North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-06-11
HON. IoHN BRAGG

+ HON. JOHN BRAGG.
The Hon. John Bragg, who has been nominated
for Congress in the Mobile District, Alabama, has
written the following letter in reply letter nd
dressed to him asking his opinions on certain leading
measures
MOBILE, Nav &c. 1851.
| GENTLEMEN: Yours of oath inst, propounding 10
certain questions in reference the present aspect
of political affairs, is before me.
To your first inquiry / that while the
! Southern States gained nothing by what has been
termed the 81 Compromise " to which they were not
clearly entitled-they deprived of much which
they most Justly had the right to claim. The con-
clusion is, that the Compromise are unjust
in themselves and derogate from the rights of the
Southern States.
I TO your second question reply-that for adequate
cause, in my opinion, State has the right 10 secede
| from the Union. In this connection 1 must be pei
mtted say that in regard the right of secession
listed. This has arisen from proneness to consider
it right secured by and arising under the Constu-
ton. do not so view it. 1t is right paramount
the Constitution residing with the States necessa-
rly for their protection unaenated and unaiena-
BILE. In view of the object of your letter, however,
candor compels me to add here that in my judgment
the Compromise measures above referred to do not
furnish adequate cause for resort TO the right Of Sc
ceSSion.
In reply to your last question: have no hesitation
in saying that utterly opposed to any resort to
force the part of the General Government to
pei Stale shat has determined to secede, return
into the Union. Eighteen years ago. being then
member OF the Legislature of North Carolina, l vot-
ed to instruct her Senators to vote against the cee
brated Force Bill. The opinions formed and acted
at that early day, have to change
abandon. When the time arrives that the Govern
ment be maintained only by the exercise of force
upon sovereign State, in my judgment the period
will have been attained when the Government will
not be worth preserving. shall certainly deprecate
most sincerely the withdrawal of any State from the
Union but it any State should resolve to go, my
language to her would be-ln the name of God, de-
part in peace.
AS to what would be the duty of the remaining
States in the event that the General Government me-
dtaed resort 10 force, is rather difficult to deter
mine before such contingency is presented Before the
actual OF force think effort should be spared TO
prevent resort to it. The States should demonstrate
and protest against II, and Congress should firmly
fuse TO invest the Executive Government with any
extraordinary powers to enable to humble the recu
SAINT State. If all such appeals proved unavailing,
and in spite of all effort it nothing but force
would satisfy power then all history is fable and hui
man nature is changed if brother failed 10 sympa-
thize with brother, and those having common inter-
ests did unite protect them. If Massachusetts
to withdraw from the Union account of her
opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law, and force were
used against her, apprehend she would receive very
little aid from lhs Southern States sprnging from
Of duty, while she most probably would be as
sisted by Vermont and other States having kindred
sympathies. On the other hand, # South Carolina
secede account of her opposition to the compro-
mise, and. if met with force, would MASSACHUSETTS
feel il 10 be her duty to aid her! Massachusetts.
suppose, would hardly think After all, the thing
is resolved into simple matter of sympathy and in
terest think then eUery effort should be made to aUoid
collision 6ett0een The General Government and Sf1te-
that failing, consequences must needs be left to take
care of themselves. What they must inevitably be,
l think have already sufficiently indicated l re-
main, gentlemen, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
J. NJ. WlrHrss. Esq., Commmit,ee.
ROBT. w. SMITH, ESQ,
We concur with Judge Bragg in the above. We
endorse, in fact cordially, every line he has
written. We trust he may be elected. He is ma
tive of old North Carolina, and has already won
much distinction in his adopted State. No man
could the people of the Mobile District in Con-
gress faithfully ably than he will. The Mo
bile Register says:
1.-The name of Judge Bragg will be tower of
strength in the approaching canvass should he re-
ceive the nomination of the other Democratic) con-
vention which may assemble in this city, and of
which believe there is no longer the shadow of a
doubt. His honest. nature, and his political intrepid
ty and consistency, warrant US in saying that no man
within the limits of Alabama, of the entire South,
could be found, who is more worthy than the Hon.
John Bragg, to be the standardbearer of the great
Democratic Southern Rights party"
PLANK ROAD TO RALEIGH. A preliminary meeting
of the stockholders of the Fayetteville and northern
plank road (hat is the Raleigh road) held yester-
day evening. Books of subscrpton from the various
places were handed in, containing many and large
conditional subscripons-for instance, some of the
in Fayetteville conditioned that
should enough be subscribed to build the road to |
Raleigh, they were 10 be absolute; and at various
other points conditions were attached. Only about
$4,000 were absolute.
There were two parties represented in the meeting
-one wishing the road to pass west of Cape Fear
and McNeil's Ferry, the other wanted it to
cross Judge Strange's and pass up on the east
side of the River. The Commissioners pledged |
themselves (the absolute stockholders agreeing) that
if an amount exceeding $4,000 was made absolute
hey W ould close the books and continue them closed
until opened by vote of the stockholders. Joel
Esq :, then subscribed absolutely $l7 900.
and the books were accordingly closed, and general
meeting of the stockholders called the 29th inst,
elect officers &c., Gas will be seen by advertise
nent in another column.) The Road will therefore
20 to Raleigh on the east side of the Cape Fear.
Fayetteville CdrOkinian.
TARBoRoUGH MALE ACADEMY. The semi-annual
Examination of the students in this institution took
place on Thursday last. 1t well attended, as
usual, and the students acquitted themselves credit
ably. Perhaps no institu ton of similar character
in the State, affords better facilities for acquiring
classical education than this under the supern ten
1ence of r. H. Wnborne, A. M. We learn that
- e Al IL r