Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1870-03-15
Notes from Richmond,
For THE ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE

For THE ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE.
RICHMOND, March 1.-THE Legislature has
gone to work, the hitherto apparent di!atori-
ness being attributable to the delay consequent
upon the assembling Of any deliberative body,
where the business has to be prepared IN com
mittea; but now that 1t IS being carried cut,
action is speedy, and 10 tho end time Will be
saved. Work we'll considered and dlgested IN
| committee prevents discussions and expcdltes
business.
| 1t would be we'll if the Legislature were to
abandon the practice Of granting leaves OF
absence" which has been carried to an excess,
scarcely 4 day passing that one or more mem.
bers are not excused from service for three or
four days, or . week or ten days. Ii q dcduc-
ton tor absence was made In the pay, there
would be less frequent application tor leave
and some such rule should be adopted.
Instead Of being permitted, at once to 60
about adapting the old laws to the present
state OF affairs, or c%nactiug the requisite new
ones, the Legislature has been met at the very
threshold by conflicting railroad Interests, and
the time and attention of members Is taken up
with the consideration Of schemes which have
for their object tie building up OF some par
ticular point to the dctrlment OF some other,
or discriminating in favor OF one particular
line to the prejudice of q ~vai-thus,'nst OF
that accord, which should exist ana that SIN
| gleness Of purpose which would lead to the de-
| velopmcnt OF each section for the benefit OF the
| whole, it is found that iealousies and selfish
ends have usurped sway, and as a sequence,
| wrangiing and divisions exist when there should
| be harmony, unity, and.a sole aim and desire
| to regain our lost wealth, power, and position.
| 1t is a sad sight
When children of one family
Fall out, and chide and fight,
but in our present condition, when every energy
is requisite to assist in regaining that which
has been lost, it is very bad to be Wrangling
over schemes ADD projects. 1t was thought
that with the war all old s~trifes had ceased and
that there would be no more clashing of inter
ests between the "South side" and the ''Nor:h
side," between East and West, but that ali
would be willing to work for VIRGINIA, our
common inheritance then, how sad the spec
tacla, when hardly from under the yoke dis
scnslons should have sprung up. Let the peo.
pie signify their disapprobatlon OF this and
LET those who make the qusrrels
Be the only ones who fight"
The leaders Of the different factions Of the
Radical party in the State have met here
and by an adroit movement, succeeded in get
ting Porter and his clique, between the up
per and the neither millstone'-i. c, the three
high contracting parties. -Wickham, ,GlImer
and Porter ere TO appoint each fifty delegates,
one hundred and fifty in all, who are to assem-.
bio in convention, on the 9th proximo, in
Richmond, to consult as 10 the best method Of
re.uniting the disscctcd fragments of the de-
funct body polite of Radicalism, enormously
styled Republican" Of course two against
one must prevail, and as both the Wickham
and Gilmer wings are hostile to Porter, that
individual and his small band Of followers must
go to the wall. 1t was right difficult to get
Porter into the trap, and he required q good
deal of c~oaxing, but now in it will not be diff
fcult to manage him, unless he "appeals to
the masses" (colored) with whom he is strong;
10 that case there will be another open rupture;
10 any event there seems but little prospect OF
a reorganization.
Senator Lewis was among those who met,
and if any doubt existed as to his full member
ship with the ultras, it was removed by his
open assertion that the salvation of the union
men" depended upon keeping the State out
of the hands of the''Re6d Democracy Lewis
is Joined to his idols-let him alone.
a striking feature of the co Inference was ex:
Gov. Wells, speech. so full Of Cancellation and
self sacrifice. He wanted every body brought
into the ranks of Rerublicanism, (of c%ourse)
aud the wav to do that was to c%onciliate (cer
tainly) Porter too, after dinner, announced
himself IN favor OF general amnesty, latter try
ing all in his power to prevent the removal Of |
disabilities and looked upon test oaths' as
dead. For the good that they will do him in
the future they might as we'll ba-however, its
generous in him.
MIR. Johnston, the delegate from Alexandra
in the Legislature, on Thursday last, made a
speech in the House, which, for c~learness and
precision, has not been eQualled this session,
and has strengthened the opinion already en-
tertained Of his sound sense and excellent leg
~islative qualities. FAIRFAX.
A clause was put in the deficiency bill, in the
House Of Representatives yesterday, making
an appropriation of $40, 900 for defending suits
tor the recovering Of captured and abandon
ed property in the late insurrectionary districts.
There was some laughter in the New York
Gold Room, on Thursday, when a newly. ar
rived Englishman, who had been taken there
without being told the nature Of the place, de.
camped in haste and terror under the impress
sion that he had got into o madhouse.
Mr.. VIM. Waller, a native of Williamsburg,
but for several years q prominent citizen of
Lynchburg, died in that city o few days ago.
He was q son.in.law Of the late eS. President
John Tyler.