Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-03-30
S.1cai ssNs;0si.

Ia. ii. PcaIco END SEXES OF letters iTom Kew.
w. X, Boyl aucnt LEGAL cp:ioa, published 10
| the Gazette dusiug my abserc,. to soma CT tho
| statements in which l wish no5 10 reply as
briefly IS possible, hsving b,eu prevented by
Sickness. llcm noticing them earlier.
1t is not my purpose to etter or suffer myself
| to ba drawn lcto newspaper controversy as 10
tho policy OF prorliety OF local option laws in
general, or the ono introduced in the House by
mo. touching the city Ct Alexandra in particu
lar, and | wife simply 10 c)rrCc: c!rtain Els
statements made By the above FAMED gcHt!e-
men 10 theic commandments.
| | understand them to claim that | w:s at
| first m Juror OF the Till. and that afterwards
NY stll uIs toward il was Su(RcIg amt rdat-
| caiy changed. and 10 support CT lnese allcgu-
tiJps, quotations from letters written b. nc orc
introduced. and Certain acsa ct ni1e, ia con
rcction Hiih the bil ere referred 10. Without
stopplog 10 dltcIss the question, whether or Dot
a caupgc OF ones opinion IS to given prOpo
sitio1 makes one tair suit C: for criticism dis
Linguistic neither for good nature nor ci,pas-
sion, will say that the quotations err, | 90
liGvc, literally correct, but these q ntiemcn have
| drawa tho wrong inftrc.c 8 from them. This
might have been avoided, | presume, had |
wilton more cxpc tly aud at length, but IS |
vas quito busy at tic time / wroio b:illy.
J. was not at fist or at any tins iavvrl6iy
disposed toward tho BILL Tor have rcycr been
able 10 rcc2gnza the wisdom or be5Illt to tenn
peIatcj either OF gtncIal rr)hibitory Iiquor
laws proper, or OF lIwa designed, if the majority
50 sill it, to prohibit tho sale OF liquor 10 a
given oCm NUDITY CT small rub division of a
State, notwithstanding that such ccmnuuity is
| nrlt, at h,,Ir
and surrounding cCmTuoltics or sub. divisions
in which the sale OF l'qu0g is not nbd may never
be fcrDdGeo.
All wished CT intended to be understood TO
Ilean IVES, that IS | had been led 10 believe
that large majority Of tho Voters of Algxan
dris were in favor oil prohibition, end were,
therefore, wiling To take the li;k Of i; Jury 10
| business aud property 80 apt 10 result there.
from, should, as supposed i. was proper fer
mo TO DO put aside my Own viLWI and opinions
upon tho sui ool, sec that ihe bill bccsmn 9
law, ED let tiitt Msj5tity 6Ld cut by &C ual
experiment hog ihu thing w0u'd pClk. 1t
looked, 10 the begapug, as il tier. was very
g?uerNl aud overwhelming ssu,imeot ia the
city Ia favor If tho object OF tho III petitions
asking fer its passage. sigued by many property
hoiGoIs. mechanics and business mep c.mj to
clc every Gsy, a5 did Gl:o ru!rncr OF l.ttcrs
from persons whom | Eeii' vtd 10 BE- well la
ic;,I,d, st&iiGI that iDt My OF The vlt3ls
favored tho bill; aut as nothing c,mo 10 rae
from tina other side OF tic question bas ono or
iao let!crs treating tho movement HI that 'cf
few chronic grOWle aGd isLatc'," aud cvirc
lug. SIS ihcught. Considerable apathy on the
sui cot, the cJrc'u5lon VAS f)ic j upon me
that the desire for pfohitii,n kaa takou q
firm hold upon the peorl, OF Alexandria, and |
lad no CHOICE tui to put the mcaslrc through.
Very soou Gt,cr III, bill was IT C lived ~ NE |
wrote to hit u1 in this city upon the subject
and used tho following language: Il am 70 moro
10 favor of his bill tOan you dr., bat | an as
butod that tic people want it, aDd as all the
tvideLco laid before ne 50 Tar POINTS that way,
| suppose will hava to give i. 10 them"
Betrro one letter IN opposition 10 the bill
reached nc | had revived twenty one letters
tavtll1g 1t, aGd asserting moro or lts3 positively
that a larve majority OF the voters desired tho
passage { tho Ii that they might put an end
! 10 the traffic in Intoxicating liqlors. | might
FL several co'unrs CT the Gez.tto with thuse
letters, but do not consider it necessary ror
have the clnsen: Of the writers to their rub.
li0ation l had cot been to Alexandria for
nearly, if cot quito month. and had no other
means OF learnug tho views OF the public than
through these lotters and petitions, aud it is
not strange that frlm my knowledge ct tho
| Writers l should have come 10 the conclusion
| tia. l had nothiag to do but COMPLY with tho
demands OF On overwhelming pubic sentiment,
apparently not c,rfad to ary class, aud | To-
tended ut that tine ID co sO notwithstanding
my own copvlc;ioLs. So much for the inter
ere, derived from the expressions 10 ny letters
quoted by Mr. Ptarcc, that | at first favored
tho bill.
also understand the reverend gentlemen to
derive the idea that | Vas 10 tavpr of tho bill
in the beeinncg from tho fact that it was I'D.
vaDced TO i.s engro smens with such ccerily.
HeEclo they arc again mistaken. 1t is true
that the bill was ordered to its cngyossmcnt and
| third reading in remarkably shcrt time, but
this was partly b5 accident and partly because
oil The receipt of substitute. The / i'll came to
r3c by mail Oh Saturday, February BIS, and !
introduced it duliog tic rncrdiug hour Monday
and it was rend FIRST time and went undcr the
! ruler, TO the FInanoo Committee. o., Thick,
the next day, to my surprise, fer | had 20.
been bginro the Committee. when tho Clerk
.csd tho bill reported, found tina, tho Finance
C0lumitae had seed on this bill st lhelr meet.
ing that iutr0iug and reported it iavorably
0ithcu! Wailiog for NC 10 appear and call it I'D.
This was contrary to tho u:uf PRACTICE, and
Why they made tho departure [ never knew;
aud this constitutes the acc dent Of its advance.
MEET 10 Which | have alluded, for the bill then
went 90 The calendar % is second lcadiug.
| TEo or threo days afterwards, thitk CO tho
21th, r. C lived letter with niue signatures
stating inter ala that The draft of the original
bill! was defective, aod enclosing paper which
they desired should DO offered as a substitute.
| | made sono changes 10 this last paper where
| | thought they we're rc?ded, got tho original
! bill uD under 4 EllsuobsIOn IF tho miles and m
| fercd tho substitute and it was otderei to its
| oDpro:smcnt.
Tfis was lis stau' for several Days during
which it was net reached aud made 20 { fort 10
take Il up cut Ct its order. a. the end of that
lime began TO lhiuk fer reasons | will now
| eXplaip, that tho sentiment of the qua6ed
| voters OF AltXlndris had not been prop ry
| represented to MT; and this brings ne to the
| consideration OF what Mr.. Pearce is pleased to
characterize az my sudden aud radical
change of attitude toward the bill. did