Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-12-03
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3. 1859.

-.
Washington Star on the subject Of the legality
of the retrocession Of Alexandria" consisting,
mainly Of extracts from the speeches made in
the Senate of the United States during the
Thirty ninth Congress upon "the bill to repeal
the act Of 1916. retroceding that part OF the
District as originally laid off or ceded BY the
State of Virginia to Congress, lying south Of
the Potomac river.
Several OF the Senators on that occasion give
il as their opinion, that if the question was to
be raised at this late day, it must be in the U.
s. Supreme Court. Some were in favor of re-
peaing the act, but the majority refused to
pass the billiard the matter was properly
laid aside. We had thought that the subject
was ended, and that no attempt was to be
again made TO despoil Virginia Of a portion OF
her territory, receded TO her by the action OF
Congress, the wish and consent OF the Com
mouwealth Of Virginia. aud by the vote OF
the people. and which recession has been &C
knowledged by every department o. the gov
ernment for more than twenty years. But 1t
is again urged by disturbers, and Mr.. Walker,
this time, applies to Mr.. W. ID. Wallach to
test the subject in a new way-as follows:
II understand Mr. Wallach obtained some
votes for Member of Congress from the State
Of Virginia, in which Culpeper county Is sit
usted, but Mr.. Mckenzie got the certificate OF
election. Now the Constitution authorizing
the election of Members of Congress reads as
follows: Article LIST, see, ID, sub. ,, "No per
son shall be o Representative, &c, and who
shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant OF that
State in which he shall DC choseu." Me
kenzie being an inhabltant OF the District of
Columbia cannot represent the State OF Nlr
ginis N Congress. Mr.. Wallach is a resident
of the State Of Virginia, was candidate, did
receive votes for that Office, and was the only
candidate inVirgiDia,a resident OF that District
that did receive any votes. Now, let him at once
obtain writ of quo warranto from some com
petent court or judge, and serve it upon Mr..
Mckenzie, requiring him to shew cause why
ne withholds the certificate of election from
him. (Ws,lach) Upon that issue the matter
oil the removal OF the capital will be tested by
legal tribupal."
Now, we should suppose that Mr.W. will DO
no such thing-as certainly when he was 4 ctu'-
ditidte Alexandria was "a good enough county
in Virginia" for him, had it added to the votes
cast for him, aud, OF course its citizens were
eanvassed and regarded by him as citizens OF
the State of Virginia, and not as citizens OF the
District OF Columbia.
But, after all, it appears that this move
meut of Mr.. g. L. Walker is only another at
tempt to put an obstacle 10 the way OF MIR Nc
X, the elected representative from this Con
grcssonal district, towards taking his seat 1t
seems so, undoubtedly, We hope this, too,
along with the other efforts to that end, will
prove failure.
We will just add that if those in Washington
or elsewhere who arc Interfering in the status
of Alexandria, imagine that their scheme, will
contribute any thing towards the repression OF
efforts to remove the scat of government from
Washington, they viii not oely find themselves
mistaken, but that it will add 10 tho numbers
of those who desire such q remova' nd will
DO used by them to that effect AS 1t viii be
denial Of the power of the government, ut
any time HEREAFTER, to change the location
of the seat OF government, whatever NAV be
the wish or the interest Of the country, or OF
the people Of the great West They do not
wish for that removal pOw-but they will not
bind themselves for all future time. Better let
Alexandra alone.
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