Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1851-04-02
DEMOCRACY AND FEDERALISM.


candidates in the field for the Presidency, and the
result exhibited the following vote: Mr.. Van Buren,
l67 Electoral votes; Gen. Harrison, 70; Judge White,
26 and Mr.. Webster, IA. The game of the leaders
was either to elect of their candidates by throw
ing the Electoral votes of all the States voting against
Van Buren,, for that one candidate; to carry the
election to the House and take their chances amid
intrigue, bargain and corruption in that body. But
the, people defeated them at the polls.
The Wings of this State elected their first Govern
or in August, 1886. They effected this mainly by
denunciaons of the Abolitoniss, and by their oppo
si,ion to National Bank and high Tariff; though
it we'll known that many of their leaders had de-
serted Gen. Jackson on account of his veto of the
Bank charter, while many of them secretly preferred
Henry Clay, the author and champion of the " Amer
can system.'' We remember we'll the emphasis and
feeling with which their candidate for Governor, Mr.
Dudley, denounced the Aboltonists, and warned the
Soath against their Vaccinations and growing infu-
In his letter of acceptance he spoke of the
spirit of Abolitonism as spirit which ' ouershado'o
ed the land and threatened to cut Gsunder the cords Of
the COnfederaey" and though Mr.. Van Buren, had
taken the strongest grounds, various occasions and
in various letters, against the A5otonists, yet he
was held up on all sides in the Wing ranks as an
enemy to Southern rights, and the people were told
,ha being citizen of free State, he could not be
safely trusted. They defeated the Democrats by ta-
king Democratic ground; but in the Presidential elec
ton, which took place the ensuing Fall, they were
defeated by some 4, 1000 majority. Since that day Mr..
Van Buren has disappointed his best friends. and
acted treacherousy towards his party generally; but
it is fact, nevertheless, that during his official term
he proved to all the pledges which he had made
to the country this vital question of Slavery.
In that campaign, in this State, the pretensons of
Judge White were advocated upon the ground that
he was better Jackson man than Mr.. Van Buren
that he was sounder upon the Slavery question and
that he was in favor of low Tariff and light taxes,
while Mr.. Van Buren's vote as Senator from New
York in favor of the Tariff of ls2s was pointed to as
conclusive evidence that he was against Free Trade
and disposed to oPpress and inure the Southern and
planting States. These facts, which can be prov
ed from the record, if denied. Such North Caro-
lima Whigism tn 1886.
But in 1910 the " "grand campaign came off: The
Whg leaders had been so often defeated, and were
become hungry for the spoils, that in that cam
Paign they determined that no appeals, no devices,
should be left untried which might promise
success. Mr.. Van Buren was again the candidate
of the Republican party. He had administered the
affairs of the country with marked simplicity and
economy, but he had committed some slight blunders
and mistakes. These mistakes were taken up and
magn6ed into monstrous crimes. His recommended
ton that the militia Of the country be improved and
general and useful system adopted was tortured
into attempt on his part to establish standing
army-hs approval of negro testimony in the Courts
of the United Staes was then denounced the rank
est Abolitonism, while noy it is quite common in the
free States, under the administration of Mr. Fillmore,
for few ragged free negroes to swear away the right
of Southern master to his save-his plan of Inde
pendent Treasury denounced as scheme for plac-
Ing in his hands both the purse and the sword of the
country, and for encouraging thefts, and giving to
the people worthless Bank paper and to the govern
ment officers gold and silver-and his expenditures,
not more, on an aveage, than fifteen millions, were
declared to be shamefuly extravagant, while nos0,
under Wing rule, fifty or sixty millions per annum
are expended and submitted to without murmur
In 1886, Gen. Harrison, citizen of free State,
was considered too doubtful on the slavery question
on account of his associations and well known opn.
aons to be put upon the track in the Southern States
out in ls4O, he was brought forward as the champi
on OF Southern rights and one of the best friends
70 our peculiar interests. In one State he was run
as Inc poor mans friend and the good old soldier; in
another, as man who loved hard-cider and gloried
In living in log cabin; in another as the advocate
ot the Missouri Compromise; in another, as the
'''end OF National Bank and Tariff protection; in
ano'her' as the advocate Of low Tariff on salt and
o'nef necessaries, and special hater Of black
cockade Federasts; while in this State his election
was urged upon the ground that he was opposed to