Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1854-07-05
: DISCUSSION AT srATEsvuIG


We attended the discussion at Statesville last Sat
urday, between Messrs. Bragg and Dockery. and
were highly pleased with our candidate. II Ia not
our purpose to go at length into the various points
touched upon, for we took no notes. Gen. D. spoke
trst, and from what we had heard we were prepared
for the murder OF the Queens English, the outrage
OF propriety and courtesy, the rude, rough dcma-
gogusm of an unscrupulous politician, and the rage
OF vanquished deception and in none of these par
tcularswere we disappointed except that he went
little deeper in such matters than we had auticpa-
ted There is neither grace nor dignity about him,
quently make amends for the wants of learning and
talent. He declared himself in favor of Free Suf.
rage by Convention (no kind of Convention nam
ed IN favor of internal improvements and distri-
ou1on OF the public lands. He thought the Nebras-
ka bill good in part and bad in part but would have
voted for it. He labored hard to fghten the people
INTO distribution by arraying before them the hor-
!ors OF taxation to pay for their works of internal
improvements rather equivocal way, we thought,
OF advocating internal Improvements, especially after
nc hao dumatted IN Moore county, that distribu-
ton could be hoped for.
Mr. Bragg spoke 6uently, gracefully and calmly,
revealing in every look and tone the sincerely of an
honest heart. He showed in convinciye language
the deception of distribution and of Convention
defended the administration against the charge of
freesollsm, brought against it by Gen. D., and ex-
planned the Nebraska bill so as to show that the
South has gained much by it On the subject of in
ternai improvements his remarks were plain, open
and explicit; and we say to the people of the State
that on this subject Mr. Bragg has been wifnly and
dcsignedly misreprcsented by the Wing press. He
Is genuine internal improvement man. and SO de-
cares himself without circumlocution or any equiv.
ocatIon and is in favor, not only of the Eastern and
Western extension of the Central Railroad but of
all other improvements calculated to de-elop the re-
sources of the State where the can be provi-
ded The internal improvement resolution of the
Democratic iS
he stands firmly upon it.
At the conclusion of Mr. BIS speech he was heart.
lily applauded and Gen. d. rose to reply. He was
furiously wrathy, and brought down his fist upon
the desk before him lin the church, with tremen-
dous jerk, fairly making the house tremble. Of
course he indulged in courteous and reined-slang.
oir," said he, my opponent has-has-he has
jumped Jim Crow!" For this gallant speech few
Wings applauded the General, and he then seemed
more modified but he got no further applause. Hav
ing spoken his half hour in reply, Mr. Bragg closed
with another half hours speech and we never heard
such Keen, cutting severity as he dealt out to the
General and yet he did it in a cool, calm elegant
manner. There were no low personalities, no slang
no rudeness no abuse, exhibition of anger; but
the keenest satire the most elegant hrusts and the
most convincing argument Surely the Gen. must be
brought to repentance some time, if he has his sins
laid before him every day as he had that day.
The audience was quite large, and said to be about
half Democrats. Mr.. Bragg had drawn out his party;
but Gen. Dockery could not command his Iredell
is a hard old Whig county, but such discussion as
that at Statesve must have its effect. The people
arc honest, and truth will prevail amongst them.
The very fact that Mr.. B. drew applause twice to
the Generals once in such county Iredel speaks
volumes. Salisbury Banner.