Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-11-11
Election Day in Alexandria

pordent of the Philadelphia Record writes:
Excitement aud Alexandria seemed SO in
copgruous to NE that 1 thought IL would be
interesting to go down 10 Farmer Washing
toms market town on election day. In all
my visits to Alexandria l had never seen
anything more stirring than the hollow
wind except the recollections of its ancient
greatness 1t is the city of calm-of dream.
less sleep. lis citizens come to Washington
for excitement, as for every thing else ex.
cept the necessaries of life. and they live in
Alexandria for the quiet there ie in it. The
Supreme Courtroom is nothing to it. 1t is
town of houses and people.
There is no hustle, there are no street-cars,
no newsboys, no noisy wagons. There 10
only one event day, and that ia the publi-
cation of the GAZETTE For ninety years
the good people of Alexandria bave spent
the morning wondering what the GAZETTE
would say and have in the way OF comment
and news, and the evening wondering over
what the GAZETTE had said in it's broad, old
fashioned columns. The wit and and wis
dom OF the GAZGTTE's Washington letter
are in my judgment unequelled in the whole
range of correspondence, Looking at this
feature cloee do no not wonder at the won
dering of the A!exantriens over the journal
upon which their interest has turned for
nearly century. suppose they must have
had fights since the day when Colonel
Payne Knocked down General Washington
in the market place. l am told that the
gamblers, lottery ticket sellers and policy.
writer's who have been driven out of Wash
ingtou have made stand at Alexandria.
But have never seen anything more excit
ing in Alexandria than the appearance of
the GAZETTE from it's press In response to
the patient desires Of it's subscribers gather
ed in groops in front of its Office
The idea of seeing Alexandria worked up
to pitch of interest over Brer Malone
equal to that aroused By its daily GAZETTE
seemed SO alluring that I made arrange
ments to 20 down and gaze upon it. Ordi-
nariy the most appropriate way to 90 TO
Alexandria is in the large ferry boats which
oiter down the Potomac and back in just
as leisurely fashion as when steam was
first applied to boats The sauntering sail
down the stream calms and soothes the
feverish Washingtoniap, 30 that he fslls
naturally into the Alexandria mood as
be steps on the decaying wharf. But on
this extraordinary occasion, when L hoped
that my pulse would beat faster in Alexan-
dria than in Washington, thought it more
appropriate to take the fast accom- mediation
tran on the Alexandria and Fredericksburg
Railrad. The last time had heard any
thing abU;t.the trains for AlexandIia- wi hioh
may have been several years ago) they ran
every hour. Knowing that the conservative
influence Of Alexandria prevented frequent
changes I supposed they ran still on this
quick and frequent schedule Having been
told that the election excitement increased
throughout the day so that it reached its
height Just before the polls closed ("for if
anybody's drunk,m said my informant,
he'll be drunk then." had determined to
spend the last hour of the election day in
Alexandria. Accordingly 1 went to the sta,
ton lust in time to catch the 230 Train.
When I got there I discovered that there
was no train between 205 and 25. So
read the Century through while waited an
hour. Finally che Alexandria accommoda-
tion was announced, and, escorted by large
number of Alexandrians, mostly ladies, L
started There were few other men
though among them, two very nervous ones
who sat near me and asked enough questions
| to tell their story.
Briefly, they were residents OF the First
land bestl ward OF Alexandria, father and
son. who bad left for Washington in the ear
y morning SO hurriedly that they had not
had time to vo.e, with the thought that they
cast two ballots against the wicked Malone.
But the train was to arrive later and the sun
| was to set earlier than they had thought,
and they were figuring out that they would
have lese than q dozen minntes TO get across
town to their polling place They were in 8
state of mind as we slowly crossed the Long
bridge and the sun went slowly down to.
ward Arlington. And it was not improved
nv the remarks which various other Alex.
sndria voters proffered to the effect that if
they bad voted in the morning as they
ought 10 have done they would not now be
kicking themselves But we did not have
time," pleaded the junior Mr. Oat, for that
was their delicious name. "Polls open at
sunrise, ,"growled another Alexandrian. But
we expected to get back 10 tme," pleaded
the senior Mr.. Oat. "Polls close at sunset"
erowled another Alexandriau. All the
Way down 10 Alexandria, and 1t
seemed to the Messrs. Oat, as to me, as
far off as Norfolk, these guleless but
negligent voters were kept at boiling point.
As we rolled through negro settlement
where hundred negroes we're hurrahing
for "Hume," a popular democratic candi-
date for the Legislature who carried that
particular settlement, hitherto republican,
by seven majority, and shortly afterward
raced fast horse, drawing fast man in q
fast buggy. felt my pulse distinctly rising
1t rose with the excitement of the Messrs
Ost aud their thrsshing critics, until, when
the former offered to jump from the train as
soon as it reached the suburbs of Aexan
dra ano race all across town, with time and
the train, felt that if they did would too.
But they didn't, and so we all aligh,ed to.
gether at the little station ten minutes De.
fore sundown in the thick of crowd of per
suiring patriots, who. having voted as often
as they could, were low splitting their
throats with shouts for and against Malone.