Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-04-17
ALEXANDRIA, VA. TUESDAY, APRIL II, 1877.
.lefau0rla @Qzette
TUESDAY, APRIL II, 1877.
An Englishnlnn in Virginia.

1
seen that notice in the Dispatch? This is tn
paragraph to which the great statesman re
lcrrcd
Mr. Vcstryman BIogg will examine th
various candidates for next Governor at th
Exchange Hotel to-day"
! The cX leader OF the London Fcsiry B0ar(
said he wished me to 90 with him to the exam
ination, and so we started. On arriving at thf
Exchange Hotel We found four hundred anC
fifty cntcrprisng and industrious aspirant7 fOl
gubcrnatOrlal hGn0rs eager and anxious TO OBJ
tain certificates OF proficiency. The great yes.
| tryman opened the proceedings with the FOL.
| lowing address
| "fciL0'0. GUi>ens This is the age of compct-
tive examination. Civil service reform is Tic
order OF tho day. President Hayes is in favor
| oi civil service reform everywhere except IN the
! Richmond postolice, and he will come round
tn that after awhile. The British Government
has recently promoted Lord Beacons6eld after
forty years graduation in the House of Com.
mons. Competitive examinations arc 80 uni
| vcrsal in EpgIand that policemen have 10 grad
! uate in the use O! The rattle Even tho Lopdon
Vcstry Board OF which | was once an humble
| member has adopted civil service reform, and
| examines vestrymen in astronomy and medi-
| cine Virginia cannot afford to be bchrd the
| other great countries in this matter. Hence
the State Constitution has been amended so as
TO make it Sinc q,,n non that every candidate
lJi The position Of Governor or lieutenant
Governor should, previous to entering the con-
lest, pass an examination as to his qualltlca-
tons The General Assembly has appointed
! me 10 Conduct the examinations, and upon re-
cclV!Eg my certificate OF proficiency any enc Ul
yGu ;Hl DC at liberty to get elected II you caii.
The candidates then calnc forward AID were
examined ~ Il private room one at time cs
tryman BlogS showed himself the night man
in the right place as grand examiner ior the
Commonwealth, but some ol the candidates
soon CAME 10 grief. About three hundred were
dismissed brcausc they were unable to explain
the tobacco inspection Laws Seventy i've more
were unable to furnish scientific account Of
the Motiel whi=key punch. Thirty broke down
when asked to cXpouDd the present position OF
tie James river aud the kanaWha canal.
Twenty more had 10 beat j retreat because
they could not give auy satisfactory reason for
believing the Funding bill to be q fraud. Thc
rest Of the candidates having furnished Fcstry-
mau Bogg with answers which he deemed all
right, were Ihcn requested to explain their po.
tical views ard peculiar qualifications. 1t may
not be unintcrcsting TO note down lew OF the
opinions expressed and arguments advanced.
Gen. W. II. l.. Lee said he was granger.
The next governor ought to be farmer, and
lie was regular, unmlstakable, barn yard,
hocded Stock icrtllIZlng, hrSt class iarmlst. Ii
the next Governor were not farmer there
would be no consolation ID turnips, no comfort
10 tomatoes and nothing toothsome in sweet
corn The farmers were the backbone OF the
country, and there would be nothing left worth
living for iu the State il Oid Tuckahoe went
back On the agricultural persuasion. The down
ircddcn farmers demanded relief and protest
against their oppressed condition. All great
nlcu had been farmers William Shakespeare,
John Milton, Oliver Cromwell, Napoleon Bo
napartc, the Duke Of Wellington, Daniel
O'Conucl, Mr.. Gladstone, and Lord BaCoDS-
field we're examples of what farmers could do
when placed in Office. The granger had dc
lcrmncd to save the cOuutry, and would march
to victory 10 yellow aprons and calico aashcs.
Col. L. w. NJ. Holiday, Of Winchester, said
that he had been Centennial Commissioner
aud Il conservative clcctOr.at large, and dldn
thiuk hC need to say any more than that. But
the people Of the Valley considered that their
part OF the State was tho only section worth
living 10, and that they could grow grass and
Governors to perfection.
The Rev. Judge Watkins Of Prince Edward,
said that he had spent tho best part OF his life
in grinding out parsons. Ii he became Lcut.
Governor he could lead the devotons OF the
Senate, if necessary.
Gen. VIM. Terry, ot Whylhevillc, said the
great Southwest claimed the GOvernOrshlp.
lie had been in Congress, and was the only
Old. Line Wing 10 lhc Virginia delegation. He
had also done the State immense service in eX.
liugushing EayeLte McNuu, aud he would
pledge himscl 70 vigorously suppress Congress-
man pridcmorc.
Major John W. Daniel, Of Lynchburg, said
he was tired Of being "a rising young statc5.
man." and felt that it would be more agreeable
to his feelings to be allowed to develop into "a
statesman who had risen The city OF Lynch
burg was the birthplace O ali men WHO Became
famous, aud he lad refused 10 be born any'
where else, for fear Of niurlng his chaocea in
lifr. He was The candidate ol youOg NlrglBla,
and L.idhcaIci patriots hadu' better be Iuter.
irriuE.
Gen. Fuz lee SAID lie wanted To 20 where
glory awaicd h;u lIc had accomplished mere
lha6 SIR George Mares at the North Pole or
Stanley in Africa lie had bceu TO Boston,
and was alive to tell the story III hc became
Gnycrnor he would briDg cut a new edition oil
the "poIi,e Letter Writer' Ior the use Of fam
lies aud schools.
tol Gi0lwin, CT Portsmouth, SAID BE- ouIy
Desired 10 be of service to his fellow cItIz .ns,
and either Ike Attorney GeneraIshlp or the
lieutnuant Govcrnnrshp would meet his mod
crate yieys. But he wished it to be under
stood that there Was allIewatcr IN tho aars
Of Virginia.
General Taliaicrro said that the old Conl-
monweaIth sadly needed the application OF