Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

THE GAZETTE.
MONDAY, FEB. 11, 1822.
From the Alexandria Herald.

Gentlemen— You have very properly
drawn the attention of your fellow citizens,
in one of your late numbers, to a recent
publication in a Leesburg paper. on the
subject of our flour inspection; and, I trust
that the occasion will be used by the good
people of Alexandria, to consider the sub-
ject maturely in all its bearings.

That the time would come when colli-
sions of this sort would take place between
the town of Alexandria, and that portion of
Virginia upon which its commerce de-
pends. I have never doubted—considering
that objects, common to both, and of vital
importance to each, were to be regulated
by laws, often conflicting and always inde-
pendent of each other, and formed without
that necessary concert, which could alone
be expected to satisfy the parties. It is
perhaps fortunate for both parties, that the
germ of discontent, which has been pro-
duced by the late modification of your
flour inspection, has at so early a period
been developed. It affords a suitable oc-
casion to the people of this town and coun-
ty. to consider the footing upon which they
now stand. as a portion of the district of
Columbia, in relation to the agricultural in-
terests of Virginia, upon which their pros-
perity. & indeed their very existence, as a
commercial city, must ever depend. The
full consideration of this subject, at the
present moment, or at an early period, is
pressed upon your citizens by several other
important circumstances. It is obvious,
that the anomalous state of this district is
imposing upon congress, and upon the ex-
ecutive of the Union, a burden which ac-
cumulates with every year—which will
not, and, indeed, cannot be sustained,
without serious inconvenience and expense
to the nation. It is plain, that there must
be an end to it, and that a choice will ere
long. be made between the two alterna-
tives, of retrocession, or a grant of self-go-
vernment.

Already we find, for the second time,
that a proposition is before the people of
Washington, the object of which is, to
seek a government for the district. This
object, whatever may be its present suc-
cess, must ultimately prevail, if the dis-
trict awaits the doom in its present pos-
ture. Whilst then, the people of this
county are brought, on the one hand to
consider, the overwhelming mischiefs that
may be expected to grow out of discor-
dances with its agricultural friends of Vir-
ginia, so long as the present estrangement
of its councils and policy shall endure ;
it will be expedient, on the other hand,
to inquire, what equivalents may be ex-
pected from the political association with
the county of Washington, whenever a go-
vernment for the District shall be decid-
ed on. I propose, at a moment of
more leisure, to submit a few obser
vations on both those points, to the citi-
zens of Alexandria, and I hope to be
able to draw their attention to the sub
ject. I believe it will be found, that every
rational motive of self-interest should im-
pel them to unite as one man, in seeking
their safety and prosperity in the road to
retrocession, without one moment's delay.
whilst it may yet be in their power to travel
it with any prospect of success. I know there
will be opposition ; it could not well be
otherwise : but if this should be confined.
as I think it will be, (with a very few ex-
ceptions) to office holders and office seek-
ers. I trust that their voice would be stifled
by the public sentiment of the town, & that
it would not be listened to any where.

That a disposition will be felt on the part
of congress, to yield to the wishes of the
people in a case of this sort. cannot be
doubted for a moment, The monster
which the constitution has engendered, at
a luckless moment. is lingering in the very
core of our republic, and has been nurtur-
ed. as it would seem. by the good wishes
of the district itself. It is full time to re-
pel the calumny, if calumny it be, which
is presented to our country and to the
world, by this view of the subject. If
this monument of shame and disgrace must
still rear its head amongst us. I would at
least hope that the voice of Alexandria
would be heard to upbraid it.

Virginensis.