Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-12-03
The Register and Mr.. Rayner

cekly so
The Register and Mr.. Rayner.
The Raleigh Register of Saturday last contains .,
article, headcd-"The Democratic Meeting and n.
Rayner which requires some notice at our hand,
Our readers will bear witness that it has NOT hmm
our habit to thrust matters savorng of personal no,
ture on their attention. We have uniformly ID
dressed them as an Editor, keeping to ourself on,
peculiar feelings our griefs, and our matters hr ~
joicing as man; and restraining all personalities,
and ali expressions Of passion, which, however tbov
might tend to interest them in us personally. could
be of 10 substantial service to the great princpc.
which we hold and labor to enforce, But rocon.
events, tollo,oed By the article ADORE r,srrea in
the Register, imposes upon a new duty from tbe
performance OF which we coul1 not shrink and At
the same time be true to ourse to our position Or
to our friends.
The Register, abiding to the late Democratic
meeting held in the Commons Hall, says:
"The Resolution denonncing the attack of Mr. Ravner
on the Editor of the Standard is in very bad taste and DOL
cacy ought to have forbid its publication the columns Of
the Standard The assault of Mr. r. is characterized as
unustiable and cowardly attempt to restrain te Free
dom of the If the Committee who reported this
to assure them that they differ fr.m the majority Of bc
citizens of Raleigh. Their Resolution does not agree with
the public sentiment Of this place. and should not dis
lance, be regarded expression of the voice of This
community As far have been able to learn what ia
the opinion Of the public this matter we hesitate not TO
that the conduct of Mr. r. is regarded just tie rrr,se
OF achdt this Deocratc Committee hare p,uaocI it. 1t
was not and is not considered attenpt to re.
strain the frfeao of the press Mr. Rayner is of the
last men in the world who would undertake desire
strict any proper liberty of the press The course of the
Editor of the Standard such that of his personal
friends said that they would not blame Mr. r. if he
should call him to account But after all that may be
said this subject the condemnation of assembge of
political enemies, expressed through Resolution fix
no brand of degradation Kenneth Rayner-nor can it,
opine, alter the public estimate of who resorts to
such method to soohe his wounded feelings"
The resolution referred to was the act of the com.
mittee and of the Democratic meeting 1t was I'M
animously reported, and unanimously passed. The
insinuation-not made in spirit of manhood-but
the insinuation that We have resorted I" to such
method to soothe " our wounded feelings" is de-
fberately and unquafedly false. We studiously
abstained from expressing any opinion on the SUBJ
ject to our most intimate friends, determined as we
were to leave the whole matter in their hands. We
had no "wounded feelings" to "soothe." 1t was
for the people to say, they did say that an at
TEMPT" had been made to ''restrain the freedom OF
the prcss.' But it was only an "attempt" The
freedom, not the Righteousness Of the press, IS one
of the great buwarks Of public liberty The press
has no right to invade private character. In this
respect we are blameless; and if any man disputes
this let him prove what he says. Our files are open
to him. But the press has the right to expose ana
to characterize the conduct of public men-to COM
mend or to denouncc them-to warn the people OF
evil, and to attract them to good-and even TO I'M
peach if it chooses, the patriotism and the integrity
of public men, Within this sphere it may not oe
assaied Within this sphere it is sacred in its rights
and is not to be questioned either by prosecutions Ut
threats, or bludgeons, or deadly weapons. Within
this sphere the man Holden is nothing-the press,
rs the organ of the people, every thing. Lie may
be struck down and pass away but the great lnsi'
tuition of free types and free printing, so far as Con-
situations, and human rights, and public men and
public acts are concerned, will survive 1t can nc
more die than the sun can 60 out, or the waters
cease to flow. 1t EXISTS, and in this country no pow
er can destroy it. We shall not debate about It,
We will not hear it questioned. We aoiH be true
it, noo and hereafter, heretofore soithout regar'
to consequences.
But it was in "very bad taste the resolution
was" and delicacy ought to have forbid its publ
cation in the columns of the Standard" The Stand
ard had no right to suppress any portion of the pro
ceedings of public meeting and to the " taste
of the thing, people differ about that. We shall no
20 to the Raleigh Register to be instructed in mat
tiers of & taste.''
But, says the Register, 1.-THE resolution does no
agree with the public sentiment of this place, AM
should rot at distance, be regarded as the expires
sion of the voice of this community" And, add
that paper we hesitate not to say that the conduc
of Mr.. Rayner is regarded just the reverse of wha
this Democratic committee have pronounced IT,
And that paper continues-"the course OF the ho'
tor If the Standard was such that some OF his per
sonal friends even said they would net blame Mr.
Ravner if he should call him to an account"
These assertions are both unfounded and unjust
We regret that they have been made, for they hav
rendered it necessary that we should 60 into tn
matter Of the assault, which we have thus far re
Trained from doing and RETAINED too while an artcl
was going the rounds of the press doing US injus
tice, and while some of the papers-as for example
the Fayetteville Observer-were making covert an
unmany insinuations. intended to injure US.
We have never assailed Mr.. Rayner in the Stand
ard either as gentleman or as private Citizen
We have dealt with him only as public man. Jus
before the recent Presidential election, he wrote
letter to some person in the North-whether an al
olitionist or true man, does not appear-in which
he denounced in gross and calumnious terms Por