Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-08-16
Greeley and Brown Ratification
Meeting.

ancc OF the weather, ueuSe cTOWQ vi Illc uOSI
intelligent aud respectable among our people,
filled the streets at the intersection of King and
Washington last night on the occasion OF the
meeting called by the County Conservative
Committee to ratify the nominations of Gree
ley and Brown.
\ staud handsomely decorated aud lighted,
had been erected on the site Ofthe burnt build
ing on the S. w. corner, and at $40, John b.
Snoot, esq, County Superintendent, intro
duced COL r. E. Withers, one Of the Electors
for the State at large. Col w. commenced
his speech by saying that he should have re-
garded as false prophet, but few weeks ago,
anv man who should have predicted that he
would be now supporting Horace Greeley, but
as the old adage says, "misery makes us ac-
ouauted with strange bed-tellows." Horace
Greeley was neither his first nor his second
choice, but in the present attitude of affairs, he
was by far the best man to vote for, The great
chief to whom our hearts had turned during the
most terrible of our trials, had said that duty
was the sublimest word in the English language,
and he looked upon it as the duty OF every
man to lay aside prejudice, and vote for the
man who promises to unite all parts of our
country. Early in the war, our men were ar
raycd ia gorgeous uniforms, and pressed on to
battle to the stirring strains of music, but when
the crisis came, the bands were dlsbanded, and
every man took up his musket, and did our
ragged boys at Gettysburg storm the trowning
ING heights with less courage than their more
gaiIy attired predecessors? He was once a
partisan, but the war had wi ped out all partl-
san feeling When man had seen his Wing
brother fall upon the one side and been spat-
tered by the blood from the death wound OF
Democratic comrade on the other, his party
spirit had died out, and to him, Wings and
| Democrats were one. 1t was time to ignore old
issues Admit all that had been said against
Gree!ey's antecedents he was advocating the
Horace Greeley of the present; not him OF the
| past. Take Il business, common sense view OF
the matter. There is no choice except between
| Grant and Greeley, and which of these will
| best promote the welfare of the country, and
especially OF old Virginia? At Appomattox, we
had given up all hope of a separate national
| eypcct an cnd of war. Nothing during the
war, however, had equalled the atrocities of
the warfare made during the last seven years
by the politicians, and there was no hope of
escape but in the election OF reform ticket
| We had tried Seymour aud Blair why were
they defeated? Because the Democracy alone
were not strong enough to elect their candidates.
| and the best thing now to be done was to vote
! for Greeley and Brown.
1t was necessary to have man who could
disintcgrate the Republican party, and, at the
same time, command the Democratic VOTE
| The FIRST of these oh ccts had been already ac-
| complished. The best men of the Republican
party were supporting Greeley No one hopes
| expects or desires to restore slavery, and are
we willing to let victory slip from our hands,
to part with the chance to overthrow the lrau,'S
| and tyranny which Cypress because Greeley
was an abotionist? They claim Democratic
support for Grant because of his magnaminity
at Appomattox had he continued that mag
uaminity, he would have deserved and received
orr support; but unfortunately for the country
| and for himself, he suffered himself to be led
| a>tray by those whose aim it was to band to-
gcthcr the late slaves as political power, I'M
der the leadership of the carpet-baggcrs; peo
pie who sought to degrade US, and to ostracisc
the best men among Us simply because in
tunes past, the people had trusted them Did
any one doubt that. had proper course been
pursued towards u.s. the auimoslties Of the war
would have passed away? But when men
were dragged off to dungeons without legal
trial, what could be expected? There was once
trihng fellow, who rode round to all the big
to keep properly, and on one occasion, when
the church was full Of ladies, and the men sat
outside, talking, some of them ieercd him
about the condition of his stecd. Uncle John
| n.y." said he, to an old man who sat by, what
can do for that horse? I've tried every med
cinc | can think of, and he wont get tat. =
''Tommy," said the old man, did you ever
try corn" So it was with the Radicals; they
had nauscated US with carpet baggers, and bled
us with bayonets, and wondered that we were
not loyal but they had never tried corn, never
aimed to couciliate US. Horace Greeley pro-
poses to try corn; has always recommended it,
and demanded amnesty for u.s. No man has
kept him back from what he thought right,
Tor he had signed the bail-bond of Davis
though all the North howled at him for it.
The people will sustain him; politicians may
quote what they please, but it is his present
attitude alone which concerns Us. Ii he can
give us amnesty, cant we afford it to him =?
He freed the black-and how he will enfran.
chise white men. 1t is wonderful how the peo-
pie, once so jealous of their constitutional rights
should have stood by and seen them stricken
tiny, it was now ignored. He had heard of an
FISHERMAN who put out in his pungy as the
| evening closed, with crew consisting Of his
old negro Worn out with the labor of the
day, he took sound nap, having previously
instructed his negro to steer straight to the
pole star, which he showed him. A storm
| arose, and the star was obscured but the faith
full hclmsman did his best, and the pungy
weathered the storm, while the owner still
slept When the stars shown out once more,
the old negro looked before him for the star,
but in vain, it was not there. He looked on
each side, but could not discover it. At length,
looking behind him he espied the familiar star,
for the pungy had turned round during the
storm Sorey affrighted, he ran to wake his
master, exclaiming, Master! master! give me
a new star to steer to, for we've done gone and
sailed clean past the old one Gen. Grant
thinks he has sailed clean past the pole star of
the Constitution and he wants new guide,
but Greeley will turn the vessel round and
steer once more for that star of hope; the up
rising of the people will drive the ignorant pi-
lot from the helm, and save the ship.
1t had come to this point, that it is consid-
cred ridiculous to presuppose honesty in Of