Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-11-04
Radical Speaking at Lcesburg.

CORES ponue5ce 81 Tue alcXauGrla U3ZettC |
LEEsBURG, No7. 2.-i'o.night Mr. O'NcaI
made 'iesuItory address 10 !srge audience,
co;Op5sed Of 2 najarisy Of Conservatives, wh!rt
vas suited 10 . person seeking seat ii tie
Legislature Of Virginia rather than onc in Con
gross. His statement Was tLs. Tie Democrats
had raised the taxes from 80 cents to 30 cents
10 800, when lie ought 10 have known that
the cn!y increase since 1867 certainly (how
1uueh further back have nct esaminedi has
tean from ID csnt5 to Sc cents, Sod this = tax
CT the rieL nau'a property Tor he pocr msn' 5
education. lie harped Oh tao amendments to
lac D5ttntiou-arst, the prepayment OF the
head tax, which be illustrated in this way 4
poor man he's 10 property and is required To
pay Il hesd ss5. The rich man has Sl00 taxes
70 pay. The poor Dap does not pay bis head
tax and loses his 7ote The rich nan pays 81
aoI leaves ;99 unpaid. Mr.. O'Neal was either
fool euoueh NOT to kooW that Tho mao 8ho
paid 500 taxes had SIG 300 Of property from
which not only the s99. bat the Sl.00 could
| be made, or knave enough to conceal this feet
! from h5 ignorant hearers, u Hhom bis argu-
ment vas addressed. He either did not know,
| or forgot to state. thst there Wss no way OF ca
| forcing the collection OF The head taI when a
man vas assessed only With The head l5I, and
! that this head .Gs was DEVOTED solely - educa
| tioral purposoa, and It's crtOt1n'i collection
would assure about 500 ,uDJ 10 tGie school
| fund. lie forgot also to state that the head
tag On white men Tor state purposes prior to
The reconstruction Of The Stale Was ~ cents
per head, that the white man PAID lfom 81. ~
| to 50 10 head tx Tor county purposes, and
that the master paid $i.2O per head on all
slaves o7ar l. years old, and tax OF 81 % OF
all free male negroes; that The abolition OF s!av.
| cry Daue the slaves citizens and liable to all
the burdens u! Citizens and tEat this tsZ 0!
$l.2n ca each slave over II years c! age, and
Of 80 OH each male free negro, lad been
committed into g mead tux OF 81 90 % the State
fer educational purposes, and ~ cents fer county
! purposes, aud that !astead o! Paying t0r the
schooling Of his children the property of the
county paid tor that. lie touched but lightly
On tie petty larceny disqualification. probably
remembering that this was telooy at comrl0n
law, and had been made 1t our elections PIE
cediDg our vote on the constitution ty the mill.
,ary orders, 4 ground for refusing votes, apd
that the proposition rc;P was opIy 10 return &c
the said military ruling, anu that The lngrcdl
ena Of the poisoned chal!cc was simply return
ell 20 the lips G! those who first Connected It,
Ho argued that q reuiss or corrupt assessor
could dstranchse nau simply by leaving blu
of lis Isis, showing evidently that II his party
had Control they would resort 10 this base
method OF destroying the rights Of voters. He
further argued that a1y justice could d!sirGn
ch.e nlan hy c0ns!cllug him OF petty larceny
forgetting to state that all convictions for mis-
denaano!s were re7isable By the county courts
AMI. that tho property of the State, ownec
ma!uly ty tue white men Of the State, paid al
these criminal expenses, and that they were
mainly Incurred in the prosecution Of Degroc;
whose Ideas OF the rights OF property did no
lean to the side Of the property holder, but t
the qualification Of their oIn appetltes, posi-
biz OF their own wants. Mr.. O'Ncal touched
on the school fund.- which has been used il
payiog the Interest on the bonds held by til:
literary and sinking funds OF the State TO tht
extent Of $i09 900, forgetting to state that tb(
school system had been in full use some iou
years before the. constitution required II to ot
put into operation, and that, o simple transfer
OF 500, CUJ from the sinking fund 20 ths lite
rary fun which could be done at the next sas
sion Of tho Gcacrai Assembly ioasnuch rs The
tax for the sinking tuId was not impoasib!
under the constitution till 1881.
Tx Gcy. Foote CT The United States ana Con
fedcratc Seuatea next addressed the meeting
10 one Of the most riba!d speeches have ever
; had The misfortune to listen to. lie is a scurry
old chap, Sho has bcyed the political compass:
uatil 10 has swung arouaa the circle. | bard
~ know how to designate him, whether as tti
; HISTORIAN. TheT5ite5 or the Theysiic Nestor
There is very l!tte OF tbs AassoT about him bu
the age.
Col. Motron Du!aney Bail Eczt spoke, max
ing reference 10 bis having when mere youth
addressed q Bell aod Everett gathering here
aud nlaEibg wtinieg appeal 10 the old Whig:
of Lopdoan 70 Join the Republican party, as il
reu who had followed Henry Clay could 5tool
SO ow as to follow the speaker. He was list
ened to aith quetaess and attention, and tgkc
the speeches aod proceedings Of the whole da5
&. Hamilton and at Lee burg It was the bss,
te! day for J.!den ADD Hendricks that se
have ever bad. 1t is only to be regretted thai
al tie speeches Tere not made ct every pre-
c!nct 10 The county. ALIoTIs.
a.: /