Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1852-07-23
Hon. Nj. NORRIS.
Pierce, King, Reid and the Constitution.

Pierce. King, Reid and the Constitution.
The time is rapidly approaching when the
people of North Carolina will again be called upon
to cast their votes for Governor members of the Le
gisature and other civil oficers-Sherifs among
the number. In two weeks more, the die will be
cast and it behooves the friends of the Constitution
of the State, and of the Union to be up and doing in
the meantime for there is no time to be lost 1t is
true that there is panic running through the ranks
of the opposition but that will not prevent des
perste effort being made on the part of the Wing
wire workers at Raleigh, to regain the ground they
have lost.
Mr.. Kerr, the Wing candidate for Governor, is
sentially higher law" man. so far as the Consti
tuition is concerned. He goes for an open Conven-
tion-he insists that if majority of the people
in favor of calling Convention to amend the Con-
stitution, the Legislature should obey this popular
behest of majority. although the Constitution it
self positively requires vote of two-thirds of both
Houses for that purpose. Do the people Of North
Carolina want Constitution resting more Sc
cure basis than this! Do they want a Legislature
swayed by every excitement of popular opinion up
on matter of constitutional obligation
Mr.. Kerr is opposed to Free SuArage-he wishes
king a false issue upon his runous Convention hob
by. Do the people wish to support him for this
Mr.. Kerr is opposed to our improvements, having
come down to Raleigh four years ago. to election
eer for the Danvile and Charlotte Road-purelya Vir
ginia proiect-the success of which would have ru-
ined our lower line, and inflicted severe and last
ing injury upon the trade of Wilmington. and the
prosperity of this section of country Is this insis
ted upon as one of Mr. Kerrs grounds of strength Z?
Or are we to be asked to support Mr., Kerr on &C.
count Of the overshadowing popularity of General
Scott whose election he advocates? How much
strength will Mr. Kerr derive from Scott In good
truth where is there single reason that can be
urged in favor of Mr. Kerr to any voter in the Cape
Fear District, anywhere in the same section of
country! We know not one.
On the other hand, Mr. Re d has been good and
faithful oficer-has been true to the South-to the
Constitution of his country and of his State. He
supports men who are supported by the South, but
denounced bitterly by the aboltoniss at the North
He is the advocate and champion of Equal Suffrage;
but while he thus wishes to do away with an invid
ious useless and an unnecessary distinction be-
tween free white men in the same community. he
seeks to obtain his object in quiet and constitu-
tional manner-would not, like his opponent SUBJ
nit the whole fabric of the Constitution to change
and innovation and above all, would not do in ODE
dence to the popular clamor of mere numerical
majority. He respects the checks and balances
the safeguards and sanctites Of the Constitution too
much for that. Mr.. Reid, unlike Gen. Scott or MIR.
Kerr, knows no higher law"
1t remains with the people to choose. We call
upon all Democratic friends the friends ofthe
Constitution and of Free Sufrage-to exert them
selves between this and the 5th of August. Let
ery vote be brought out. Let no honorable efforts
be spared The Scottites in the North look upon
Kerr as their candidate. Let them have foretaste
in North Carolina of their defeat in November next
Rally friends of the Constitution for Reid and Free
Suffrage. All who, having Senatorial votes, would
not deprive their neighbors of the same privilege
all who, not having Senatorial votes, would reach
forth their hands and assert their just equality, all
these will vote for Reid.
AN EDGEcoMBE DEMocRAT-We Are permitted by
MIR. REDDIN PITTMAN, the author of the articles
in the Tarboro Southerner, signed "Conservative"
to make the following statement: MIR. PITTMAN is
Southern Rights Whig--has nerer voted for Dem
ocratc candidate for Governor since the election has
been given to the people Twice he did not vote at
all--when Messrs. Branch and Dudley were candi-
dates and at the last election Has voted but once
for President since Gen JACKSON was in the field,
and then he voted for Gen. TAYLOR. AS Southern
Rights Wing he cannot support ScorT but, like
many other Southern Rights Wings, will support
PIERCE and KING. We do not allude to this matter
so much from its intrinsic Importance to vindicate
our own statements which have been called in ques-
ton. 1t would certainly be stretch to call Mr.
P1rTMAN an Edgecombe Democrat He is not.
PATRICK MURPHY, Esqr., requests US to state that
he was not delegate to the late Democratic Coun-
ty Convention of Sampson county that he did not
take part in its proceedings and the mention of his
name in that capacity was evidently mistake.
o. The Geographic correspondent of the Raleigh
Standard under date of Washington, July 90. states
that Mr. Hibbard of New Hampshire has received
letter from Gen. Pierce denouncing as false, the
mour that he had expressed personal enmity oppo
shion 10 the Fugitive Slave Law. We think this
recent attempt to njure Gen. Pierce by false state
ments copied from abolition papers has been pretty
eeciually exposed, nailed the counter and stamped
as spurious