Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-05-19
From the Standard
Gen, DOckcry In Columbus.
WHITEvILLE, N. c., April

MIR EDITOR - write 10 keep you duVlSeu Vi Tie
0rogress of Whiggery and Dockery in Columbus.
On the Sd of May, being the day appointed by the
,,oraI 10 address the citizens of this county, small
ond;pnce eft, though few" assembled in the Court
Room to hear the redoutable champion, and were
toyored with one of his peculiar displays of windy
ok and noisy demonstrations.
He commenced his harangne by complaining of
.1ocaI politicians" and Mr.. Bragg's ''srikers," whom
10 had the pleasure of occasionally meeting his
eectoneering tour, imagine; and one would sup
nose from the deep moan which he set up, that he
had received rather rough usage at the hands OF some
OF these strikers, he pleased to term them and
that in some of the rubs he had accidentally been
h,ot, and still suffering, and expecting TO suffer-
under the same and similar sings
He said that he was in favor of Free Suffrage and
Of calling Convention for the purpose OF getting it
that he was for the Conventional mode, because il
was the cheapest and most expeditions and that if
, Convention were called, the old, and wise, and eX-
Darpnced men of the State would be brought out
and elected 10 discharge the high and responsible
duty of amending and altering the Constitution =
That he was opposed TO the Legislative mode Of get
ting Free Suffrage, because it anti-repnb can,
and because the Legislatures composed OF ira
ding, traickng ':pOLit1cfans" demdgOgueS,' and
''mere boys" who fond oil spreetng, SO as to
unfit themselves for business-lhat they had care
nor concern for the welfare of the State and would
neglect the interests of their constituency 1t home
that they were not fit to make laws under the Con-
situliOn much less to alter or amend 1t, and that
the Democratic party as party was responsible
for the defeat of Free Suffrage al the last session OF
the Legislature.
He next took up the Land hobby. and said he was
in favor of Distribution, and wanted North Carolina
TO have her share Of the public lands or their pro-
cteds-that there were thousands and millions of
acres belonging to her. that he wanted them to
checker North Carolina with railroads, &c He then
went through the regular routine Of misrepreSenta-
tons and deceptive illustrations concerning the
squandering of the public lands, and the railroads
built in the Western or new States by donations of
public lands made by Congress- usually resortcd to
by Wing leaders. No one would ina CINE, from
what the General said, that the alternate section
system of disposing of the public lands, by which
the general government loses nothing, had ever been
adopted. And after very abored effort 10 defend
and sustain his untenabe positions, with the stale
and shallow arguments usually set forth, he concu
ded by saying that he had finally convinced h2lself
that he the old General ought to be elected Governor
of North Carolina
But it seems he could not have things entirely his
own way. One of those lesOlute prosecutors, for
whom he exhibits so little partially, and whom he
calls strikers, was again at hand TO harass and be-
devil him. For upon, the conclusion OF the Gene
rails windy talk our young and talented tOwnsman,
F. George, Esq, after a modest and pleasing intro
duCtory, in which he regretted the inability of Mr.
Bragg TO be present and answer for himself, made
most eectual cTpOSe of the sOphistry of his illus
triOus predecessor" and the hollow professions of
Whiggery in general. He followed his opponent
through all his t0rtuous windings, pointed to his
garing inconsistencies, and completely demolished
him on all the issues made, that the General would
not reply to his arguments. In his reply, Mr. George
examined the reasons assigned by the General for his
being in favor of the Conventional mode of altering
or amending the Constitution and showed conclusive
Iy that the proposition to call Convention to alter
that instrument had already cost the State as much
as Free Suffrage-that it had been made in every
Legislature in which Free Suffrage had been prOpOS-
ed by Legislative enactment, and had signaly failed
as often as made and then demanded where was the
Cheapness the expedition the hO of obtain
ny Free Suffrage by Convention ! He further asked
the General if he had not voted for the anti repub-
can mode of altering the Constitution by Legislative
enactment IN the Convention of 1885 The General
replied he had not. WhereupOn Mr.. George put the
question 10 him, Did he, did he not vote for the
Constitution as amended by that Convention, with
this ant-Tepublcan mode as he called it in it The
General admitted that he did. MIR. George then
showed the Inconvenience of the Conventional mode
that when we submit to n Convention, should
he compelled, in order to get such amendments we
desired, to take others that opposed to and
did not desire-that we could not get the straw
berries and cream, without dose of arsenic with
hem :" bnt the General being of great " firm
ness of purpose and strength of intellect" shut his
eyes and in 835 swallowed poison and all, He then
completely exposed The game attempted by the wings
in order to shlrk the responsibility Of defeating Free
Suffrage in the last Legislature, and if possible TO
throw it on the democrats. He showed that while
every democrat in the House of Commons voted for
the Free Suffrage bill, Twenty-Five Uh1gS were against
THAT while every democrat in the Senate, except
speaker Edwards (27,) sustained it, twenty two whg
Senators voted in favor of every movement that ten
ded to defeat the BILL until it up lis merits
when six of them voted for the bill, not, as some of
them SAID because they in favor of it, but be-
cause they knew the Speaker opposed to it, and
wanted 10 make tie, to get him (the Speaker,)
to kill titus showing that while every democrat
IN the Legislature, but Edwards, favored the bill,
forty.seven wings opposed it, And yet, in the face
OF all these facts the General charged the democratic
party with the defeat of the bil-a piece of obstinate
injustice in admirable keeping with his known char
acter for tirmness of purpose" Notwithsta nding
the General charged that the Legislature com
posed of mere boys trading politicians, and demago
CUES, the wing party, in the midst of its collected
wisdom, called upon this Legislature of boys, pOllti
cans, and demdgOgucS to restrict this Convention o.
potent, grave and reverend seigniors," and say tc
them, . thus far shalt thou go, and no farther"
He demonstrated clearly that, if the lands belong
ed to the States in their united, federal character
then the general government, the agent of the
States, had no authority to distribute among them
tor their individual, separate fund derived from
property held in their united federal character, with
out special power for that purpose; which power
he clearly showed, found neither III the deeds Of
CeSsIon nor in the Constitution. For the deed of
SION from Virginia, under the articles of confedera
oh expressly declares the proceeds Arising from the
lands to be a common fund; and that common fund
snail be applied to The and benefit of the United
states IN their federal character according to thei
usual respective proportion in the general charge and
expenditure
lie followed out his argument at considerable
length, and with variety of illustrations so that
whatever else may be thought about the distribution
OF The public lands, but few who heard him could
doubt It's being unconstitutional
In short, (for ! see | have become much more