Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-04-01
a Beadiuster's Dream.


afJrd M the opportunity Of 80 doing, through
your vaIuabIo paper. 10 order to spprtcis'c
it, you mus. permit rs to give Iriel ssaoh
of my personal histcr5.
an Virsnian to the manner born. WAS
raised sod educ,ied within her bo;d:rS, acd
have almos. worshippcd her n.mo, her tsms.
end hst glorious hsoly. vas born sEd rai:ed
sivel-sTsy Wing. [ despIsed democracy
from mp inmost soul. b:clus, | ssH 6 eE-
denoy was TO radicaiiau aud Asr.rieoiss,.
believed universal sufFrg, would destroy. in
tmo a5y gcvarnnsnt On earth, for the rsssoD,
that the great mass Of mapkiud. whe,h + edu-
Gated OF not. wers naturally prone to evil, ard
would sact6,s the interests cf al! ottera. 10
crafty their owo selfish usts and dosires-
Hence. that the only hope of sst.ty in IL:
publican goVsrnment, was to cJnioc suffrage
to those who Wero pecuniaril3 ADD permanently
Identified With the State. and could GO. il. arc
others, 10 order to GRITTY their lUss without
equally ipiuring III .mse!vss.
| was opposed to tho war. until lhs sos 81
duplloity on the part tf the Fsdersl Covert
ment, whertty 90 attempt Was made TO prov
sion the Charleston for!s, when cur commits
siouers had been assured i. should no. be a.
tempted. Losing confidence in the honesty
aud Integrity Of the Executive. all MP sympa-
thies were With Virginia, The VAT oams-the
last remnant Of ell / had. but o lew sores OF
lard, was most RaD!oniy destroyed by ihs btu-
tai soldiery of The North. Ii closed. Ond prl-
vost msIs5als, sent squads Of vulgar rs:caes
to search ny house. 10 my ats,eoa, in the pre-
sencs of my wife and helpless children. for U.
8. properly. Encouraging and protec chg the
negroes, they beoams iDso!ent. ED thrsatened
m b-y nnnia htn nd nNrio}i,p 1adv md nh.
| it vas appropriately resented smid tho j ,e S
| and ri5ald isss Ct tho sable crowd. the prottc-
ter Of female belplessness, himself an iovalid,
was torn from bis bed at midnight, AID con-
PEELED 10 ride fifteen miles to report to tie SIT
pid sEd baughiy provost. Time rolled 90, scd
suddenly found proclamation for IN election
ct delegates to a convention to foim State
Constitution, end myself dsfrsr caised, std s
| the male segroes twenty one PEARS OF egg, en-
ti:lel to 2Cle. The situation vas sufl criog-
Bat sS limo passed 90. | found myself under
| tho incubus CT this great pO!i:io,l, m:rsl and
social revolution. Utmost Dsrsb Il d, aud impt-
| curious. My aged parents had Rano dosn u:
| der the iEtolerabls burthen. aod lett me 1T
| tic mc:e acd and a few STATE bonds 10 1872
| proposed. ID The public nrints. t, raadjust
the Stale debt. by cutting ett N: Ill d to West
Vireioia, issuing uot-nterest bcafiog carlif-
| calos OF indebtedness for the WISE eod recor-
struoion interests, and n.w per c,ot. bold,,
for tho remsirg principal of $4,000 900. |
vas laughed 10 soorn. Poverty Srs mskipg
its fearful impress on ny mi1d. nv morals and
10y constitution. | locked this wy. and locked
that way. hoping to find somo nsaus Ct etcipe
| from my impending fate bu. ell TO 70 lu'p :se.
