Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1855-06-13

"
mocrats, as such have no Constitutional right to
vote or to hold Office; the Constitution knows no
such classes or parties. All citizens have right to
vote and to hold Office; but we do not vote against
citizens, but against Wings or Democrats; that is,
we do not vote against man because he is a cti.
zen, but because, being citizen, he holds political
principles which we disapprove Surely this is not
prescription, but merely the exercise of the privil
ege which the people have, ueder the Constitution,
of carrying out their views of government. But
when we vote against man because he is Catho-
lie, or because he is Protestant, erect stand
ard of qualification higher than the Constitution;
for that instrument expressly provides that reli
gious test shall be required for Office. We thus,
while we pretend to maintain the liberation estab
lshed in the Constitution make it practically null
and void at the polls. Certainly every citizen has
the physical power of voting to prescribe either
Catholics or Protestants; but the Know Nothing
who proposes to prescribe the Catholic, and who
has taken oath to do, and also oath to sup
port and to be governed by the Constitution must
choose between his oaths-he must break one or the
other?
Q-That, admit, appears to be plain and reason
able Ihave other questions to PROFOUND, andhope
the conversation will be continued.
Avery well-I shall be happy to continue the
conversation, answer any question you may put
Gone word more: You have made certain state
ments about Mr.. Rayner is he not now in Philadel-
phia laborng to thoroughly nationalize the Order?
A-Yes, he took his seat, suppose, on Tuesday
last in the National Council with such men as Will
son, of Massachusetts, and Hale and Tuck of New
Hampshire. If their credentials were genuine, Mr..
Rayner, it is to be presumed, recognized them as
brother Know Nothings; and yet such men, as their
past lives prove, would instgate the slaves of the
South to raise upon and murder their masters. Mr..
Rayner is a Shareholder and no doubt sincerely de-
voted to the rights of the South but in relying up
on such men, or in attempting to make terms with
them, he hopes against hope. He is in the minori-
ty in that Council and if contest should arise in
it touching the question of slavery, ne will be voted
down. and may be expelled. Yet he is bound, ac-
cording to his oath as Know Nothing, to submit
to the action of majority of the Council whatever
that action may be, withdraw from the Order.
If he should agree to stand by the Union of the
States under all circumstances, to ignore the
question of slavery leaving his Northern associates
free to agitate it, they have heretofore done in
the halls of Congress- he will not be true, in my
opinion to the interests and the rights of his State
and if, the contrary, refusing thus to agree, he
should withdraw from the order, he will thereby
openly confess that it is not national but sectional
and has failed to accomplish for the country what he
promised us it would accomplish. Approval Of, or
quescence in the compromise of 1850 was the test
of both the last Whig and Democratic national Con-
ventons and the Union will be imperilled and the
rights of North Carolina put in jeopardy, if any
party which disregards and ignores this test shall
obtain supreme control.