Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1852-08-25
AN INSULT TO THE PEOPLE.

The Raleigh Register publishes what it calls a
fac sile of the Reid tickets printed at the Stand
ard office, with Free Suffrage in large and David
S. Reid in small letters and seeks thereby to leave
the impression that many of those who voted for
Gov Reid were deceived, thinking they were voting
for Free Suffrage and not for Reid. And we learn
that Mr.. Sion II. Rogers, in his speech few even
ings since before the Scott Club in this City, ad-
vanced statements and views as to this matter SINH
lar to those contained in the Register.
These statements are untrue We printed Reid
tickets on slips marked :Standard Extra"-forty
to slip, each ticket headed, not "Free Suffrage
David S. Reid" but For Governor, David s.
Reid" and the slip itself was headed in large let
ters, "Reid and Free Suffrage" The name of
Reid was printed with type nearly an inch in
breadth, while Free Suffrage was printed in type
about half an inch in breadth and the only ticket
on the slip which connected Reid with Free Suf-
frage, this one at the head just described. The
balance of the tickets, as we have stated, were
printed, "For Governor, David S. Reid" Types
of different fonts, and of course of different Sizes
were used, just as they were used by the Register
in printing Kerr tickets for the plain reason that
one font afforded a sufficient number of capital
letters.
But the Register, though it has preferred this
charge against US, itself guilty of an attempt
at deception. We had headed our ticket after
Reid and Free Suffrage" The Peoples Ticket" :;
and the Register doubt having got in possession
of some of our tickets, headed its ticket The
Peoples ticket" IN the very same type! The OBJ
ject of such trick was apparent-it was to induce
Democrats TO vote for Kerr. But the trick failed
the people were too well informed to be gulled
in that way.
And now, what must be thought of such an
imputation as that cast by the Register and Wing
speakers on the popular intelligence? The peo-
pie, after having decided at the polls against Kerr
ism and Federalism, are cooly told that they were
humbugged- they were such fools that they
did not know how to vote-that they voted for
Free Suffrage, and did not have the sense to know
for what or for whom they were voting besides
This is the substance of the imputation, and this
is the sort of respect entertained for the popular
intelligence by lie aders of the Wing party. But
we are not surprised at this. Federalism is based
and starts in all its electioneering operations upon
the idea that the masses Of the people are incapa
bic Of selfgovernment, and that it is not oily al
lowable but creditable to deceive the people for the
peoples good. That is Federalism, both in the
North and in the South. That was Federalism in
'9s-Federaism in 1912 and 1910, and it is Fed
eralism now, as is abundantly proved by the Scot
pictures and anecdotes, and the Scott humbue
generally.
The people Of this State voted as they pleased
they voted understandingly for Governor, sne
reelected Democrat, whereupon they are insult
ed by the declaration from disappointed Whie
leaders that they lacked the intelligence to know
what they were doing, or for what or whom the!
voted