Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-12-10
LOCAL. ITEMS.

ALEXANpRlA-Thc St Louis Republican
OF lie Ed inst. contains the following warm
hrl.tcd and well written defence of Alexandria
from the remarks Of writer in that journal Of
tie 3oth ult. 1t is the production of one of
cay "Alcxandria boys who is now merchant
u St. Louis:
E}itor ST. LuiS Republican As native
Il the good old city of Alexandria, | canuot
consent t. let your article, Are We to Have
Alexandria go before your inuumcrable
readers without some notice-as It's statements.
II uncontradlcted. may create erroneous impress
Siors in the public mind.
The writer of that article unintentionally, no
,:nubt has done grave injustice to most
worthy, aud Tor their means, uost enterprlS-
iAs people. He must have visited Alexandria
immediately after the war; when the dcsolating
traces were visible on every side for ut no 9th
rr lnlc would the t;.cs justify the charges there
made
Alexandria city and county were the first areas
al Southern soil upon which the benightng
footsteps ut civil war were pressed and for the
whole vi the few years that it was held In the
i'ul,agc oil military occupation, its people We're
completely cut of from the rcgionS from which
ter whole trade was derived. The flower OF
:,cI male population was in the confederate
array when the "A!rxandria boys of the
Seventeenth Virginia Infantry made record
svcond to none in the deathlcSs record Of the
army Of Northern Nirglna. No wonder then
that Alexandria, 1T the end OF the war; should
present sorry appearance, but she should
lave the deepest sympathy OF every fair mind
II man, aud nothing but total ignorance Of
the facts eau excuse the writer of your article
in thus defining gallant people and their DIES
oatcd city
But Alexandria is rcviving from the effects
q! her severe ordeal through which she has
.,,iSSCd. and during the past year more build
ings Handsome and modern IN style) have
been erected than n any previous year OF her
history. and with her unrivaled harhor and
i;ar complete railroad convenlencleS, her people
>.iii hope 10 enjoy the extended commerce thar
i,atling but their poverty has heretofore pre-
vented them from securing.
venture the assertion that, IN proportion to
h.r nleotnS, Alexandria has invested more mo-
rcv IN public improvements than the doastc:t
Future Great City OF the World, with her
!ho,o people and her matchless natural ad-
yantaccS Her streets and sidewalks, so sar-
...:tiotily alluded to in your article, will COM
pare very !;vorahy with those Of St. Louis,
which, all her citizens complain, are disgrace
"a ,;,;. civilization OF the age. Her citizens are
furnished with cheaper and better gas. and
Better water than we have hcrc-supped from
works erected in the most substantial manner
y Alexandria capital. They have steam fire
apparatus most complete and efficient, aud a
i,ot.co force fully uniformed aud equipped, aud
:,|cqnaic TO all the demands likely TO be made
unnn it, The scheme of re absorbing Al2xan
,lyia into tic District Of Columbia had its orr
g!n in the busy brain of some disappointed
persons, who in this way trying to vent
l:,rr spite upon a people who would rather
east their lot with taxridden end impoverish-
"a Virginia than to be under the political con
troll OF Washington and have all their eXpen
SIS paid by the general government.