The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1849-02-16
The Standards DitflcuIsies.

1
We frankly confess that our position q,
present is a most delicate and difficult one
and that all the experience we have &C.
quired, during the past six years, as the
conductor Of public Press. will be neces.
sa'y 10 enable US to reconcile friends, and
SO TO urge our own opinions on State az.
fairs as TO accomplish good, and at the
same time prevent divisions and bad feel.
ing in our ranks. On all national topics
the Democratic party Is now, as heretofore
one and indivisible and wherefore should
we "fal on, by the way" on account Of
Of an honest difference ss to State Of.
fairs! Why should the opponents Of
Internal Improvement, on the one hand,
denounce the friends Of the system as ga.
postates" from the pnrty or why, on the
ether hand, should The friends Of The sys.
TEN characterize the former as wanting in
patriotism or as demagogues
30 lar as We are concerned, ii is mis-
lake to suppose that we have suddenly be.
come an advocate of Intern Impf owe uent
by the State Government. We have al.
ways held the doctrine, inculcaied by the
i!lustrous Jackson, md reiterated by Pres.
idcnt Polk, that the General Government
possesses no Constitutional power to con.
siTuct roads through the States, or to open
neanals; and that, even il this power be.
|,need TO il. iis e~e-s;ss Ania BIO in,p..ls
ic, inexpedehi, and dangerous. And VIVA,
is the plain deduction from this position
That because the General Government
annot do these things, the States cannot :
Irely not. The States are the very par
ICES competen, 10 act in this matter and
if they fail to aid their citizens, either by
Charters or by investments of capital
from the common stock, Of course nolhin.
can be doue.
"Who thinks of State politics! Is il
not high time that we had all walked up IL
the importance Of doing something for
North Carolina, in the way of Internal I'm.
proyemenis? Shall we think and devise
and then fail TO aci ? And shall we, if we
act, do so in such a spirit and in such q
way as TO produce. in the end. more in
suspicious state Of things than exists a,
presen,
We do not, at present, propose any plan;
TOR do We know that we shall, on any fu.
iufe occasion, because we prefer rather 10
render our paper medium through which
the more experienced may speak, and be.
cause, for the sake Of the cause itself, We
desire 10 do nothing which may be in the
slighlas, degree calculated to arouse Sec
tiona t,elngs. or 10 embarass our friends.
But of une thing we are thoroughly con.
WINGED, and that is, that the time has come
when The people Of North Carolina must
esther do something in the way building
up AMI improving their Roads, and open.
ing the Rivers, or permit the many and
serious inconyeniences under which they
labor, for the lack Of markets and Of the
means Of getting TO markets, to continue,
until their condition shall become so des
perate in this respect, that millions Of mo.
ney will moi cure II.
Here is a woik in which we can all en-
rngc, side ty side ard shoulder to shoulder.
Let the past, with its mistakes, its failures,
and its prejudces be forgotten. Party
spirit and party interests have nothing To
do with this work. Let these things,
therefore, be buried and lie, them sleep,
so far as State politics are concerned, I'M
I'll North Carolina is made what she ought
TO be, aud wha, she is capable OF beng
rendered, by The join, efforts and united
energies Of all her sons"
And who said nay 10 that? Not man
of either parry. On The contrary, we re
member hat many Of our brethren of The
Press did Us the honor 10 copy the article,
and express their appreciation OF the views
and sentiments it embodies.
Blu, we are, perhaps answered as fol.
lows: You, Mr., Edilsr, opposed Gov.
Grahan,'s reelection because he furchas.
ed the Raleigh and CASTOR Road for the
State; and you have generally denounced
ex,ravnsnnt schemes Of Internal Improve.
meu', and condemned the action Of The
Wing p'rty in this respect. This is the
charge now for the answer. We still
think the purchase Of the Castor Road
was nexpedlent, and We are still opposed
TO any system of Improvements no. gene.
raj in ito character; and SO far as abuses
and extravaganza are concerned, IN con-
nection with our public works, no matter
which party may have the helm, we shall
continue our course of exposing them to
to tho public eye-no,, surely, for the mere
purpose of fault. Guding, but with view to
economy and reform. Bot we were bound
as The Legislature was, to take things and
deal with them as No found them. The
State owned the " hole Of the Castor Road
III = ...an Of tho HilI% pbn n,7,bRk sad
ready involved in these works be saved, by
united effort and a general State scheme,
or shall nothing be done, and all be los.
After viewing the matter in this and indeed
in all its aspects, we could not hesitate
We had already proposed to forget the
pas,-wilh its mistakes. its failures, and 'i'
preiudices"-and we thank God that We
did forget it.
We IOpea, it, we have deceived no one
in this matter. II we condemned VIVA
was wrong in the Interna! improvements
| Io.l, ,ro;acted and in operaIion ii We