The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1856-12-09

mus SGHu Lut cISSLlOu VI Il ACS~ANAS ~ WV
black Republican House of Representatives.
He had proposed, long before, to IGNORE"
the question of slavery-that is, to act with
Northern abolitionists, requiring from them
no pledge to respect the rights of his sec
ton. Ne regarded the question of slavery as
paramount, and therefore preferred the ele-
ction of Fillmore to that of Fremont; he
regarded the defeat of Buchanan as para
mount. and set about the work of efecting
il, not knowing what the result would be to
his own section, or to the Union CT the
States. lie preferred party to country; zee
preferred country to party. lie consulted
his political prejudices, and was governed
by his ambition and his burning hatred to-
wards the Democratic party: we preferred
Mr. Buchanan, and felt confident OF his ele-
ction; but we forcsaw that fusion would
strengthen Fremont that to elect Fremont
or to send the election to the House was to
put in peril, if not destroy the Republic;
and so we deprecated fusion, and, forgetting
our preiudices against Mr.. Fillmore, earn
estly hoped that if Mr.. Buchanan should
not succeed that he would, and that the
prospects of the fusiOnists and black Re
publicans might be blasted. This, moder
ately and fairly stated, was Mr.. Rayner's
position. We denounced him for his con-
duct We did 70 in severe terms. We
chalcd him neither an abOlitionist nor
black Republican, for we did not regard him
as such; but we characterized fusion as
Frcmontisn, and Fremontism Abolition
ism; and we spoke of him, as we felt i'll the
discharge of our duty he deserved to be
spoken of, as untrue to the federal Consti-
tuition and to North Carolina. We impeach-
cd both his patriotism as public man, and
his political integrity. We had light to
do this, and it was our duty. By his con-
duct in Philadelphia he wounded and griev
ed thousands of his brother Americans,
honest Fillmore men. He talked and plead
for fusion, and still in that City and County
Mr.. Buchanan gained fifteen thousand roteS.
They were as severe upon him as we were.
They declared they never would fuse with
the Frcmontcrs, and they rcproachcd him
for having gone there to sow disCOrd in their
ranks. Mr.. Fillmore was not with him, for
we do not believe he ever sent or authOriz-
cd the despatch which was read in Phila-
dclph;a, advising fusion; and thirty thousand
'Amcricans" in Pennsylvania voted the
straight" Fillmore ticket. Mr.. Rayner
vas not, therefore, as true to his section or
TO the Constitution as was Mr.. Fillmore, or
the thirty thousand "Amcricans'' who thus
refused to fuse.
Such are the facts, and such was our
course towards Mr.. Rayner. "Our offence
hath this extent, no more" For this he
ass,iled us personally, in the store of Mr..
Pomcroy, in this City. 1t is of no sort of
Importance to the public what sort of fight
we had, or how it commenced. Neither
party was injured. Mr.. Rayner endeavored
to WELD, with some effect, heavy stick !;
and he was armed with a pistol, which,
however. he did not attempt to use. We
had no deadly weapons, and so informed
him before the struggle commenced. We
had never carried deadly weapons. Many
bitter expressions wcro used on both sides
before and after the rencontre, which we
neither recall nor repeat. Let them sleep.
The Democratic committee kncr all the cir
cumStGnccS ofht assault, and they spoke Of
them accordingly. We know, from CONVEX
sations with some Of the committee after the
meeting, that it was no part of their inten-
ton TO characterize Tie assault in its per-
sonai aspect. With that they had nothing
10 do. They referred to it only as an ''un-
jrstifiable and cowardly attempt to restrain
the freedom of the prcss"-and if from any
feeling of kindness towards us personally,
but they had intcrPoscd themselves between
Mr.. Rayner and ourself, as men, we should
at once have claimed and exercised the
right of protesting against It, and of pre-
venting any such interposition. We ask
no man or body of men to fight our person
al battles, or to stand between us and those
who may choose to assail US personally, no
matter on what pretext or for what cause.
1t is not true, as stated by the Register,
that the resolution does not agree with the
public sentiment of this place" Nor is it
true that the conduct of Mr.. Rayner is gen
orally approved; nor is it true that tho
course of the Editor of the Standard was
such that some of his personal friends even
said they would not blame Mr.. Rayner if
he should call him to account" We have
no such personal friends'-we repudiatc
aud scorn all such.
That Mr. Rayner's assault upon US, and
his unworthy conduct as q public man in
Philadelphia, has the approval of portion
of the people of this community, we do not
deny. There are persons here, as every
where else in the world, whose party preju-
dices are stronger than their sense of right,
and stronger than their attachment to their
native land; and there are others in this
community. who compose the old and ex-
elusive Wing ariStocracy, against whom
the Editor of the Standard has been con-
far dino for, 4,