Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1905-11-04


" endeavored to show bis appreciation
of them, as he had toward his State for
the honOrs which had been conferred
upon him. He had tried to do his duty
and had turned his back upon no man
who came to him for bis senatorial aid.
The Senator said he would make as few
personal illusions as possible, but he
could not refrain from thanking Alexan-
drians who had been brought together
for conflict with the common enemy.
He referred to Mr.. Bendheim's sug-
gestion to the effect that the party
was united and ready to march to
victory, and said such should be
the case and that the members of
the party should stand together and
move as a unit. Senator Martin
said be had prepared no set speech, and
what be would say would be as neighbor
to neighbor or friend to friend. The
election next Tuesday would be the first
State election under the new constitution.
1t has been four years since there was
such an election, and democrats are
more pronounced in their convictions
than they were then. Virginians. he
said. act from reason aud conviction.
The republicans have been clustering
and talking about new republican par
ty, and probably the attention OF some
voters of the State had been enlisted by
their vaporings, but the great majority
had asked themselves the question, Why
should we change our officers? Demo
Gratis, after bordering over all that had
been said, had propouuded to themselves
that pertinent question. They bad rea
soned logically. Judge Lewis lad
attempted to give some reasons why
there should be a change in State az
fairs. He bad stated that the party
had been purified and regenerated.
Then, according to the judges state
ment, it must have heretofore been rot
ten. The judge had also said the
negro bad been eliminated from the pol
itics of the State. The republican par
ty, the speaker said, was entitled to no
thanks for this, as the democrats had
eliminated the colored man against the
protest of Judge Lewis and his party;
hence III the republican party has been pur-
fled and regenerated and the negro elimi
mated, the democratic party has performed
that work. Judge Lewis had also said that
another reason why the State should be
put in the hands of the republicans was
that Virginia was not as conspicuous 10 ma
tiona affairs as she would be under Judge
lewis's party. The absurdity of this OBJ
servation was made plain by the Senator
who called attention to the fact that the
administration could not find suitable
man in the republican ranks in Virginia
for prominent position. Judge Lewis
had proclaimed his honesty, and given
that as one reason why he should be
elected Governor of Virginia. The
speaker did not question his assertion,
but said be is rara avis in his party.
By the time the organization fills local
positions, the Senator, said there seems
to be no honest members left for national
positions. There was no republican
from Virginia in the Cabinet; no
one occupied the post of minister
or consul to even a fifth-rate
county. If the national republican
organization could not find man
in Virginia suitable for either po-
sition, how can WEI The party
would naturally have appointed one
oo.Il .uoh ho,a haar coucd Cana
tor Martin referred TO Mr.. Park Agnew,
formerly collector of internal revenue for
this district, and said he was an honest
man, and that in his arraignment Of the
republican party he did not mean to say
that all its members are devoid of in
tegrity. Mr.. Agnew had been deposed
from his position and a man from the
southwestern portion of the State put in
his place. This was the way they built
up the party. There was not man in
the organization, it seemed, regarded as
of sufficient importance to be bureau
chief Judge Lewis hal said that demo-
Gratis were unable to secure big appro-
priations. If that was true it should be
sufficient 10 itself to cause every republi
can to repudiate the party. If that was
their standard it was low and sordid. Ia
the Senate money was not appropriated
from political standpoint. The speaker
said he would vote for an appropriation
urged by Senator Lodge, for Massachu
sets, if the same was just, as quickly as il
the money was to go to Virginia. Appro-
priations were made on their merit, not
for partisan purposes Judge Lewis had
said that there had been graft, iD Vir-
GINA. The Senator said there had been
some in Washington recently, but moi
one democrat had been implicated in
such scandals. He referred to Senator
Mitchell, of Oregon, aud two members of
the House from the same State. There had |
been but little graft in Virginia and that
had been promptly dealt With. He called
attention to the fact that the demo-
Gratis since they had been 10 power
bad discussed $50, 900, 0U0, and but
a small percentage had been LOST
through delinquent officials. Could in