Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-10-19
Hon. lanes Barbour.


a matter Of pubic interest, Hot only u he peo'
pic of the Eighth Congressional District, but
of the entire State. In what manner any peo-
ole should act TO promote their OVID interest Is
practical question, d, pcDdlng upon a calm
| and correct view of the position in which they |
find themselves placed TO Shut our eyes 10
| the truth aud be governed by passion and pre-
iudice, is madness. What Is our position
Before the war we had fallen into minority III
the Federal government. The North had ac-
aurcd such control over the government that
a majority of our people thought thar our
rights auu liberties were no longer sal" III the
| Uriou that to rely on reason ANA justice was
vain thing, and thar here was nothing left us
but secession aud resort to arms. Mr. Bar
bour was not Of this majority. Whether the
voice of reason and justice would have eycntu-
ally been heard aud proved sufficient Tor cur
! protection cannot now be kDOwn but no man
can say it would not, for there Is an Eherent
tendency in the nature Of things Tor the night
eventually to prevail. Tie remedy, which
majority advised, of secession aud u resort TO
arms, failed US, and how We arc RENTED 10 Il
reliance on reason aud justice, with the di>ad-
vantage, however, not only OF having cXcIed
against US great deal Of prejudice, but also o.
being reduced from atillencc TO poverty. UG-
der such disadvantages many are almost With
out hope, yet so great Is the power oil the truth
aud the right that 1t only takes time, opportu-
nifty aud discretion to insure them ultimate
triumph We can control neither time or OPP
portunity, but, il We will, We can be discreet
and take advantage oil opportunities occurring
10 the progress Of time. We were wisely dis
Greet when our people resolved That they will
Judge it THE present administration OF the
Federal govcrnmcnt) impartlaliy by It's official
acts, aud will cordially cooperate III every
measure Of the administration which may Gc
beneiccnt in It's design aud calculated TO pro
mote sentiments Of good will between the dill
ferent sections of the Union" We are indcbt-
ed TO Mr.. Barbour for this discreet and coucill-
atory resolution to be found in the Conscrva
tive platform, rcasscrtcd 10 the inaugural OF
Gov. kemper and again in the joint rcSolu-
tons OF the General Assembly. However Others
my dcride it and treat il as u trick to carry The
then pending Gubcrnatorlal election. Alr. Bar
bour Insists that it shall be adhered to and OBJ
served in good faith, as right IN Itself. The
different lines of pubic policy advocated re-
spectively by Mr.. Barbour aud his competitor,
Gen. Hutton, correspond with their antccc-
dents and point out the characteristics Of the
two men, between whom We are called upon TO
choose 10 January 1861, whilst General Hun
ton, secession candidate for seat in the Con
vcntiou, calcl TO determine our relations t. the
Union, was urging the people 81 Prince VII
liam to Immediate secession. Mr.. Barbour II
his native county OF Cupercr, although then
lust recovering IRON long spell OF sickn, =,
took the field in behalf Of the u0l"n, urglug
Cancellation aud deprccallng resort to Scces-
sion and arms Gen. Hutton was elected BY
the people of Prince William aud proved him
self thorough advocate OF Immediate secs
sion. MIR. Barbour against the leaders OF the
Democratic party and against one OF the strong
est and most popular OF It's representative m"n
carried the county Of Cuipepcr by upwards OF
FIVE hundred majority. As a member Ol the
Convention and Of the Legislature Che was a
member OF both bodies at the same limel he
exerted himself to the utmost in behalf OF con-
cation and peace but when the clash OF arms
came he cast 10 his lot with his own people.
His voice embodied in the Conservative plat
form is again heard in behalf OF coucillatlon
and peace Is it not maniest!y our interest to
| elect him -? Have we DOT enough o! original
| secesslonlSs put forward as candlGatcs Tor Con
gress by our party without the addition OF Geo.
Huntou, who, we will presently show, is not
the nomiuec Of legitimate convention? What
public service that has proved Il hcncht 10 ti:c
country has he ever rendered? Has not his
course in Congress INSTRUCTED rather than pro /
NOTED the public interest? What measure OF
relief for the public and private dlstrcssrs OF !
the country, resulting from the war, has he
projected, or sustained, when projected by !
others? Although it has often been urged by
many of the abcst mcn in the State that Con
gress, by the law OF nations, as representing |
| the conuucring power, is bound TO assume the |
public debt Of Virginia, especially is through |
| its fundamentally the State was dlS!nembered,
what has Gen. Huntou done 10 this direction?
Nothing The LEGISLATURE of Virginia on the
| 18th Of March, 1872, passed a joint resolution
| iustructing our Senators and requesting our
representatives in Congress to take steps to
| procure an amendment to the Bankrupt act, 50
as to secure to poor debtors an exemption
equal in amount to that allowed by the home
stead act of the State and as Intended to DC Sc
cured by the State constitution. Did he carry
out this request? No. On the contrary he
voted for the repeal of the act out aud out. Ii
is 10 answer to say that this resolutcn was pass
ed by the Legislature before he took his seat
in Congress. The resolution embodied the
nublic will, and continued in force until rcsclnd
ed. which has never been done. There was
| time when neithcra Leigh or Hives could
disregard, with impuniy, the expression OF pub
lie sentiment as indicated by the Instructions
| Of the Legislature nor do we think Zen. Hun
ton or any other man can do so now. Ii VII
| not do to excuse him Oh the ground that he
could not do anything. 1t is for this reason,
or that he would not, tina! We insist he should
give place to a man, who we think can, or, at
least, will make an honest effort to carry out
the public will as expressed by the representa-
ives Of the people in the Legislature, Mr..
Barbour is 10 full accord with the legislature.
Is it thing impossible with the right kind Of
representatives in Congress to get the Federal
Government to devote the tax levied on to-
bacco raised in Virginia to the payment of the
public debt of Virginia? Is it a thing impos
sible to get the Federal government to lend TO
Virginia twenty millions of grccnbacks, on
which no interest is paid, to De applied to the
extuguishment of her debt, the amount Dor
rowed TO be rcpaid by the tobacco tax? The
adoption OF some such measure would pay our
State debt in five or six years. In like manner
with proper representatives IN Congress- with