Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-08-03
An Address by Horace Greeley.

pouncipg that Mr. Horace Greeley would ad
dress the citizens of Alexandria at the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church at five o clock, and that
the ladies were invited to attend: about two
hundred persons, large majority Of whom
we're Conservatives and among whom were
some ten or dozen ladies, and halt a dozen
colored people assembled at the designated
fine and place. Shortly after the appointed
time, Mr.. Greeley, accompanied by MIR. Lewis
Mckenzie and Judge Underwood, entered the
Church, and after few minutes MIR. Meken-
zie introduced Mr.. Greeley to the audience.
MIR. Greeley said that being on q short visit to
some friends here, it had been suggested
that perhaps a few. OF the residents OF
. the place might desire to hear him make
some remarks, and as an invitation to that
effect had been extended to him, he could
not decline it. Some Of those present had
doubtless come expecting to hear dis
course upon politics; but such was not his pur-
nose. He desired to see the year 1871 free from
partizan controversies We are upon the eve
of an important presidential election in which
the many questions to be decided should be
considered without prejudice and lmpartlally,
which could not be done if the prevailing ex-
element was kept up To him, as Northern
man, forty wears ago, it seemed that Virginia
her newspapers and her Legislatures too
much importance to politics, and too little to
those affairs which would have secured her
prosperity.
A great deal of complaint had been made
about the slowness OF reconstruction, but nc
the best interests of the country If the people
of the Southern States had been content to re-
main for five or six years under military rule
they would have avoided heavy taxes, the for
nation Of political parties, and the creation OF
enormous debts, and been in much better
. condition than at present. 1t was idle to sup
pose that the people who had been fighting
aeainst the government could resume their
connection with it Immediately after the sur
render at Appomatox, In his opinion recon
struction had advanced as rapidly as could have
been expected.
In his late travels in the Southwest he had
observed great elements ofgrowth and strength
and evidences of imprOvemcnt-no everywhere
but generally; the condition Of labor had I'M
proved; and there was better understanding
between laborcr and employer. Signs OF de-
vastation were also visible but they were to be
expected The country had improved as rapid
" as any country-m0rc rapidly than after the
,, Revolutionary Wal.
The prescription of those engaged in seces-
! sion, however necessary or proper at one time,
was unwisc and impolitic now, and should be
done away with. If the Southern people were
to be represented they should be responslbIy
represented by their first, not their fifth choice;
but it was also high time for objection and
cayil to cease about the cntranchiscmcnt Of the
colOred people
He hailed the new Democratic depar-
ture. Colored cntranchisement was paIpa-
: lie fact. it was impossible to disiranchlsc
the foreigners twenty years ago, 1t would be
fruitlcSs now to attempt to dstranchise four
millions of blacks-not iruitless of blOodshcd
and riot, but Of the possibility OF success. BY
,, the new departure, prejudice and by-goues were
done away with, and tangible things took their
places The colored man WAS allowed the right
, of suffrage by the Constitution. Say the 18th
amendment is invalid; it still remains in force,
and any effort to abolish it will only make the
colorcd people more compact IN their opposl-
ton, and more determined to resist all attempts
. at Cancellation. lie hoped, therefore, that the
National Democratic Convention would decide
the 18th amendment to be the accepted law Of
: the land.
: Suppose the National Democratic Convention
were to do this, and the National Republican
, Convention were to decide in favor Of universal
amnesty. as he had no doubt they would in that
case-these decisions to be made frankly and
and stated painly-thc greater part Of the
chassl that now divides the country would be
; closed. and we would again be one people; and
the questions of the past being settled, those
of to-day would come forward, and of those
taxation, finance, public economy, industrial
pursuits anlinterual policy, would occupy the
prominent places. We were now subject to
heavy taxation, which he did not think could
be reduced for many years. The public debt
was large, but we were slowly and Wscl y decreas-
ing it, and for that purpose taxation must,
and he hoped, would be continued. Some
say we have borne the burden Of the day !;
the debt We have incurred, when the coun-
f t y will be so rich that its payment will be
Il trihe But when the end of that thirty years
arrives will not those children say let our child
rem pay it, and so pass it off to the end Of time
No pay it now. 1t is easier to continue than
resume payment The policy of the fathers OF
the country Was paying policy. Their debt
was as heavy to them as ours Is to us, but
5 they said pay at once and continue to pay as
long as debt remains, and by that policy, in
1899 the national debt was declared extinct
Suppose it had been otherwise, and that all
the public debts contracted previous to the late
war had remained unpaied up to that time,
could we have raised the twenty-five hundred
millions that are now piled up against US NO;
but as We had met all our previous obligations,
when We promised to pay the interest in gold,
and to reduce the principal yearly, lenders had
faith in U.S. and we borrowed as much as we
wanted.
1t was hard to pay debts, but better than to
destroy credit, and he hoped that once more in
, his lifetime he would hear that the country
was freed of all its obligations; and he believed
that if vote were taken upon the question q
large majority of the people would be in favor
Of paying $4,000 900 year until the whole
debt was cxtinguished.
With regard to industrial pursuits he be-
lieved in the development of mining and manu-
features in preference to agriculture, because
by their Development agriculture was benefit
cd The way to improve an agricultural coun-
try was to take from the farmers part of their
labor and add it to other branches of industry,
and though the products of these other branch
es might not be sold as cheap nominaly as art-
cles imported from Europe, yet in point of fact