Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-03-01
Msdirected Publicity

The Gazette deprecates and has at all times depre-
Gated certain recent attempts to hold up whole city of
twenty thousand people to the public gaze of the nation
a community of law-breaking criminals. To allege by
Inference that within it's jurisdiction the lure of the dollar
overcame all sense of shame and that the average Of
morality low that the inhabitants traicked in the
Wreckng of homes by the violation of laws regulating the
institution of marriage.
That this publicity has been accomplished, and
thoroughly accomplished there be question The
Gazette knows of many Instances where citizens have
received newspapers published in remote sections of the
country wherein Alexandria has either been held up
rdicule or made the subject of harshest criticism The
entire community has suffered the innocent well the
guilty. The stigma has weighed heavily upon every man.
woman and child in the municipality Every home has
been violated; every fresde besrched The lofty and
unquesOned Influence of the churches of Alexandria has
been belttled by indrecton The reputation of worthy
members of Bar has been uusy dragged in the mre
of scandal. Our Chamber of Commerce. our women's
civic associations our quaslregos bodies such as the
Young Mems Christian Association our pubic function
ariesn Short every living and breathing activity of the
town has been beoued in the muck and slime of scandal
GUS publicity that have been fam to hide heads in
shame and sorrow, when abroad.
Granted that there have been violations of the divorce
laws in Alexandria, the first question to arise is how many
are Implicated IN the accusation? Is it general dere
LECTION peculiar to the jurisdiction of this CITY, is it
lined within narrow and inconsequentia limits? Even
the most violent of Aexandrias asslans have not &C
cused more than dozen it's inhabitants out of the
CCLelIS WIN 10
call it their home and to whom it is the farest spot on
earth This being true then why should thousands upon
thousands OF people share the obquy and reproach
that may rlghtfuly belong to a mere handful?
This due partly to the manner in which the public in
dctment has been drawn We might at this uncture ut
ter scathng rebuke to those who from personal motives
of feelng and venomous hatred have sought revenge
on their enemies reckless of the terrible blow given to-
their town by the nsdous attacks its reputation as
an abode OF decency and respect for the law We might
To haO
as revenue-prodlcer and nothing more We might
compare that species Of itchforthedoar with its kind
red greed for igotten gains among those they attack
But decline to descend to this low plane Of controversy
In other words will neither impugn the motives nor
question the objects of those who have been employed in
giving rotten publicity to whole city because of the al
legged acts of few of its inhabitants 1t to the methods
adopted that we mainly address ourselves.
this divorce evil has existed for years. as is their
claim why has it not been attacked before? It seems that
the ministerial association have made one or two attempts
to remedy situation they believed full of evil but they
apparently did not go about with any determination to