton, and ho did so while yet their wounds of the
! revolution were unhealed.
For the liberty which Is guaranteed us by the con-
stituon our fathers Of the Revolution poured their
precious blood until with it the very soil was satu
rated and enriched, and the very rivers and streams
we're dyed a crimson hue and they did So full of
the hope that the patriotism Of their descendants
would forever preserve II as an emblem Of that love
OF liberty the spark Of which has been engendered
within Us at our births and shall we desert il now
Shall we permit il now TO be dismembered of its
beauties Shall we strike from its component par
the conservative power OF the veto, that rude and
ruthless maorities OF any political party may engra
heir ayOriie measures upon the country, no matter
how unconstitutional those measures may be- Let US
once do So and the whole fabric Of that constitution
will crumble TO The ground and then, ask, where
will be our beautiful, glorious republic' Among
the things that were forever goue-blotted out
from the face of the map Of nations the great re-
loicing of monarches and despotic governments
We are fighting in the of the people, and the
people will sustain The intelligence OF the peo-
pie Of country is too great TO permit this destruc-
ton Of the constitution They love that constitution
because It was bought aud paid for with the lives
| and the blood of the brayest and most glorious an
cestry that can be boosted Of by any people and a
majority of the people, proud to believe, would
rather that their right arms be severed from heir
bodies than that single feature Of the constltu-
ton be destroyed. portion Of the people il is true
may, for a while, be ured into error by high sound
ing promises-by words which, fr time, sound
pleasantly to their ears but when once they begin
10 reflect, they will soon find the charm Of those
words TO be mere sound. Then their virtue and N
telirence will insure their support 10 the cause of
their country, and Of their countrys constitution,
and they will rally to a man around these embems
Of democracy, which, ike democracy itself but bend
to the storm only 10 arise more proudly erect Ga
It's peak we have hosted our glorious star-spangled
banner
" And long may IT wave
Ger the land OF the free and the home Of the brave
; And soon may IT show forth upon its armament
another glorious and shining star-the lone star Of
LcIas-Mhich NJ sheLs La hrlLhi and Instrnu. 70 ..