Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-01-31
Revolutionary Claimants.

Why should Virginia rejoice in the Centen.
NAL? Why? With her fair domain laid waste,
her children Impoverished, her sons deprived Of
what once WAS theirs, and ~grasplng st anything
which promises to keep them from bcggary And
sustain honesty-why should she rejoice? |;
there not u contrast between the paltry taxa.
tons Of the past upon ten and paper, AMI the
present heavy imposts laid upon Virginia BY the
Federal Government? 1t is asserted that :he
pays more to sustain it than all the Eastern
| States united. Why should she rejoice, when
even the poor demands OF justice Tor the de
scendants of her revolutionary heroes Ne denied,
| perhaps not listened to? Il seems Il mockery-
all t. is ostentatious expense, this hospitality t.
foreign nations when the very slSner> Of this
| vaunted Declaration of Independence might.
| were that possible rise from their noa0red
graves and pointing 20 their descendants ask
why this great and prosperous country should
permit these their representative 70 feel the
hard hand Of poverty resting upon them and
upon their children? Why their expenditures
of time. and money, and intellect, and health
their losses, exposures and domestic sacrifices
are all forgotten? One Of the names on that
record, now so g!or!fed, is Thomas NELSON.
junior, afterwards General Nelson; and another,
though not a signer of the Declaration, yet one
who bravely fought TO win the independence
then merely declared, Was 8 first cousin of the
above, Colonel WILLIAM NELSON. The gallant
soldiers were the s IL OF the President and Sec.
rotary OF the Kings Council! in Virginia. They
were sent to England in boyhool and returned,
in manhood, educated and polished gentlemen
but in the crisis Of IS they ~reIouDced ali pas:
associations ana offered their lives, their for
tunes and their sacred honor" to the country o.
| their birth. The gratitude Of that country has
slumbered nearly one hundred years! Cannot
LIr. Cox or Mr.. Tucker arouse this slumbering
feeling? What more fitting time than the pre-
sent, WheR concentrated Is searching every re-
cord of that period? General Nelson remained
in the army until the close of the war. Colonel
Nelson's health became SO impaired by cxe-.ion
| and exposure that ne could not discharge the
duties OF his colonelcy and resigned not long
before The conclusion Of the war scOrning y
s%inecure, but being iu y aware Of the vG!Ge o..
bis services and sacrifices, lelt this cain 70 lis
daughters Oh hi. death bed. That claim * N
the files Of Congress and has been for ma..y
| years. Congress has resolved that those who
only served ten days in the war OF ISL shall
receive q pension. Why should the soldiers oi
l1Io and onward, after serving and suffering Tor
| years, be excluded bccAuse exhausted asture
could held out no longer?
The handsome mansion Of Secretary Nc'son.
st Yorktown, WIS occupied by British III ,crs
curing the siege, and 10 that point the American
batterie: were turned. Inc sons Of the Secretary
brought th cir :aLner out under Il u,g Of truce.
and the WORK Of demolition continued. At is
close nothing could be brought iron the wreck,
but the broken marbles. 4 proposition has been
made 10 erect y monument ~ Yorktown. the
birth lace OF these noble men, and once the
seat of wealth, refinement and intellect. Ptrhaps
& more suitable pace coI!d scarcely BE- sosected
to commemorate the public ostcntauOn, Rftvat,
injustice, and cold ingratiludc 0. our country.
n million OF dollars for the Centennial! Nota
cent to the claims Of Justice and gralitudei
To the e2i0r Of the AhGrnadrrr Ga.ette::
In your letter from Eicam2nd 1t Is stated that
an heir nf tho .Jrnr,nrs q. site inI .Dunl the