Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-11-10
CONDITIONS 80 YEARS AGO

The recent uncertainty as to the
outcome OF last Tuesdays election
fer President brings to the minds
Of many persons in Alexandria SINH
lar scenes in 1884, when all demo-
Gratis were convinced that Grover
C!e,t.and had been chosen as Prcsi-
dent. 1t. however, took several days
tc make positive announcement OF
this TACT, and in the meantime rapub-
licans were working assiduousiy IN
hopes that the Hayes trick of sew
eral years before would be re-
peated and a republican seated not
withstanding the fact that demo-
crat had been chosen by the people.
The result hinged on New York. The
candidate who carried the Empire
State was sure of election. Both
parties claimed the state. The first
dispatches sent out bore republican
censorship, but eventually it was
proven beyond all doubt that Grover
Cleveland was the choice Of the PEG
pie. He had carried the state by a
small majority; still it was a ma
jority, and Jay Gould, who was
averse to Cleveland, finally sent him
a dispatch of congratulation. A few
days later there was celebration
in Alexandria, at which an OK was
barbecued in the northwestern sec
ton of the city. and there was a
general turnout of the people.
There is in the Gazette Office large
picture of the late John S. Barbour,
then chairman of the state demo-
cratic committee and his staff during
the campaign of 1883 which. ended in
the sepulcher Of what was then
known as the readjuster party O.
Y irginia. This same political gen.
eral and his staff had their head
quarters in the old Farmers and
Mechanics Bank, on the north side
of Prince street, between Royal and
Pitt. during these days and the Presi-
Dental campaign which followed.
The structure has recently been con-
verified into a modern apartment
house.
The picture shows John s. Bar
bour, Ham Sheppard Secretary of
the comnittee), George w. ROCK,
Benjamin II. Lambert and w. W.
Scott. The latter only survives. He
was State Librarian.
Present conditions also reproduce
memories of 1876 when Tilden the
democratic candidate,was undoubted-
~ elected President of the United
States but one Rutherford B. Hayes
was declared entitled to the execu-
tive chair by an electoral commits
sion by majority of one.
On the night Of the election in
1876, when it was evident that the
election was very close and Mr.. Til
den was probably elected, Senator
Zach Chandler, of Michigan, tele-
graphed to Republican papers III
every part of the country: "Claim
everything. Some Of his political
genus seem animated by his spirit
now, notwithstanding figures show
that Woodrow Wilson received ma
iority of the vote cast last Tuesday.
The returns from three States
were in dispute, owing to different re-
turns from different election tribu-
mails. Hayes had to get every dis
puted vote III order to win, and it |
was quite certain that he wasn't en-
titled to any Of them. 1t was evil
dent that the two branches OF Con-
gress could never agree on the votes
tc be counted, and the Democrats
were in no mood to be baked of the
victory they believe they had wen.
The Grant Administration antici-
pated violence and prepared for it
and troops lwere sent to eWashington.
TfNIr. Randall of Philadelphia un-
derstood perfectly that the country
was on the verge of civil war, and
he felt :thst a.sacrifce of a Marty adj