The North-Carolina standard., 1850-07-03


{ LETTER TO THE EDlTOR. u
Wlspsoa. Iape %. 1880.
TO The Edites If de Nandcrd d ~
Sis: In your nosice Of the late hig State Con-
yention, YOU did me the honor 10 mention my name,
in connection with is proceedings, and even to de-
vote q few comments upon speech made, at its
close. Iought to be grateful for the distinction You
have conferred but there was so gross mlsrepre-
sentation Of the sentiments expressed, that have
nyolantafy been constrained To- adopt feelings of
very different character. ssss,sk g4E e4s
You very frankly admit that you did not hear dis-
tinety all OF my remarks; certainly, sir, from those
you did hear you did very great injustice, 70
clude that my speech deserved the appellation of
I" Submission Speech ! can pardon something to
nattenton, something more to deafness, great deal
to party prejudces. and almost any thing to sectional
jealousy. But can excuse nothing 10 that man,
who, anxious only to kindle the passions by in6am-
atory appeals, unjust misrepresentation, listens
just long enough to an adversary to misintepret his
opinions. and closes his just at that point of the
argument, when delasion, however wilfuI, would
have vanished, and dishonesty howevergross. would
have been silenced. Sir, do not charge you with
any Of these political distempers; for l have too
much respect for the great party you lead in this
State-among whom are men entitled to the highest
praise, for every mental and moral excellence-to
suppose that they would encourage course 80 dis
honorable, and baseness so dark. And, therefore,
in vindication of your own honor from suspicion,
hope you will give me all opportunity to be heard.
10 have understood my Speech properly it was ne
cessary to have heard the objections which had been
made by some members of the Convention, to that
Resolution, approving of the Compromise submitted
by the Committee of Thirteen. One of those ohjec-
tons was, that the part Of the Compromise relative
to the Territories, "enacted in effect the Wilmot
Proviso, and when the question was taken on the
Resolution, many found voting in the negative.
Now sir, it was in commenting upon those negative
votes, and in combating the proposition that the
committee of thirteen had slyly imposed the Wilmot
Provso on the country. at least endeavored to do
so, by Incorporating it in disguised form, in the
plan of Compromise, that offered a few observa-
lions, which you have been pleased to chris,en "a
Submission Speech"
As that portion of my Speech was written out be-
fore delivery, beg leave to insert it here, and leave
it then 10 your of justice and candor, to deter
mine whether or not, you have meted out to me
even-handed justice.
said, that hoped the opposition TO this Reso-
luton would terminate with the lahors of this Con-
vention that in my humble judgment, the clause OBJ
jected to did not have the effect ascrbed to it, bv the
gentleman from Heriford, and that the Provso in the
bill restricting the legislation the Territories, would
be utterly nugatory so far it would effect the in
terests OF North Carolina" then proceeded thus:
What, sir if this Proviso, detestable though it be,
should be chained to the Territorial Bills of De-
seret and New Mexico? Does it affect the relation
of master and servant in North Carolina =? Does it
deprive her Of one single slave injure her mater
ally in the exercise of any one of her Constitutional
rights But told, that it is not the loss Car
ona will sustain, but the snsuh that would be put
upon her national escucheon. Mr. President. this is
uttarian age the people of this country emf
a m IN.
equal legislaion-they may protest against it, but
believe me, they are too tensble and magnanimous,
to dissolve this glorious Union, merely to avenge
petty insult, or redress more theoretical wrong.
They not yet lost all feelings of affection and
veneration for their beloved country-their heart
strings yet cling with living energy. about this ma
jestic Confederation its tendrls rooted deeply
and ineradicably in the groundwork of this great
American Union" then alluded to the Nashville
Convention, then in session, and said, What is it,
sir, that this Convention proposes? In my judg-
ment, it conempIates nothing less than dissolution
of the American Union. 1t proposes to sever bonds
which have united together for threefourths of
century it recommends to leave the harbor where
We have been securely anchored for so many years,
and without chart COMPASS, without pilot or helms
man, without star, boldly attempt to navigate
that boisterous element upon whose rocks and shoals
so many ships have been stranded, and amid whose
storms, the hopes of many nations, untimely have
gone down. Surely, sir, the evils impending over
US must Oc QdFk ln0eeQs tne expressions we dIe
about TO endure nsupportably burthensome, the dan
gers which threaten us most alarming in their char
acter, before could be brought calmly to contem
plate SO mournful, perilous event, as the dis
solution of this great Confederacy. will not say,
sir that degree Of oppression would justify us in
resorting such expedient that encroachment
rights, wanton breach of the Constitution
of our country, high-handed usupaion or tyrani-
cal legislation would be sufficient to divorce from
the Union and to resoluteIy for its overthrow
for can very readily imagine such state Of things,
would call TO tones Of thunder, tear it in
to taters, though each bleeding fragment should in
stantly lose its vitality, and separately moulder into
dust. But have no hesitation in saying that the
Proviso contained in the Compromise bill, is preg-
nant with such injustice, supposes no such OPP
preston, contains such breach of the Constitution
Of our county,"
The remainder of my Speech was taken up with
eulogies upon the Union and congratulations on the
prosperity it had entailed upon country. And ap
peal to every right-snnded man who heard me, if
have not only given the substance in the above ex
tracts, but the words themselves, of that part of my
speech which related to the Wilmot Proviso.
From you, SIR have favors to ask, and ex-
pect none. But have right to demand, even from
opponent, that he should deal fairly and honoraby
with me, and to require at his hands what Bulwer
informs US,
"Thc meanest craftsman the obscurest vassal,
The very leper shrinking from the sun,
Though loathed by charity may ask for-justice"
~ " " Pp' ~ w. II. RHoDEs.
Although We are much pressed for room, we let
Mr. Rhodes speak for himself, and in his own way.
We have but little to say in reply to him. What
We said of Mr.. Rhodes in our notice of his Speech
before the Whig Convention, was this:
IA Mr.. Rhodes, of Berthe, spoke next. We could
not hear all he said but understood him utter