Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-09-20
Radical Meeting at Fairfax court
House.


FAIRFAX C. H., Sept. l9, lS76.-NeVer
did | more wish to possess The art OF short
hand reporting than did on the occasion OF
the Radical meeting here yesterday, for real
" believe that a full report OF one OF the
speeches, at least, published and scattered
broadcast with all the antecedents OF the
speaker, would d. much to advance the Con-
servatlvc cause.
The meeting was called to order by MIR. JOB
Hawxhurst at II o'cluck, and first addressed
by MIR. [. e. O'Neal, the radical candidate
for Congress in this district. | had not the
pleasure of being able to hear him, but l am
told he was short, mild, and courteous to the
opposite party. ,,.r :
He was followed by MIR. Francls Miller, OF
Montgomery county, Md, in plausible speech
Of over an hours length. Some report of
speech made by him 10 Alexandria seemed to
be still ranking in bis breast, hence be devoted
large breadth of his discourse to a lecture on
the Virginia Legisaur es for the last 80 years,
for their extravaganza, heavy State debt and
failure to develop her hidden treasures. Ii be
| is DOT elected to Congress We hope 10 see him
| lobying iu Richmond u, x winter. tie did take
time to contrast Tilden and Hayes assessment
of their respective lucomc tax, under oath,
| and acquitted the latter because some trlend
had denied his guilt, while be held the former
az unworthy the support OF honest men until
he should, over his own signature, clear up
the charge that the formers friends having
denied the guilt and explained the matter was
worth nothing, lhough the republican candl-
date was by his friends clear and not guilty.
He, too, apologized for the dishonesty and
detalcatoos 10 the republican party thus: there
was more to steal and greater number OF
Office holders than before, hence a greater
amount stolen, and greater number OF thieves;
that as soon as it was discovered that Belknap
was dishonest he republicans in congress join
ed the democrats 10 prosecuting hlu; that
Babcock, too, was under charges, aud he hoped
il guilty would be convicted, but he did not koow
that Bahcork. though under Indictment, was
still Com missioner OF Public Buildings and is OF
the President family; he charged that SD. III;
den aud Tweed had, for six years, controlled
the democratic party Of New York, and Tor
FIVE OF the six, Tweed was pluuderlng under
the eye OF Tilden; that the credit OF breaking
up the ring was due to he Times. the paper
which fist presented the charges aud demanded
Investigation; that Tweed Was prosecuted, COD
vcted and confined il a democratic Jail, with
democratic jaOr, democratic Governor III
ueo) to watch him, and was carried to his,
Tweed's house, Ivy this democratic jallor and
permitted to escape, but has been now re ar
rested not by TlIdeu, or his partners IN the
prosecution, but by the Unlted States authority.
Mr. Miller declared that he was as honest ID
his conviction as was his father known to be 10
all his dealings. His speech was received by
the opposite party with respectful attention.
He was followed by Col. NJ. D. Ball, Ma
tive born citizen Of our village, who never tails
10 all his speeches to tell Of his having fought
four long years for the Southern cause, but, as
he declared yesterday, under deception prac-
; ticed by the democratic party upon his youth
aud uex pericnce. His appearance was the sig
nal for Kisses, whistles and such like. lhls
course upon the part OF his former associates
was regretted, and the people were finally ap.
peaIcd to by Thomas Moore, Judge James
Sangster aud Lit. Gov. Thomas to permit the
sneaker TO proceed without interruption, and |
am glad to say h. did, with but an OccasioUa!
question. tln gave his Own history which
every body is familiar with here; that it was re-
ported that he GOT $50 0OO ior the surrender OF
his company in Alexandria at the beginning OF
the war, but that he never got one cent, but II
Tildeu was elected he hoped TO get 1t. When
asked what he meant oy this he said 1t was
only q Joke. He charged that the democratic
patty oj The State I'll Virginia. 10 having failed
TO provide tie means Of education was respon
sibie for hirty-slx thousand voters in the
State day being uoable 10 read Or write;that
the democratic party had led the South into
the war by deception; that the republican party
was charged as being opposed to the South 1t
could be nothing else; L,ngsreet, when he
took Office, though be had fought harder aud
as long AS any one, was denounced as scala
wag; Mostly, the gallant Mosby, was, too, de-
uouuced as scalawag, aud hence there was
not Que man 10 hundred who had the courage
to oppose the democratic party; that the tyraDy
Of the democratic party was only cqualed by the
Jugpernaut- the idol OF the HiDdoos, and Its
voters must fell between its wheels; that he
did not blame the masses, he believed they
were honest, but that he did blame them for
blindly sacrificing themselves before the Jug
gernaut Of party. He asked what the country
wanted. We want money 10 our pool ets, (true)
aud we are going to get it by an lhtuX OF emf
grants. The issue of 1861 is not the issue now,
he acted faithfully then and was faithful now.
The democrats got control of the lower House
of Congress last December; they had lnaugu-
roted about thirty investigating committees
from which 10 good had resulted; they claim
ed to have reduced the expenses OF the gov.
ernment thirty millions, but no dividends of
this thirty millions had been made among the
people, and be gravely asked his bearers ifthey,
or any of them, had received one cent they
had, on the motion of Mr.. B. B. Douglas,
appointed committee to investigate the Freed
mans Bank; that all these Investigations we're
not to correct abuses but to manufacture polit-
Cal capital for the election; that Mr. Douglas
had large coIored vote 10 bis disttct and
hence the Investigation Of this particular bank
10 order to couciate this vote, aud when asked
it he charged that MIR. Douglas was induced
to iuaugurate this investigation with view of
securing for himself the colored vote Of his
district, replied that he believed MIR. Douglas
had an eye to it, aud gravely asked why the
ba1k failures OF Charlottesville, Cupeper and
| Lynchburg were not investigated; that the com
uit,ee of which Mr.. Wheeler was chairman
had been investigated, hoping to find something
| against Wheeler, but the result had been moth
4 Il l..I Ill