Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-01-23

JAM, 1874, became indebted to the said plaintiff
i, the tur her sum ri$ lG5 lS,lawful money the
United States, tor moucy had and ;eceived by
the defendant Tor The Use of the p:.iutiff and
beipy so indebted, he, the said def ndant, If.
rewards, in consideration thereof a 4 of the
PREMISES, to wit, on the - day of January,
1874. undertook and promised the said plaintiff
70 nav him the last mentioned sum Of money
when he, the said defendant, should be there
unto requested. =,
Yet the said defendant, not regarding his said
promise and undertaking, hath not, although
often r, quesed So to do, as yet paid the said
sum of money or any part thereof, but hath
wholly neglected and refused SO to do, aod still
neglects and refuses so 10 do. to the plaintiff
damage of $500, and therefore he brings this
suit; and the plaintiff claims sl65. is, with in
terest thereon from the 2lst day OF January,
1874, beside costs. W. WILLoUGBY,
Attorney for Plaintiff
The defendant is to plead hereto on or before
the first special term Of the court, occurring
twenty days after service thereof otherwise
INDICTMENT. w. WILLUUGHBY,
Attorney for Plaintiff.
The following upon the same question is tax
| en- from the Washington correspondence or the
Baltimore Sun of this morning:
'.The present political status of this city be-
ing about TO be made the subject Of judicial in
vestipation, the matter has attracted Onsider-
able attention, and the following facts may
prove interesting Alexandria was founded in
l749, and vas incorporated 10 l779 The ccS-
sion of the town and county OF Alexandria to
the United States was made by an act of the
General Assembly of Virginia Of December 8.
1889 Congress accepted the ccssion 10 1890,
and jurisdiction was extended over the town
and county of Alexandria on the 9th Of Feb
ruary, 1901. 1t was expected that the town
would grow prosperous IN consequence OF this
change, but the reverse proved 10 be the fact,
and from 1885 there was Il growing desire on
the part OF the people Of the town Of Acxan-
dria to return to Virginia, but this desire was
in no wise shared by the people Of the county,
who continued to the last almost unanimous
against rctrOcGsslun.
'ln 1898, after the rcpcalby Congress ofthc
local bank charters the agitation upon the sub
iect became more active and pcrSevcrng. Fore
most among the yonng men who promoted the
movement was Henry Winter Davis then
resident of Alexandria. In February, 1916,
the General Assembly Of Virginia passed an
act providing for the acceptance Of The retro
ccsslon of Alexandria, town and county, upon
the passage of all act Of Congress for that pur-
pose aud its acceptance by the voters Of Alex
andria. On The Slh of May 10 the same year
the House of Representatives Of the United
States authorized the rctroccssiou by vote of
% to Co. Among those who voted in the ne
gativc were John Quincy Adams, Jefferson
Davis, and Abraham LlrcUln. 1t Was adopted
in the Senate by u vote OF 81 to II, Messrs.
Calhoun Rcvcrdy Johnson, Benton, CYmerou,
| Clayton, Corwln Crlttcndcn, and other dis
tiugushed men, voting in its favor: Mcssrs.
Brccse, Dickinson, Dix aud Mangum voting in
the negative Nr. Webster did not vote
This act, after setting forth that no more
terri1ory under the exclusive legislation given
TO Congress over the District, which is the seat
of the general government, than my be neces-
sary and proper for the purposes Of such a
scat" aud that "cyperlcnc; hath shown that
the portion OF the District of Columbia ccicd
to the United States by the State of Virginia
has not been, nor is likely to be necessary for
that purpose proceeded to ccdc the county
and town of Alexandria, with the consent Of q
majority Of the people thereof, ITO the State
of Virginia, in full and absolute right and juris
dictiou, AS well of soil as of persons residing or
to reside therein" The voters of Alexandria
early in September concurrcd in the retroces-
sion by vote Of 7G3 TO 222, the polls being
kept open three days, and before the close of
the year the Jurisdiction of Virginia was formal
| " extended over the rctroceded territory.
"Nvr has the subject failed heretofore to be
called to the attention Of eminent judicial tribu-
nails. At the time of rctroccssiou there were
pending in the Supreme Court Of the United
States on appeal from the Circuit Court Of the
District of Columbia for Alexandria several
cases, notably that Of the Bank Of Potomac VS..
| McLaughin. Congress authorized the Supreme
| Court to decide all sucn cases as be ore, and to
certify the decision to the Circuit Superior
Court oil Virginia for Alexandria, and the Leg
| islature of Virginia authorized the latter court
to accept such decision as binding. The Su-
prcme Court decided the cases and certified
them accordingly aud in the case above cited
on appeal the Court Of Appeals Of Virginia on
the 18th of May, $780, decided this proceeding
constitutional and valid.
'From that time until the present the subject,
though often discussed, has been considered as
settled. At one time Mr.. Lincoln recommend
ed the recession of Alexandria to the District
| by the Joint action Of the United States and
| Virginia During the war it was proposed that
| the general government should take and keep
Jurisdiction under THE war power" and just
after the war the sui, .ct was agltated In the
Senate OF the United States, but was soon
dropped.
''Ihe suit OF Philips VS.. Payne reported yes
| terday, is the first time since the decision OF
the Court Of Appeals of Virginia 10 1850 that
the decision Of the judiciary upon the subject
has been sought.
in thatca Mr.. Payne, the collector against
whom the suit is brought, addressed a letter
to Edmond Burke, esq, the CommoDwcalh's
attorney, at the commencement of the suit.
Mr. Burke will appear for the defendant, and
has addressed communication to the attorney
general Of Virginia transmitting full details of
The proceedings Should the case grow to be
of sufficient magnitude to become a test OF con.
stitutionaity Of retrOccsslou it Is probable that
the attorney general OF Virginia will appear IN
the case. A demurrer will be- filed to the de-
claralion, and motion made that the case be
| heard in general term in the first instance. In
this way The progress of the question to fn al
adjudication will be considerably fastened