Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-10-05

al clSnL ClOCh, dpOuC uity peioouo aooeHuleu
at Muir's Hall, with f. r. Windsor in the
chair and A. j. Wedderburn secretary.
VIM. H. Beck, chairman of the executive
committee, stated that he had received no re-
port from the sub committees, appointed at the
last meeting, but understood. they had been
= Mr. H. kell-They have been successful
enough to defeat a certain party-I call no
names-that has held the government of Alex
andria in its own hands for the past twenty
years.
r. Massey do not understand that the OBJ
ject of this organization is to secure the defeat
of any man or any party; wish to hear the
platform read, and on motion, ". IL. Beck
read the following
| l. We are in favor of hearty support of our
free school system, and will giveto 1t all iegltl-
mate aid and encouragement. The school Is the
nursery of the State, and to vote we'll, men
should vote intelhgently.
=, We believe in the building Of railroads and
canals, and are in favor of inviting and encour-
| aging individual and corporate enterprise by the
most liberal legislation. To this end we desire
the passage of a FREQ railroad law, the, removal
of all oppressive restrictions and equal chances
for all, whether they come from the North,
South, East or West.
| 3. We are in favor of manfuly end honestly
paying our State debit and do not intend that
the Old Dominion shall be branded AS rcpu-
| diator.
4 Inasmuch as experience has shown that
corruption and robbery ale unayoldabc
where the State collects and eXpends 'argc
amounts of money, VIC are i'll favor of dclcgatlng
to the State very limited power in this respect,
to have as little Of the wealth OF the people, call
ed public money stored i'll the public crib is
possible.
). As workingmons party, We pledge our
selves in ordcrto carry out etectrally, tue object
and purpose of our organization by every means
in our power to encourage the introduction OF
manufactures, and tho employment OF foreign
capital in our State free of taxation for limited
| period. '.... ,
e. We propose that all men shall exercise
| their right to labor us they please unqualified
and unrcstraned by licenses or restrictions OF
any kind. TO deprive man of this right by re,
| curing him To take out license Is u radical and
| fundamental wrong.
:. We believe in the necessity for reform, and
will aim to make such q progressive ,enlighten-
ment as our changing needs demand. We be-
licvc that the powers Of legislatures should rath-
or be restricted than extended, and that III Ju-
| diciouS restriction lies the remedy Tor most "l
our political evils.
| 5. We believe that the present constitutional
provision regarding usury ought to be retained,
and We arc in favor of such retention.
y We believe in tho equal, civil and political
rights Of all men that the few are not created
for the benefit of the many any moro than tho
many for the benefit of the, few and that TINS
position constitutes the goal towards winch the
whole world is now moving.
President, Frederick X: Ninds0r; LIST wee
do Henry Simpson; ID Vice do, Robt. Price.
| Executive Committee. David A. Windsor, W M
H. Beck and Samuel Beach.
Mr. A. J. Wedderbum moved that the fifth
clause of the foregoing platform be struck out.
Mr. Burke said that the clause to W hlch the
| gentleman had reference had already been re-
pealed. D.
Mr.. w. II. Beck-Thc object Of that clause is
to give every individual the right to make any
contract he chooses; he did not get his ideas
| from farmers; farmers had managed the affairs
of this country long enough that young men
could make nothing where their policy pre-
vailed if they do not like our organization,
| they need not join it, saw no necessity tor al
tering their platform every time they held Il
meeting if he borrowed 4 sum Of money, It
was not the business of any government what
rate Of interest he paid did not recognize the
Legislature Of Virginia, Or any other LeglsIa'
| ture as his master, etc., etc.
Mr.. a. j. Weddcrburn-lhe Reform party
says one of it's principles is to oppose gags,
and am not going to be gagged IN the start;
he then spoke at length in support OF his mo-
ton to repeal the fifth clause OF the platform,
which was, finally, agreed to, and That we Ia.
vor the present uSury clause an the constitution
put in its place =,
The following resolution was offered by Mr..
Burke:
Rcsolred, That the Executive Committee be
authorized to correspond with the candidates 1T
the Conservative party for the State Senate and
furnish them with copy of the platform rs
| adopted, with u view to ascerta!ning whether Or
not they will subscribe TO the same; and Ill the
| event their so doing, they shall receive the
unanimous support of this meeting.
Which met with much opposition and the
following was offered as Il substitute:
Resolrra, That the sense Of this meeting is that
it is inexpedient at this time TO nominate candl-
dates for the Senatorship; and we, therefore,
! leave it to each member to vote as nc thinks
| proper in the coming election
In support of his resolution, Mr. Burke said
that the sense of this audience, as he under
stood it. was Il firm support of the principles
cnunciated in the platform without regard to
candidates nominated by either OF the political
parties As for himself he would vote Tor no
man for Office who would not use every excrtlon
| in his power to advance the material interests
and prosperity of his native State, and he firm
~ believed that the platform combined those
measures which would secure to all what is so
much needed, the benefits Of a wise and pro-
grcsslvc system of legislation. He did not see
that this step in advance would necessarily
create opposition to the Conservative party, but
rather hailed it as Il beacon light by which the
Conservative party might come up to higher
and better things and more expansive policy
to the end that Virginia might reap the bcnc-
fits of Legislation unilanmelIcd by party prcjn-
dces or anmositics of the past, and he saw no
reason why the Conservative candidates could
not subscribe to such platform and tender to
its aid their hearty support and cooperation.
After considerable debate and much oppoSi.
ton, mostly by Mr. Samuel Beach, who opposed
uniting with any party yet awhile. and said that
the other parties should come to them, the res
olution was withdrawn hy the mover VIII" re
affirmed the cxpedicncy Of the resolution.
The reports of the sub committees were then
called, for when
Mr.. Kell arose and said that he did not
know what his duty was exactly as chairman Of
sub committee, but that the efforts Of the