Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-11-05
SPEAKING At THE OPERA House.
Stirring Addresses by General Fitz-
hugh Lee. John NJ. johnson. esq.
and Mayor Henry Straliss--Greut
t,uthus;aSIn

Enthusiasm.
Last night was gala time for the
democrats of old Alexandria, and long
before the hour announced for the
speaking at the Opera House the audi
forum and galleries were filed with al
intelligent audience of ladies and gen
tlemen anxious to hear the addresses of
the gentlemen who had been invited 10
speak. Aud the best Of order was OBJ
served. There was none of the bolster
Gus unseemly conduct so often exhib-
tied By Pc s ms who come to political
meetings to see and be seen and who
are bent upon letting every one else
know they are present, but true good
mannerly conduct was eXemplified and
the speakers suffered no interruption or
annoyance. The democratic club ex-
pected from Washington failed to APP
pear. Every seat was occupied, and
the turnout was similar to the greeting
rendered General Fitzhugh Lee in 1885
during his campaign for the Governor
ship.
Shortly after eight o'clock General
Lee reached the hall and when he APP
peared on the stage his optics took in a
sea of heads which applauded vocifer-
ously and gave three rousing cheers for
democracy Wher quiet had been re-
stored Mr.. Lewis c. Barley, chairman
of;he city democratic committee, arose
and in few appropriate remarks intro
duced General Lee to the audience.
The General prefaced his speech with
some pleasantries in regard to the la
dies he observed in his audience, and
paid beautiful tribute to AleXandria's
femininity, saying he had been born and
reared within four miles of this historic
city near which his father was buried re-
ferred to the sacred associations of his
youth hereabouts, said he had married
IN Alexandria girl ian act he had never
regretted and felt proud in addressing
AleXandrians, many of whom he had
met in camp life and on the battlefield
and who had been from the memorable
DAYS of the war his friends. He
then paid just tribute to
the survivors of the Army Of
Northern Virginia, who, he said, had
nothing to be ashamed of. They had
gone forth at the call of their mother
State to repel the invader, and after al
luding touchingly to the genius and
courage of both leaders and members
of the ranks in that renowned struggle,
showing that they but fought for the;
principles that had ever been regarded
as sacred, said all the issues then para I
mount had been settled by the logic o.
war; that all the questions raised inf
1861 had gone down under shot ands
shell, been plowed under in fact, ands
the question of States rights and itsE
kindred issues were no longer on thes
political horizon. Other vital ques-s
tons, however, confronted every intel-I
lgent voter to-day-questions which,
involved the rights and liberties of our1
people-that is, whether the federal
government is to be controlled by the
people or vice versa. The question,
the speaker said, was as old as AleXan-
der Hamilton or Thomas Jefferson, in
whose days some thought the people
should be ruled by an iron hand in
stead Of the masses being allowed to
frame their own laws and govern them
selves. That sage of Monticello, how
ever. understood the true theory of a
republican governemnt and had the
discernment to see that in Il republic
like this twas the object to let the people
rule themselves The question which
confronted him confronts us to-day
whether a strong central government at
Washington was to sway the sceptre of
despotism over millions ofpeople whose
lorcfathers fought to give them liberty,
or whether they were to rule them
selves in the persons of proper repre-
sentatives. All other issues paled into
insignificance along side of this vital
one. 1t has been said by Governor
Foraker that the republican party had
no idea of repeating the tariff laws mt
the wish of England, Germany, the
South or any other foreign
country, putting Virginia in the|
catalogue as IN alien nation
the mother of States and statesmen,
from whose shores the mouthpiece of
the revolution patrick Henry arose!
and who sent forth her George Wash
ington to fight the battles of freedom.
Was it the desire of the republicans TO
make Virginia the Poland of the Uni
ted States or the Ireland of Great Brit
ain? If SO such iniimation would
prove the death knell of the party.
The speaker then rapidly rehearsed
the part our State has played in the
history of the nation, urged her claims
and said if they were not accorded her
the people would know the reason
why. He then branched off on the in
famous force bill, showed the enormi-
ties of that measure and the desire of
the republicans to regard the South as
an outlined province by trying to force
her people back under potentates,
whose shackles had heen broken by
their progenitors, and appealed to his
hearers to know it was proposed to
continue such a party in power, if they
intended weaving the purple robe for
the shoulders of such would-be empe-
rors, thereby making themselves serls
and slaves. The tariff, immigration,
pension nor any other unjust measure
was drop in the bucket compared to
the force bill and the present menacing
attitude of the now dominant party.
The time is come when our liberties
are threatened, and it was the duty Of
every man who called himselfa free man
to stand as stone wall in defence OF
what he had inherited from his fore
fathers. General Lee paid his respects
to the third party in a series of anus
ing anecdotes, happy filings and con-
siderable logic. He said some of the
members of this organization had in
DAYS before marched in the democratic