Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-07-03
Democratic Meeting.

Hendricks democratic club The hall
though not crowded contained fair sized
and enthusiastic audiences and the speeches
were heartily enjoyed. The Drum and Fife
Corps furnished music. The meeting was
called to order by the president of the C ub,
Mr. M. B. Harlow, who introduced General
w. II. F. Lee.
Gen. Lee excused himself from making a
speech, saying be wanted the audience to
hear this gentlemen present from distance
and promising to address the citizens of AL.
e1andria later in the campaign He then
introduced Hon. M. Biggs, of California.
Mr.. Biggs urged the democrats to organize
and showed the audience that the demo-
cratic party was the party of the working.
man. He differed from tine President on the
civil service question, but said Cleveland
was an honest man and the democratic
ticket worthy of support by all good demo
Gratis. He was in favor of devoling part
of the surplus in the Treasury to the con-
struction of the Nit. Vernon Avenue and to
make it the finest road in the world and
promised to do all in his power to assist in
building that avenue. Hepromised to come
to Alexandria again during the campaign ii
the ladies were invited to the meeting. Dur
ing his speech he paid glowing tribute to
Gen. Robert E. Lee.
Hon.M. H Ford. OF Michigan, was the next
speaker Hsto!d his audience that the reason
of the big republican majorites in the north
ern States heretofore was that the republi.
can g. eakers had played upon the preiudi-
ces of the people by Discussing the issues of
the war, and said be had heard such speak
ers tell an intelligent audience in Michigan
that if The democratic party succeeded the
negroes would be put back into slavery and
that the Confederate bonds would be paid
He said al this was over now and predict
ed that Michigan would go democratic al
the next election. He ridiculed the idea
that the high tariff protected American la
Dor, and said if labor was to be protected
the tariff must be put on the men who came
to this country and not the goods. He said
the ordinary he'd carrier was paid better
wages than the average Iaborer in the pro
teced industries; that DO monopolist voted
the democratic ticket and that there was
no trust" the members of which would
vote for Cleveland. He closed by saying
that the republican party was now in bad
way and that their only issues during this
campaign would be the waving of the
bloody shirt and the advocacy of the high
tariff.
Hon. Benton McMiiln, Of Tennessee,
made q mastery speech, which he corn.
menced by enunciatng the principles of de.
mooracy as laid down by Jefferson. He
showed what the democratic party had done
for the country and how it had prospered
and enlarged under democratic rule; said
that the democratic party had done more
for the laboring people than had ever been
dreamed OF by the republicans; that the re-
publican party had given to railroad corpor-
atoms thirteen times more land than God
had given to the Jew, but that the demo.
cratic administration had reclaimed and
given back to the people so, 900 600 acres of
the public lands. He spoke of the late Chi
cago convention as a meeting of railroad Of
fcers which had opened with a free fight
between Malone and Wise, with gouges
thrown 10, and regretted that it had not ter
minated as did the fight between the Kill
plus in the treasury, boarded there by the
republican tariff and the Injury it Was do
ing the country said the tariff, as proposed
by the Mills bill, which, he said, would Ger.
tauly pass, was higher than Henry Clay
would have had it; that it proposed to lower the
tax on the necessaries but not on the luxurios of
life. and gave number of instances of the bad
effects of the present high tariff He handsomely
eulogized Cleveland and Thurman, and said if
Harrison and Morton, with both of whom he had
served in Congress, had ever boon friends of the
working man no one had ever heard Of it before
Mr.. J. E. RUSSELL of Massachusetts,, was the
next speaker, and made fine address. He said
the republicans 8, if beaten in the next election
would never hold another convention, and then
went on to describe the Chicago convention,
which he said had adjourned from day to day to
prevent stampede to man who was tattooed all
over with corruption. He said that up to the
time Cleveland was elected the republicans of
Massachusetts, were so presump tuous that they
spoke of their party as 1.-The government" and
that any measure proposed by the democrats was
considered an attempt to Overthrow the govern
ment." This, he said, WAS all over now, and he
predicted grand victory next November.
Eou. ]. l.. Chapman, of Michigan, was then
introduced, but declined to speak on accoant of
the lateness of the hour Flo took General Lee
by the hand, however, and bringing him forward
said that when men from Virginia, Massachusetts,
California aud Michigan stood together on one
stage it proved that the war was over and all Sec
tional feeling healed. What he said and his man.
ner in saying it brought down the house, and Mr..
Chapman had to promise to come to Alexandria
later in the campaign and make speech.
General Lee then in a few well-tmed remarks
urged the democrats to organize for the campaign.
The meeting, which was one OF the most enthu-
siastic and most heartily enjoyed ever held in this
city, then adjourned with three cheers for Cleve.
land and Thurman, proposed by Mr.. Harlow, the
president of the club.