Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-01-22

absolute necessities OF the people; while conSdefa
tons of high moral and philosophical character
should press home upon our better judgments, and
lifting us above the smoke and dust of party, above
the nire and filth of demagogues, above the paltry
considerations of place and office, place on that
statesmanike elevation whence we can view mag
nifcent panorama needing but our voices to be-
come glorious reality. The means are easily
raised-they will fall lightly on those looking to
the general good and seeking to restore life to
the energies of our invalid commonwealth, the de-
privation small and momentary, and the end GER
tain, near at hand, and worth thousand times
of exertion, risk and expenditure, than those
that are asked at our hands.
Then, sir, let US rise to the dignity of statesmen
let us for moment forget our petty cares and
stries and march up to the responsibility, making
this the brightest day in our calender and this
semby the most memorable one i'll the annals of
our State. Why not make declaration of indie
pendence, and following in the footsteps of those
who have made this way glorious, pledge our lives,
our fortunes and our sacred honor to redeem our
declarations! a gallows stood before them-the
worst that we have to fear is Punishment for time
from these halls, which many now affect to regard
prison.
Seven years of hard battle, of toll and loss, and
suffering, it took the giants of '76 to accomplish
their task of independence half of that time and
millioneth part of their hardships will consum-
with the mantle of gladness-wl build up her
seapcrts, drain off her swamps and her miasmas
together, ditch off and hedge in fer wide eastern
champaigns, convert the sedge her upland hills
to blushing orchards and golden harvests, people
her blue mountains with youth and beauty, love
and pleasure-will awake the silent echoes of the
romantic Catawba with the clatter of machinery,
and cover the solitary Yadkin with fleets of we'll
freighted boats cause villages and factories, and
70 +ho &c I'll
Fear-multiply the wealth and productions of the
great Roanoke, and bind in bonds of ndssoluble
interest, pride and affection, the Albemarle, the
Pamlico, the Cape Fear and the mountains mar
rying the east to the west, with rich dowry
each side, with good prospect of perpetual union
of love and interest, and glorious offspring of
beauty, manliness and power.
But, sir, this is not all nor half the plan pro-
posed looks to the redemption and independence
of North Carolina, and it will certainly accomplish
these desirable ends. 1t will bring market to
all counties; it will deliver us from our
lage to Virginia and South Caroina, vastly multi
ply the wealth of people, lesson their tolls and
increase the pleasures of living. And 1 said.
this is not all nor half when we have got this far
we will have doubled our population, trebled our
products and filled the State with factories. And
sir, works will pay and sustain themselves, and
they will have built up seaports and turned all
produce and all fabrics in that direction.
When this happens, when our agricultural, min
eral and manufacturing resources are but half de-
veloped by wise system of improvements, they
will make our State great State, make all our
Improvements profitable, and enrich and increase
in population our Atlantic cities. Then sir, when
all this happens, and it is feasible and easily
complished- all this happens, we will have
but begun our great career We will not only
have achieved our independence, have broken loose
from bondage, but we will be ourselves on the
broad highway to empire.
We will have the best port on the Southern At |
lantic-t will be the nearest to Liverpool the half
way port, the dinner place between Europe and the
mighty country of the Amazon; and the long arms
of this port will be thrown out to the exuberant |
valley of the Mississippi On our coast will be
the great Southern City-htherward will come |
the wide and far southwest, and hither will be
driven even our proud rivals, South Carolina and
Virginia.
But, sir, forbear; l will not draw the picture
which CLEANS visibIy before me in that not distant
future. 1 deal in facts and not in tancies and
sir, matter-offact man, and have but little !
imagination. Yet so glowingi is the picture which
[ see-so bright and grand and enchanting, that |
fear to sketch it, lest some less ardent friend of the
State might insinuate that much zeal had made me
mad.
1t remains only to ask what deters from real
ling the hopes which we might justly entertain
Mistrust of the people-fear-p arty-sprit and sec
tional prejudice! these the of North Caro-
lima. We underrate the intelligence of the people;
we crafty our own narrow views in voting down
liberal measures and then saddle the blame on the
people.
Sir. the people of North Carolina are more in
telligent than they represented to be in our
Legislative halls; and sir, the popular heart and
instincts educated not, are oftener Just and lib
eral than otherwise For one will trust the peo-
pie; and if we would all do tiff we would pass |
this bill by common consent and go home and
throw ourselves on the generosity and discrimina-
ton of the public, fighting for and UNFOLDING each
other, we would overwhelm all opposition.
For one sir, 1 would try it: boast not of cour-
age, but when conscious that am right know
not what it is to fear. 1 am willing to make this |
experiment to sink swim, live or die politically
in one great struggle to redeem North Carolina.
And, sir in this would know no party.
would lie willing to lay aside all party feelings
strong partizan am to forget the names of wing
and democrat; devoted whig as l am, and coalse-
cing fraternizing with my brethren on the other
side of this chamber, form new party and devote
myself to it-a party of North Carolinians-a par
ty devoted to the interests of our own State-to
the interests of our people the honor and well
fare OF our children-a party opposed to all par
ties-a party to rescue North Carolina from dis
honor and poverty, and rags, and to clothe her in
purple and soft rament, and place her high before
the world worthy of its respect, and worthy of
the affection and generation and devotion of all her