Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1855-07-14

~ ~. AOhbhOs CeCTetOTy.
- There will be Democratic meeting at
Stallings Depot, in Johnston County, on Thursday,
the 18th instant. Speeches will be delivered by L.
g. Sanders B. H. Tominson, Esqs., and others.
MIR. SUPERINTENDENT IMPROVEMENTS.
Perceiving that Mr.. Shepards course in the pres
ent campaign, in relation to internal improvements
is likely seriously to inu lure him. the Raleigh Regis
ter attempts an apology for him, and seeks to place
on Mr.. Branch the responsibility of having intro
duced the subject into the discussions. That paper
of the 18th contains article the subject head
ed the beginning of the end" which is one tissue
of misrepresentation and falsehood. We quote the
material portion of it, follows:
eve understand that efforts have been made
riUateIy to nure Mr.. Shepard by seeking to create
the impression that he has gone out of his way to
lug the question of Internal Improvement into the
present canvass, and to mix it up once more with
party contentious. Directly the reverse Of this is
the fact. Mr. Branch, himself first introduced the
topic, in Granville, strong Internal Improvement
county, and sought to make capital by ting
himself virtually, if not in so many words as par
excellence the Internal Improvement candidate
Mr.. Shepard declared, when he opened the cam
paign in Raleigh, that the question of Internal I'm
provement was no longer debatable one,-that
both parties had rallied to its support@ that the
Democrats in the last Legislature had gonas far as
the Wings ever went in sustaining it,-and that it
was folly in any man to oppose it; yet Mr. Branch
IS the man who is still disposed to bring it into the
political arena, and Mr. Branchs understrappers are
the fellows who seeking to make Mr.. Shepard
responsible for the formers sins! In Nash, where
lnterna! Improvement is unpopular, Mr.. B. was not
anxious to aude to the subject, although his atten
ton was directed to it by Mr. S. who was very pro-
perly unwilling that he should ride both sides of the
sapling, as the locality circumstances required"
Now, let US see what the facts really At
Laws, in Wake, Mr.. Shepard spoke of the heavy
tax-bil passed by the last Democratic Legislature
and said it was now more than desirable to dis
tribute the public lands, in order to "relieve the
people" of the heavy tax. Mr.. Branch replied that
he did not see why Mr.. S. should enGeavor to throw
the odum of the high tax the Democratic party;
that the last Legislature did not contract the debt
that the only question presented to that body was,
shall we repudiate debts honestly contracted by for
mer Legislatures, shall we lay tax to pay them;
that of all parties stood up for the honor of the
State, and voted for the bill that the law was no
doubt imperfect for it was difficult to frame per-
feet revenue system; but the intent was good-it
was voted for by men of both parties and the peo-
pie would maintain the credit of the State if it took
the last dime. At Brassfeld's Mr. Shepard referred
to the matter again-censured the Democratic Leg
been increased from $50, 600 in 1885, to more than
S5Ou,OOO. AT Oxford he spoke on the subject as at
Brassfelds. Mr.. Branch expressed his regret that
his competitor had deemed it necessary to introduce
the subject into the canvass, with which it had no
connection; that it we'll known the States debt
was contracted for internal improvements for which
gentlemen of all parties had voted and which all
parties were now happily united that this Con-
gressona District had received its full share from
the expenditures for improvements and certainly
had no right to complain; and that he hoped his
competitor would drop the subject his course, if
persisted in, would inevitably result in injury the
of internal improvements. At Grove Hill,
Warren, Mr. S. spoke again of the bill passed by
the Democratic Legislature, and said there was one
subject which Judge Saunders, Holden, and all
the Democrats about Raleigh, except himself had
abandoned the old Democratic doctrine. Mr. Branch
asked him to what he alluded. He replied he did
not like to mention IT. he did not aoish to intro-
duce 1t into The can0ass! No doubt every intelli-
gent person in the audience understood to what he
alluded. Mr.. Branch made reply. At Warren
ton he again referred to the tax-bill passed by a
Democratic Legislature, and added that the last
Democratic Legislature had gone further in works of
internal improvement than any preceding one At
Cedar Rock and Harrson's Old Store-two of the
strongest ant-nternal improvement precincts in the
Distrct-Mr. Shepard told the. people that he aoas
Nt@ UHIOOooD
improvement IN qOhicA the State aoas concermed-
while his competitor, Mr.. Branch, had always been,
and probably still internal improvement
man; that he, Mr.. S., had stood by the {" radical
Democracy" of Franklin when every other prom-
nent Democrat about Raleigh was going for Rail-
roads that the State had lost he could prove,
one million of dollars by the Raleigh and CASTOR
Railroad; and that he had opposed every internal
improvement measure of the last Legislature. Mr.
Branch, in reply stated to the people that he
and always had been an internal improvement man,
in favor of every work that in his judgment would
pay to the people and the State than it cost;
that he in way responsible for any losses the
State had suffered but, the contrary, it had been
his good fortune, while President of the Raleigh and
CASTOR Railroad, to pay into the State Treasury !
thirty-one thousand dollars in profits to the State:
and that the of his competitor in this matter
was the surprising, as he would get probably |
of his votes for Congress from
the very party at whose solicitation mainly the State