National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-07-28
DisCrderly Proceedings Of Democrats

Alexandria. Distinguished speakers were
present, and made the opening of the cam
paign in Virginia a memorable occasion. II
was anticipated that attempts would be made
BY the rutfiaH element of the community to
create disorder, as was done at the last Re.
publican ratification meeting four years ago
when It seemed that all the energies of the
Democracy were bent toward breaking up the
meeting and creating confusion. That element
was comparatively on its good behavior last
night. While the Wis ting speakers were
talking there was little disorder.
Occasionally an interruption was caused BY
frantic queries about Belknap, but no serious
consequences resulted. 1t was not until Mr..
Ball, editor of the Alexandria Sentinel, spoke,
that there was any serious disturbance. Mr..
Ball has drawn upon him the hatred of the
Democrats and Conservatives by warmly
supporting Hayes and Wheeler, and he was
made the object of insulting remarks by gang
who kept on the ou;skirts of the thrOng. He
boldly continued to lay down the principles of
the campaign through all the tumult. The
gang did all in their power to frighGen him of
the stand and bIeak up the meeting in confu-
sion, and at one time pelted the stand with mud
balls, which did no injury other than the
breaking of few panes of glass in an adjoining
building.
The meeting was held in front OF the post
office building W here a cOmmodious stand had
been erected Before S o'clock, the hour an
nounced for the opening of the meeting, a
large multitude assembled about the stand.
The meeting was called to order by Mr.. f.
E. White. Mr. |. c. O'Neill was nominated
for chairm and unanimously elected. Mr..
'O'NCiil, in calling The meeting TO order, spoke
a few eloquent words. lie then introduced
MIR. ISAAC II. SHIELDS,
of Richmond Mr.. Shields said that he be-
loneed to he grand army of reformcrs-that
wing which, in the id of November, proposed
10 reform Democratic Congress from the in
side to the outside of the Capitol.
In the State of Michigan there has been
floating about for years more than Sl0,O00,00
OF nasty, gicasy siinplastcrs, painted in imi-
tation of gIetnbacks, and these shinplasters
were issued by Samuel J. Tilden, nomina; ed
for President of the United States by the
Democratic party on sO-called hari-mOney
platform. Samuel J. Tiden owned s. per
cent. of them. They were so much waste
paper, yet they were calling for hard money.
The Democratic platform declared at one
breath that it was in favor of speedy return to
specie payment, ard finds fault with the Re-
publican party because it had failed to give
them hard money, and in the very next sen
tPnce it faYors the repeal of that act, which
had been pa--ed to bring about resumption
on the LIST day OF January, 1879.
Samuel j. Ti'den had issued the worthless
money to pay his wockmcn with, and never
paid a dollar tax on it until the revenue
collectors goS after him. Th3t's why he hard
the Republican party. He urged that the true
reform parry was The Republican party, with
whom there was no distinction of color or race;
who invited all people, of all nations, to gather
uTder the banner of the greatest country that
ever eNiyted. He + se-chcd Virginia to cut
loose fiom that restless people who, though
they never felt the weight OF the hand of the
Feder-l Government, cdrjed IL black and blue.
He beseeched Virginia TO cut loose from those
people further south who were sill licking to
destroy the Union.
He believed that was the sentiment in Vir-
ginia. Some would follow Tilden aud his sh'I-
plasters both equally worthless. ku'ghtly Vs.
ginia could no. iollOwOne step further than those
States who were south of her, who were band
ing together TO make up united South against
a united North. Her courage, her nanlircss
and her honor cries out against it, and unless
he was greatly mistaken Vire iniA would cast
her elec oral vote for Hayes and Wheeler.
HON. FRANCIS MILLER,
of Maryland, was the next speaker. He said
that in this Centennial year the name of Viz
ginia was as familiar to the people as house
b old words. Praises were going to nose old
sons of Virginia for what they did one hun
drcd years ago. They knew what riches were
in the EOurds Of Virgiria. He drew
an eloquent sketch Of the Grand resources of
Virginia. From the time Virginia entered on
her career she had Leen ruly1 by one set of
ideas and one parry If Nirs mia bias halted in
her career OF Prosperity the people should
lock to the Democratic leaders and throw the
blame upon them. He called their serious at
teniion to the history of their State, to con-
slider whether those Leaders were tbe.ones TO
restore prosperity. OF ninety nine counties,
twenty-fOur of them d deere Ssed in popala-
ton in the last eighty years.
The magnificent counties upon which de-
pended the wealth and proGpe .ity of the city
of Alexandria had hardly held their own III
population. In seventy years the population
Of LoudoUn had hardly Incl eascd 5OJ, and yet
that was considered the richest and mos pro-
ductive county. The barren sand bank OF
New Jersey had increased five-fOld in eighty
years, and in Virginia the population had
barely doubled. New York and Pennsylvania
had swellCd in popula ion to mill. This
failure TO progress in Virginia was due to the
fact that Virginia had been controlled by those
al ideas of economy-or no econ
Omy al Rll-beyond which the average Virginia
politician could not zee. Instead of their peo-
pie being taught, they were in ignorance;
% 600 white yo,ers could rot read and write.
The servants that they had employed during
the past fifty years hid taken not the one
talent, but the ten talents and buried them in
the earth, and their ten talents were now five
talents. And when they came to the people
and said that their ten talents were now five
talents, Virginia would say, Depart We into
utter darkness-that means, out of office.
The men who had controlled them for the last
fifty years were carrying them faster and
faster to destruction. The State of Virginia
was poverty stricken: they knew that their
debts were growing difficult TO pay. The in
terests of the State of Virginia ought to be
made at home. Virginia should work out her
own regeneration by wisdom, by prudence and
by economy.
If they were going to recover from their pros
tration they must cease looking towards the
Capitol at Washington and look towards the
Capitol at Richmond.
According to the Hon. Samuel J. Tilden, the
world had never seen so much corruption as at
the present day, and the salvation was in him
self, S. j.. Tilden. He would say that there
never was a day when there was less corrup-
ton than the present. lie said that when he
was a boy he used to hear the word swart-
wouth in politics.
There was a collector at the port Of New
York in the administration of Martin Van
Buren,, named Swartwouth, who stole 81 ,OJO,-
COO and then went abroad. His successor
stole $300,0C0 or 100000 and then went
abroad. The name of Swartwouth became
synonymous for stealing. Then, In the same
there were land agents all
through the South who sole so much that the
greatest argument against removing them was
that they had sucked themselves so full that
they couldn't suck any more, and to put new
men would only be putting new leeches at
work.
He admitted that there were bad men in
the Republican party. If the Democratic
party, as higher providence to punish the
Republican party, should permit Samuel j.
Tilden to be elected, then they would see
whole shoals of bad men leaving the Republi-
can party and clinging to the Democracy.
The men whJ made the charges of CO rrupGion
were the mel who wanted to get into the
offices in which they charged corruption ex-
lsted. Was there no corruption inthe Demo
cratic party!
Five or six years ago Samuel J. Tflden was
the very dear friend of the Hon. William NJ.
Tweed. Circulars were sent out all over the
State of New York asking that immediately
upon the close of the polls an estimate of the
returns be sent to Hon. VIM Tweed. This
was done that the Democrats might know in
time how much stutfing would be needed to
carry the State for the Democracy. That
year New York gave GO,OOO Democratic ma
jOrity. Come down to the State of VIRGINIA.
who is 50 poor that no man could be hard.
hearted enough to steal from her. Yet he
heard that the State Treasurer had recentIv
1afa Cd m tho ayfauF If -