Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-11-03
Political Meeting at West End.

al of whom were from this city, assembled at
Cats Tavern, West End, yesterday evening, !
pursuant to public notice announcing that i
political discussion would be held there. \
stand, covered with brilliantly coorcd horse
blankets, above aud in rear Of which WAS sus,
pended United States flag, had been erected
under the shed III front of the tavern, aud All
other United States flag >panncd the turnpike.
1T halt: past two o clock. Judge Charles =. Sin
clair, of Prince William, opened the meeting IN
speech in which he urged the election OF
judge Thomas for the Senate and MIR. Sang
ster for the House of Delegates as gentlemen
in every way qualified to represent the people
OF Fairfax.
Mr. Sangstcr then took the stand and made
short but excellent speech, dcnounclng Us I'M
true the statement made by his opponent, Mr..
GRAY. that he had failed to meet hun III discussion
at Clifton and asserting thath he had used his best
efforts to meet Mr. Gray but that he could
not catch that gentleman. tie claimed the sup.
| port of the Conservatives not upon the ground
| Of his individual qualifications but as the cho-
sen standard bearer of the party i'll the county,
and advised all who had the good Of their
country and the interests OF their county ut
heart. to vote with the Conservatives 1T the APP
preaching election.
Judge Thomas next addressed the meeting,
wearing his hat and shawl as he WAS suffering
| from severe cold and had been advised by Ills
physician to remain in doors. He reminded his
hearers that though the tiag testoonlng the wall
behind him was that OF the whole country, one
star in it represented Virginia and that star had
! reflected more honor upon it than all the rest
of the galaxy, and that though the hag OF Nr-
ginia had gone down at AppOmattoX, the prln-
c,es of constitutional liberty still lived IN the
hearts of Virginia sons. II the terms OF sur
render adopted by Grant and Sherman had
been carried out, none of the difficulties that
have since occurred would have happened aud
all but the grief Of the war would by this time
have been forgotten EIc contrl>tcd the course
of the Prusoiulls in allowing citizens Of Lorraine
and Alsacc to hold the offices of those provinces
with that Of the Radicals in sending aliens to
rule over Us There wls not Il citizen OF the
South, who, from the close OF the war, until
the present. had not been anxious for peace
and though many. doubtless, thought the
18th amendment could not be sanctioned. all
quietly acquic>ccd in it, And yet there were
beings in human shape, carpet ba"gcrS, the
SAME who had promised the colDred men forty
acres Of land and mule apiece, who with
sinister designs were still trying to infamc the
minds of the colorcd against the white people,
by telling them that the Conservatives wanted
to rcclslavc them. lie then reviewed the
course of the Radicals in the State since the
war and thanked God that We had gotten rid
of all the evils they had imposed upon Us, but
those resulting from the Constitution they had
made.
At this point he was interrupted by }. L.
Burnett who handed him 4 note from Colonel
Daniels one of the Radical candidates for the
Senate, asking for All opportunity to speak and
the request being at once granted, Col. Daniels
mounted the stand.
His time he said WIS short but he would in
vite Judge Thomas to meet him at Sarerta
Hall in Alexandria, next Monday night, and
discuss with him the questions involved III this
contest aud to show that it WAS for right and
not for office he was cOntcndlng, he
would after the election at his own expense
and there night after night and week after
week rcrliScuss those questions with the ablcst
men the Conservatives could produce, and If
his arguments were refutcd. bear the lgnomlny
Of dcfcat-that WAS the way political debates
were conducted in the great West from which
he came and to which all the young and enter
prisug men Of Virginia We're going. The
issue in Virginia Was whether mcn from the
North should have the impudence to run for
an office they could plow and labor and invent
machines well enough but when it came to
candidacy for Office, all the animosltles which
the Northern people had buried ut AppOmat-
tox were rakcd up, Some confusion occurred
here. Interrupt me us much Is You please
hardly expect better treatment from the chlval,
~ of Virginia The Republicans certainty had
i right TO have u candidate, and if So have Ger
taiuty the right to select that candidate. and
there was no impudencc about it, and in his late
canvass Of L0udoun county that right was re-
cognzcd, and he had had jolly time with the
houcSt mechanic who had met him in discus
sion, and who coutraStcd 50 tayorably with
Extra Billy Smith, whose mingled TRADE OF
sense and nonScnce he had listened to the night
before Who are building UP Alexandria
not only Iirginans and A!cXandrlans surely;
but the spirit Of sectional prescription prevail
ing there was keeping her back. He was in
formed that in years gone by it was as degrad-
ing to be Democrat there lis it now was to be
a Republican, and that formerly neither an
Irshman nor Catholic could obtain employ
mcnt there. Fifteen years ago he had pre-
dicted that Alexandria would be the seat OF
great iron manufacturing trade, and have
population of 100000, and the country sur
rounding it be insmensey increased IN value,
but this prescriptions had prevented the fulfil
i, ment of his prediction! Judge Thomas had
given up his old Wing principles but he hoped
| not tndC Oh projecting Tic coal tldue iu "iiGil
Alexandria is so deeply interested, and against
which Mr.. Braxton had voted. lie, like Gov
crnor Smith, had written articles containing
his views on the questions OF the day, which
had been rejected by the newspapers, but I'M
like the Governor he had bought a newspaper
and now disseminated his opinions freely. lie
had studied finance, and knew that the effect
of the funding bill would be to send $1,000, 900
interest annually to New York aud double the
taxes the people not the politicians were OPP
posed to it. and he had Numbered his objcc-
tons to it in the State Journal.
Capt }. NJ. Steuart interrupted him to ask
him now that the funding bill had become
law, what would he do with it? The speaker
replied, repeal it at once, and let those who
feel themselves agricved seek redress in law"
His time being then out he gave way to Judge
Thomas, who resumed, and if the Colonel had
produced any impressions entirely removed