Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-10-30
DEMOCRATIC MASS MEETING.

City Chairman Barley PRESIDED anu
Stirring speeches were made by MI. H.
G. Kent, democratic nominee for Lieut.:
Governor Hon. josiah Patterson; OF
Tennessee, and Senator Daniel, OF Nlr-
ginia. The drum corps furnished mu-
sic for the occasion and a most enthusi-
astic audience filed the hall.
The first speaker was Mr.. Kent, VINO
said the issu S involved in the coming
election principally concerned the state
the only federal issue being the cleo
ton of q. S. Senator. The democrat
ic candidates Qeaving himself out OF the
question: were men known throughout
the State, who had filed with dlstlnc-
ton the positions they had occupied,
while the populist candidates were IN
tried men with crude theories. Under
Gov. Mckinney the State debt had been
houorably settled without increasing
the burden of taxation some OF the
State Institutions which had been a bur
den TO taxpayers had been made sell
supporting the school fund debt OF
100000 had been paid of, the schools
increased and new subjects OF taxation
bonds, &c-had been placed on the
tax books. He said the populists CID
not complain of any OF the state laws
except the Mccormick election law ana
that was much better law than the
one itreplaceG. The populists' platform,
he said. vas free silver He was OPP
posed to free and unlimited coinage,
but did not favor the single gold stand
ard F: free coinage would defeat The very
ends of its most earnest advocates the
volume of currency did not help the
masses the volume in this country Is
greater than in any other but it was
unequally distributed the pcrnicicus
laws that protected and fostered certain
classes while they robbed others was
the cause of the present trouble. The
populists, he said, had abandoned all
the principles they had started out with
and now their sole platform is free sill
yer and an increase Of the currency.
The money problem, he said, had puz-
zled every nation since.the beginning.
If the populists' ideas were carried out
money would become so plentiful that
its purchasing power would be destroy
ed and reputation would be the result;
the people wanted good dollars no
stable country ever had debased cur
rency and where there was such cur
rency revolutions were ever going on.
Mr.. Kent then told now the tariff laws
oppressed the people more than re-
stricted currency and told how the
country had prospered under low tariff
and how American ships were then
seen on every sea. He said ne had
lived 10 see five political parties contest
with and 90 down under the democratic
party, which had always been friend
of the masses and was opposed to the
classes.
Mr.. Patterson commenced his speech
by saying that he was glad Senator
Daniel was present as he and the Sen.
ator differed on matters which had
been under discussion for the past few
weeks-still both were democrats.
They differed like other democrats,
differed on subjects which did rot
affect the cardinal principals OF
the democratic party, but they
agreed on many points. Senator
Daniel was sustained in his silver ideas
by many of the most mature thinkers
! 10 the world: he, the speaker, differed
with him, Mr. Cleveland differed with
him, and the unconditional repeal bill
was going to be passed, and the Presi-
dents ideas were going into effect
then let all give them a fair trial. He
then advocated a sound currency,
showing the advantages of honest
money. Continuing, Mr.. Patterson
said the democrats did not differ on tar
if ideas and questions of local self gov
eminent: in the House the democrats
had divided on the silver bill, but
when the election laws came up every
democrat voted one way, and it would
be the same way in the Senate. Under
the tariff laws the millionaire paid no
more for the support of the general
government than the men in AleXan-
dria who worked for SO day. He
said the republicans were behind
The populist party; recalled the
irdignaties that party had placed
upon Virginia by placing the
State under military law and said cleo
ton laws and local self government
were much nearer the people than eco.
nomic questions. Speaking of the pop
ulists he said there was no room for
that party in the South; in Tennessee he
threw rocks at one every time he saw
him-they teach strange doctrines; they
were like Aaron among the Israelitcs:
while Cleveland, like Moses, was
up on the mountain consulting with
the Lord as to how TO save his people,
the populists like Aaron were going
about among the people trying 10
make them dissatisfied. He closed by
urging Virginia to do as Tennessee
would do-hold fast 10 the democratic
party and rout the populists.
Senator Daniel commenced his speech
by saying that for the first time since
the Young democracy Of Alexandria
and Virginia acquired the rightto vote,
the democratic party had control If
the government, and now Messrs. Kent
and Patterson, like true soldiers, had
come to put the old guard on duty;
not one act that had brought evil times
upon US was the act of the democratic
rule: cu.s;de the Christian religion the
democratic partytwas the greatest social
| organization that had ever existed; 1t
had resumed its youth in the century
of its existence ana would now take
the scalp of the last political organiza-
ton TO compete with it. He then de
scribed how the various ebhemeral par
ties had come into existence and said the
democratic parry would consign the
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