Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-07-09
From the Fayeti Syille Carolinian.
Dlseussion at Roekinghan.

discussed at length the principles OF the TWO Sfe',
political parties The audience was large and intel
1igent. :
/ Gov. Reid opened the discussion in speech of
two hours length. He took retrospective view OF
the history of our Goyernment-showed that it had
been administered on democratic principles during
the last thirty years, with little intermssion that
democratic policy had proven itself to be the policy
of wisdom and truth, as the country had prospered
and crown to an extent totally unparalleled in the
history of the world that on the other hand. the
nrincinles formerly advocated by the wings had near
iv all been abandoned high protective tariff hav
inc become sore subject, particularly to southern
wings and the U. S. Bank an obsolete idea (: that
even under the boosted administration of Willard
Fillmore the modern apostle of whiggery, no effort
had been made to change in any material pint the
established policy of the country that since the old
issues had been surrendered the wings were depend
ent for their existence and organization party
mainly on settled opposition to the measures of the
democratic party, and upon the popularity which
their name obtained in the days of the revolatlon-
He adverted to the clamors which raised and
echoed from Maine to Louisiana against the tariff
act of '46 that it had heen predicted there would
not be sufficient raised to support the Gov
ernment and that direct taxes would be the only al
Tentative that protection being removed from our
home manufactures, they would necessarily go to
ruin and in their fall crush thousands of our best
and most wealthy citizens; that the laborers would
be turned out of employment by scores. and num-
bers of them would either starve go begging for
bread through the land He then asked # these pre-
ELECTIONS had not proven a want OF sagacity IN the
prophets, and if instead of the midnight gloom
which it was said would overshadow the country it
had not gone on prosperng and growing I'M every ell
ement of nationality in manner which had aston
shed the civilized worldif so far from falling short
(of the cxigencieS of government the revenue had
not increased, der the tariff, to such degree
as to put to silence the voice of caumny itself
Gov Reid next gave his views with regard to mat
ters Of State policy. remarking that when first nOm
mated for Governor he had called the attention of
the people of his State to Free Suffrage and pressed
upon their consideration the propriety of amend
ing the Constitution so rs to extend the right OF vo-
ting for Senators all those who entitled to vote
for IA Commnner, and that he did so from convic-
ton of the injustice of the freehold qualification,
without waiting to inquire if majority of the peo-
pie were in favor of the measure He stated that
there were two modes of amending the Constitution,
prescribed by that instrument itself: one iegsIa
tive enactment the other by calling Convention of
the people that he in favor ofthe former mode,
for the reason that the work had already common
ced and would be almost sure to be consummated if
permitted to go that as the Legislature had to
meet any way, the measure could be acted upon with
very little additional expense, and the trouble of cal.
ing Convention could be dispensed with j; that the
vote of the people would be taken, according to this
mode, in the same manner in the Conventional.
He denied the truth of the doctrine that bare
ority of the people have the right to call Conven
ton to amend the Constitution. as it would have the
eUeCG destroy the OF In;tG
which had been made for wise purposes showed that
the Constitution itself required vote of twothirds
of the Legislature to authorize the calling OF Con-
vention and observed that Mr. Kerrs bare ma ority
doctrine savoured very strongly of Dorrism conten.
d. that if the conventional mode were attempted,
Free Sugrage would be defeated, as proposition to
change the basis Of representation, other
equally offensive. would, in all probability, be
pied with it. and render objectionable that the
people would vote against it. He was of the opinion.
i thnrof of tbo pf uhoy rnfoS I'd
themselves willing to1eave it to the people to say
whether not Convention should be called, was
to defeat the entirely, or to secure along
with that other changes which would be very preiu
dicia to the interests of section of the State
He contended that taxation and representation
ought to go land in hand, and was therefore oPpos-
ed to change in the basis; and also, that the school
fund should be distributed according to the federal
basis.
MIR. Kerr replied in speech of equal length De-
mocratc principles denounced in the severest
terms; all their measures were wrong from be-
ginning to end, and democrats knew them to be SO
they never had administered the affairs of Gov
eminent according to their principles. Gov. Reid
was called on in tone of triumph to point to sin
gle Democratic President who bad administered the
government according to the principles of the party:
he acclaimed at length and with strreOtyped phrase
against the administrations of Van Buren, and James
K. Polk; complained at sad rate of Van Burens |
extravaganza and asserted that Polk did not admin
lister the government according to the democratic |
doctrine that the tariff act of '46 so deficient
as to render it urwise and impractcabe to enforce
it that Secretary Walker compelled to practice |
fraud the country before sufficient revenue
could be collected that the fraud discovered by
Boston merchant, and the act amended by in
sorting clause in the latter part Of civil and d-
plomatic appropriation bill, where person would
ever look for such amendment. and it was thus
smugged through Congress without being detected. |
He next informed his hearers that he was wing,
and that the more he reflected, the more he read
the more he and the more he heard, served but
to confirm him in his convictions Fine cu0ugies
pronounced on Fillmore and Graham: be trus-
ted they would be nominated by the Baltimore Con-
vention; If Gen. Scott nominated he did not
take precisely the stand the Com pro-
mise measures as Fillmore occupies, that he would
not support him. In to a question put by
Gov Reid he stated that he preferred the tariff of
40 to that of 46; that the whig doctrine, with re-
gard to the tariff, the true doctrine, and that
he in favor of having it adopted so soon as the
party could get into power; that furthermore, he
was in favor of a L. S. Bank; that the whg party
were in favor of it much as they were. and |
that the only reasons why they had made no effort
towards it's restoration, first, for the want of
power ever since the days of Jackson to carry their
efforts into effect and in the second place that the
democratic party had no confidence in thenstitution
and for the want of that confidence they would Ia
Dor under very great advantages in making ano-
Their experiment. ind lastly they dill not wish to be
considered factionSts fie next avowed himself in |
favor of the distribution of the proceeds of the pub
lie lands among the States, but charged the de-
mocrats that they always pretended TO be in favor
of holding on to them keeping them in the hands |
of government to be applied to defraying pub. /
lie expenditures while at the time they
were always voting in Congress to carve off large
corner here and another there for the benefit of one