Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-06-16
Public Speaking.

of the county.
Mr.. Walker, the candidate for Governor, de-
liyered iorcibIe, eloquent and telling speech
of about an hour and halt in duration, 10
which he denied that he was tie candidate OF
the consolidation Or any other scheme, but of
the independent people Of the State. lie said
that the question of colorel suffrage was not
involved in the approaching elec;ion-that had
been settled long ag,. lie urged the adoption
Of the eypurgat,l t'lu.t,tutioa, and said that
the hirh character Vi the Virginia people would
not oow them to stay away tom the polls,
when somuch was at stake. lie had hoped that
the county organization clauses would also have
hcen submitted TO = separate vote, Tor II
adopted and made a part OF the fundamental
constitution it would iuin Eastern Virginia
and all her material interests, but Gen. Grant
had ordered otherwise, and now he thought
that zen. Grant was hight, fer if that clause
| had been submitted separately anu voted out
| there would have been no mode lett for organ
zipg the counties at all. lie did not feel call
ed upon to tell Nirginans what to 10 under
| the circumstances, but he would, with their
permission, tell them what he, alter mature
| elaboration, had determined to dc, Tor Wnaf
was Virginia's interest was Tor his interest Is
| he was not like the man who earned all mine
tings in mine bag, " and that was to vote DOWN
the two damnablc clauses which were 10 DC
submitted separately and then take dose OF
nhvsic bv voting for the rest of it, for Virginia
| required dose OF physic to enable her to
throw off the cxtraneous matter that now cling
| IN her intestines. The great object row 10 be
secured said he, was for NlrginanS 20 obtain
control Of their own StatC-to get 1t out oil
the mower of those who had ruled over 1t Tor
| the last four wears, and voting tor the cma&cu
lated constitution was the shortest and most
| direct routc that led 10 that cnd. The docu
ment. for he would not call it Z constitutional
he said, carried in itself The sword to lop oil It's
own cycrcseenses; for by it the legislature eiec-
| led under it has power to call = convention
| which can alter or amend it, and il Conscrva-
| tive legislature were elected, by October next
the State could have y constitution whose bcnl'
Eecnt provisions wou!d be aS broad aS were dc
! sired. And the first legislature, too, he said,
by the constitution had the power 10 propose
| amclioIa;ng amendments which II adopted by
the succeeding legi aurr, and their action rati,
fed bv the people would have the turcc oi
fundamental law. rs other reasons lor the
| adoption of the 2Xpurgatcd constitution he
urprd that Virginia was the first and only
state to which the privilege oi voting upon sep
crate clauses had been allowed, th1t by IL the
manaclcS would be removed from fifteen thou
sand Of the most responsible citizens OF the
State. and that if voted dowa the condition OF
affairs would grow from bad to worse. Some
thought that il voted down military govern.
meat would be instituted over the state, aud
If he thought So his advocacy oil It's adoption
woull BE- less sincere than it was, because that
sort OF = government would be Cnduratie; bnt
it would not be military government. 1t
Toud be such AZ exists now-haii onG tang
and hall anothcr-Somc military and some
carpct-baggcr, and the same men COW IN
mower would continuein power. lie portrayed
in all its hideouSness the effect OF ,l!c adoption
of the constitution as whole, and said chat
upon such vital question, there ought to be
no division in the sentiment OF the entire peo
pie Of the State--for what would luiure the
rropcrty holders would rcac; upon :he labor
, err, and that only sorlia and SELF mcn we're
engaged IN ailcm ping to create an antlpathy
between tie employer and employee. lie de
c!arcd his platform to be now as 1t had been
always universal amnesty and impartial sui
lraec. Wells now said that he stood upon
the same platform, but how long had he stood
upon it? Death bed repontancas did not avail
much; drowning men catch at straws; wells
had not stooa upon the platform until recent
X. If he did so now; he and his set should be
allowed 10 sink with their straw. lie had not
supposad that there were men in tie state
who in framing q constitution would 90 to q
lower depth Of iniamy than was contained IN
the Fourtcenta Amendment, but he had
beer mistaken. and he compared the State un-
der the constitution to a patient afflicted with
cancer. Hc concluded by reasscrtng that II
elected he would be the Governor not OF one
city, or one section or one interest, but Of the
whole State of Virginia aud Of the whole peo-
Die. SIr Walker speech was received with
much applause, and produced 4 very favorable
impression among the large audience
The President then stated that Information
had Inst been received from the county Of
Louisa IN this Congressional District, that that
county had determined to endorse the action OF
the counties o. Alexandria, Loudoun, Fairfax,
Stafford and Spotsylvania, in deciding against
the propriety OF holding a Congressional Con.
vention. and chat such determination, i: was
expected, would add three hundred votes to
the Conservative ticket in that county He
then introduced Lewis Mckenzie. esd, candl'
date for Congress from this District. Mr. Me-
Kenzie said he supposed that all VINO then
saw him had seen him before. lie was can
ddate for Congress, but had not become so by
his own seeking. He did, however, think that
Virginia should be represented in Congress by
| at least ono OF TWO ' lTGlnidIS. lc BUSHES
were shaking 10 Loudoun, and If that county
did not give 900 majority Tor the Walker
ticket somebody could take his hat. He said
that there were so far, but two candidates for
Congress from this District, for though Mr..
WaIlach ha been speaking for thirty days and
nights 70 audiences varing IRON one to five in
numbers, he had not heard OF one man yet,
who was going to vote for him. lie had heard
too that Mr. Wallach vas hatterng himself
with the belief that his efforts were o! great
benefit to Mr.. Walker, but Lord help Mr.
Walker il the success OF his ticket depended
upon the efforts OF Mr.. Wallach. He hoped
MIR. Walker wond be elected, and il his hopes
were gratifcd, the State would have hand
some and honest Governor He said Mr..
Whittesey, Who with other hummers, had
been Ucsieglng C0ngres3 for the purpose Of
preventing vote on the separate clauses OF
the Constitution, was now running around this
district trying to create dif{cuti2s between the
white and black people, and he was sorry to
see the latter have so little sense IS to be led
away by snch characters. He had always been
opposed to slavery, and many day bad he
| suffered for that opnoSition--hc had Invariably