| was prep:rad for almos. anything. a. this
tms "Ol1 man M.ssoy" announced his road
| iustmsnt soheme-afirniny tina. tho lu5ic
debt was tho cause of al! cur woes, aud With
proper rsidiustment Of that, inmi2rstio sn6
wealth would a)W 10 u:cn Us Ike river. |
caught at it as q er1wniog man catches ut a
straw. l was excited. ela.ed. cv,j y:d. oil,
most beside myself. II this slate | retired to
! rest and dreamed:
NY DREAM.-l was elected 10 ths Iisgislstl.e
in 1881 By large minority. Sooa after gen
| temsn approached ma with paper pledging
| myself to work with the resdjuster party IS =
| unit; tant there were many who would not
| work hsrmoniously unltsl they we've previously
pledged; that being an inf Qentisl and wi ieY
known member OF The party, il would sign il.
thera would bs no difficulty in securing oil tina
rest. ~ I did 50. He than told m, to bs sure
TO b. in Rchmo.d two or threo days bsfcr, The
ASSEMBLY met
IsrriYed in Rict m md at 5 O'Clock D. m. and
though unheralded, was met by several gentle.
men snd escorted to General M,hone's head.
quarters. He received mo cordially and tre.ted
me like pr.ncs. He astu!ed IN, uf the grand
tucces' eur party,. sld that it truly repre-
aerted tho i;tue and atell genoa of tue State;
that he hsd voted with the republicans 10 ct
money ind il lence to carry the e'eslior az d
now the great end Of the PSF y wal we'll nigh &C.
ccmpltlhed. viz: the raadjusLment cf the State
debl; that thore wore some minor matters to bs
attended t., but tnty would be presented to the
caucus ia due time.
TIE rext night attended the ciucu:; ntyar
before in my. life, had fout Il myself in such
Company. .Ohcek by joWl." I Sat WITH vulgar
drunken Whltea md cdoriIefeus Dsppy healed
| nsg'oesr "sll hale follows. well met thouR bit
of my father ard her, of my w.fa and chill.
dren, tho ccmDaniots CT my childhood, the
character OF the old Wtigs-l was bewidered-
l would f4ln hsva sunk through The hoor;
would have given my right arm 10 have been
freeman once moro Blu: ., shat solemn pledge
OF Loaof must comply. | put on the best
tacs could; smiled Gh,sty Imle. ., my
conscience. how i. smote me? This WAS nv fate
aad e1 efciEa for many days. I was sppaled at
.he progress OF events. 1saw with smazsmeut
.he judiciary G9lligee, tsS!4ms, public .chools,
Offices create 10 be filled by party fsyorites,
Vosed for them ALL bu! urdsr what sufFocas
lrg serse of internal shame al humiliation,
God only knows.
I now SUPP osed the end had come, but Just as
thought my work OF egtsdition W. over, the
/
law punishipg with stripes m cor offences spsinst
The laws OF The State, q Jaw advise by the wise
Solomon. q law which had saved may ihous.r DIS
OF dollsrs to the State, . law which had we'll
nigh broken up petty larceny; this wss to be re.
pealed. I entered my solt ma prciest blu. it
avsied as to nothing The mandate had been
Issu:d ard the deed must be done. hoped
By some ehsrc, it might miscarry in the House.
l listened TO The burning words cf tie proud old
representatives,. called Bcu,bens, IS they en-
te'ed their selsmn prot:st against this Yankee
innovation. longsd once mora to be free, that
might throw myself into their arms. I
awaited The issus with painful heart Struggles,
not that this act was 30 omeDous or impoftsnt
PEE! SO. but that it disclosed once for ali, the
animus aud rsdicllism of my party. The issue
was msde, the vote recorded, the bill passed,
and ,earsh's wisest man was pronounced
oouiboo, kn arstec:at and q fool. j,
even l., was recorded 10 the sffirmatiyai
Wh:n thu roll was called .nd my name An.
| nouGeed. I started to my feet, trembed, I
| shudte'ed, almost gave up the ghost. could
stand It no longer. rose in the msjes.y
| oil what remaining manhood and self.ie,pect re.
NAMED to me, al swore Y The eternal would
b. q sltvs no longer. The moment this resolve
lad culminsied into ac'i on. a mighty bur;hsn
l al la1 otro F ~ 81