Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-10-09
FRIDAY EVENING, OCT. 9, 1896

GENERAL HARRISON took the trou-
bic to come to Virginia to tell her peo-
ple how to vote. I. was not his Hrst
visit TO the State. While President, ne
visited the James rive, on hunt; snot
hog-so report says-went by Rich
nopd and treated 3 committee OF re-
spectacle citizens who called to tender
him their hospitality, as Il they also
had been hogs. He tells Us ne coue=
Of Virginia ancestry. 10 doubt OF that,
b1. guch chu-lishness and low breed
ing a. ne eyiuced on the occasion re-
ferred 70 was not az Inheritance Of the
virginia thoroughbreds, who fos many
pepera,ious have done honor TO an hon
orAb!e S.ate. some low fet-lock strain
OF, West nus; have crept into the
..ocs and inspired low school Of man
pers. IL told Us that Virginia IS not
an easnys country 10 hin" Perhaps
not today Z the same sense as when,
with his Virginia p@digree in hand, re
came here. between thirty and forty
wears ago, TO Suniliate, to scou7ge,
70 hang and burn, to conquer and subju-
gate the state, 70 whose sons the Union
vas Indebted 81 its Independent exist
ence g one Of the nations OF the earth,
for the federal constitution, Tor the
genius and virtue OF Washington, Mad
igon and Jefferson, and ior policy
which enabled MIN and othesa 10 enjoy
the blessings Of freedom. Wa this the
&C: OF a genuine or bastard scion Of
the old Commonwealth But LET the
va. 20. with its record OF invasion,
cruelty and suffering. Where was Gen
era Harrison il our hour of gloom
poverty and suffering, from the close q
ths war at Appomatto1 to compare
tivelyre recent period? Did ne plead fol
marcy 10 the fallen? Did ne speak one
word Of kindness and comfort to oul
stricken and distressed people? Did he
help 70 bind up our wounds-Tound;
that ne had helped to infict Z: No! We
find this unworthy scion Of Virginia
arnonz the bitterest Of our foes and re
vilers. d;rest and most relentless perse'
cutor, bounding on military rule, herd
ing with and encouraging the carpet
tagger and tbieve=, and aiding al the
deviltry Of reconstruction by which it
was aought to degrade the white man
and put the negro on top. Even as
President Of the United Statea, when it
might be supposed that the possession
Of the highest human function would
broaden his vision and impart something
of broad and generous statesnanship
we find no abatement Of mis- hate
We find only the same narrow, ran
corous partisan who had figured in the
Senate and on The hustinga, iDfictine
negro officials on the South, onerous
tariffs and perverting all the powers o.
his office by administration pressure to
secure the passa ge Of the force bill
Where is there in all his public career
one solitary act of substantial kindnes;
and respect for the Southern people
When did he ever lift hand or voice
against any of the multiplied insults
and expressions Re have had TO en-
dure at the hands Of his party asso,
ciatea? Very naturally the lower class
OF negroes focked to hear him at Rich
mond and by parity of reasoning rec
reant Virginians to honor and applaud
one who had won his way to high Office
by the intensity of his rancor for the
South. There are some always ready
to lick the hand that Gmites. General
Harrison's honeyed phrases for Viz
ginians at this late hour are merely an
addition Of the cap-sheaf of hypocrisy
to life Of hate and venom. It may
seem strange and must indeed seem
strange 10 one cognizant of the best
types of our American Presidents, to
see an ex-President on the stump re-
sorting to the lowest tricks of the par
tisan. We read that General Harri-
son was in no hurry to begin this cam.
paign work. Pressure has been brought
to bear on him. He is lawyer and
after big money. The great corpora
tions have probably notified him that if
he is to be employed by them hereafter,
he must serve them now 20 fasten their
grip on the threats of the American
farmer and laborer. He must stand up
for the gold standard to swell the profits
of the creditor and banker, and for gov
eminent by Injunction, with the denial
of Jury trial to an accused and hated
railroad laborer.
Nor THE republicans, but their
would-be assistants, the gold boilers,
persist in their appeals to Mr.. McKin-
lev to "let upn in his advocacy of 8